The New Orleans Museum of Art is one of our premiere arts institutions in New Orleans and we’re so grateful to John Bullard, Diane Walmsley, Charlotte Hebert and Lori Frischertz for gracing our cover! They are preparing for the 44th Odyssey Ball, which will be held Friday, November 13, and you don’t want to miss it! The black-tie event will feature haute cuisine by Palate New Orleans, NOMA’s famous live and silent auctions, music by Jeremy Davenport and a special appearance by Grammy Award-winning Terrance Simien – who appears on the soundtrack to the upcoming New Orleans Jazz Age-based The Princess and the Frog. The Odyssey Ball will also be your first opportunity to see “Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio,” a major exhibition that will feature more than 600 rarely seen original artworks from such classic Disney movies as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.
Our ever-popular What’s Hot column features art, where you can get ideas for everything from great purses to fabulous paintings! Speaking of “forever popular,” Diane Sustendal Labouisse continues to keep us up-to-date on the most fabulous New Orleanians, and their friends, fundraisers and parties – everything you’re dying to know. Thank you Diane for all you do for Avenue; you’re the best!
Lilith Dorko has a wonderful article on purchasing antiques – without fear – to create a home that’s uniquely “you.” Also, check out our Student Activist column in which we spotlight an amazing young person who’s volunteering their time to make our city better, and our Schooldays section for pictures from local school’s fundraisers. Our youth is inspirational!
Halloween is just around the corner, so get ready all of you ghosts, vamps and zombies for the Jazz Half Marathon that will benefit Children’s Hospital. It starts at 7 a.m. Halloween morning on Convention Center Boulevard. Local bands will entertain the runners, and you can sign up for as little as $60 or up to $150 for four people running the relay. Visit www.jazzhalf.com to register or call 896-9373 for more info.
Before you make the run, be sure to check out the Historic New Orleans Collection, which has an exciting October with their outdoor concert series and their free new exhibit “Between Colony and State: Louisiana in the Territorial Period 1803-1812.” It opens on October 7 and runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at 533 Royal St. Then on October 16, there’s another “Concert in the Courtyard” featuring the blues of Thais Clark and the brews of Zea Rotisserie Grill. Admission is $10 or free with membership. Join this incredible New Orleans institution: visit www.hnoc.org or call 523-4662 for more information.
My entertaining column features a party at YA/YA Art Studio, where you can still purchase a chance to win a fabulous Jana Napoli “Egret” sculpture. The chances are only $20 each, so call them and have a chance to win! Thanks to Kay Kerrigan and Amanda Morrell for chairing the last event that raised $60,000 for this great institution. Call 529-3306 or email info@yayainc.com today!
If you want more great entertaining ideas, sign up for my newsletter by visiting my Web site: www.beverlychurch.com, where you’ll get a sneak peek at a new party idea, a recipe from one of our nationally recognized restaurants and a how-to idea each week! My books are available at the Borders on St. Charles Avenue.