Artist Focuses on Saving America’s WETLAND in Latest Work
Rhea Gary one-woman exhibition to benefit coastal awareness
The America’s WETLAND Foundation (AWF) announces a major exhibition of new paintings by prominent Louisiana wetlands artist Rhea Gary.
The exhibition opens to the public Saturday, April 4, at the Jean Bragg Gallery, 600 Julia Street, New Orleans, for the “Jammin’ on Julia” street festival during which all the Arts District galleries hold simultaneous openings. “Jammin’ on Julia” is one of the district’s four major annual festivals.
A portion of the sales of paintings in the Gary exhibition, entitled “On the Third Day of Creation,” will be donated to the America’s WETLAND Foundation.
The AWF-sponsored exhibition at the Jean Bragg Gallery of Southern Art runs April 4 through 30.
“We are proud to be associated with a wetlands artist as prominent in the art world as is Rhea Gary,” said R. King Milling, AWF chair. “Rhea’s vision of Louisiana coastal scenes is ethereal and mystical. She and gallery owner Jean Bragg are being most generous in their support of the Foundation.”
Gary took her title from Genesis: “Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so…”
“This exhibit required much soul-searching,” Gary said. “In our coastal wetlands, this magnificent part of creation is threatened and fast disappearing…Painting is my way to call attention to the beauty of our wetlands and the urgent need to protect and restore them. I want the viewer to see this treasure with my eyes and to feel the emotion that fuels my passion for this unique part of creation.”
Bragg said she had long been familiar with Gary’s work, which hangs in important collections around the country and in Europe, as well as in American embassies in Australia, Bahrain, Jordan and Venezuela.
“Rhea Gary is an artist of remarkable talent and passion, committed to her art and to the cause of wetlands restoration,” Bragg said. “I believe art is a driving force in the renewal of our city and state. Her mission to raise public awareness of the America’s WETLAND with her paintings fits nicely with this renewal.”
Gary is well-known for her collaboration with nature photographer C. C. Lockwood. For a year, they worked in the marsh and swap areas painting and photographing the same scenes. The result was a teaching CD used around the United States and a best-selling book, “Marsh Mission: Capturing the Vanishing Wetlands.”
Gary’s work has been published in several magazines, including Louisiana Life, American Artist, Art and Antiques and many art journals. She has been featured on television on CBS Sunday Mornings, Delta Hands, and Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
“My interest in painting wetlands is not in the nuances of landscape but inusing color to bring about an emotional, joyful statement of place. Vibrant color and manipulation of light allows me to visually convey changing heat and energy as day begins and moves into evening. For me, our wetlands are both beautiful and mysterious. There, mood changes frequently,” Gary said.
Gary, a Louisiana native, holds a master’s in fine arts from LSU in Baton Rouge, which remains her primary residence. Gary also studied at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts and has attended special programs for artists in France, Ireland and Italy.
Her previous exhibitions have included shows in Coconut Grove, Florida; Greensboro,N.C., Jackson Hole Wyoming, Houston, Washington, D.C., and the LSU Museum of Art, Scottsdale, Ariz., Palm Beach, Florida, Huntington, W.V., Richmond, Va., Memphis, Atlanta, Sumter, S.C., Fairhope, Ala., Golden, Colo., and, in Louisiana, Shreveport, Hammond, Lake Charles and Jennings.
The America’s WETLAND Campaign, the largest, most comprehensive public education campaign in the State’s history, was launched to raise public awareness of the impact of Louisiana’s wetland loss on the state, nation and world. The initiative is supported by a growing coalition of world, national and state conservation and environmental organizations and has drawn private support from businesses that see wetlands protection as a key to sustainability, economic growth and cultural preservation. For more information, visit <http://www.americaswetland.com/>www.americaswetland.com
New Orleans Creative Glass Institute
Presents: LISA TAHIR
CASTING CRAZE!!!!!!!!!!
3924b Conti St, New Orleans, LA 70119, ph:(504) 482-6003, email: jenny@nocgi.org
Come experience for yourself the magic of pouring molten hot glass into molds that you construct from materials out the local NOLA scrap yard!! This is a hands on VERY active class for a wide range of students from no hot casting experience to years of ladling hot glass from the furnace into their molds. I will show you every aspect of found object sculpture making from conceptual idea thru execution and finishing. The process of sculpture making is 90% problem solving along the way. We will spend the first night in an orientation of the class and slide presentation. The second day we meet at the studio and go as a class to a scrap yard where students will purchase any and all materials they may want to cast glass into or use as a part of their sculpture. We return to the studio and begin mold building, woodcarving, sheetrock carving and casting hot glass into the molds. Each student works at there own pace with the instructor, teaching assistant (TA), and their classmates in a team style process. Day 3 and 4 we continue to make molds and cast glass and begin resolving finished pieces for the walk thru Review and Show on Day 5 to conclude the class!
Instructor: Lisa Tahir has had 14 years of experiencing casting hot glass and building sculpture around the world. She has taught at Urban Glass in NYC, Penland School of Crafts in NC, Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA, Toyama Glass School in Toyama Japan, and in New Orleans at Tulane University. She has been the head assistant to Gene Koss on his casting team and in the creation of his 3 to 8 ton monumental glass sculptures for 14 years. She shows at Brunner Gallery in the Shaw Center in Baton Rouge, LA. Her works are in various private collections, residents, and hotels.
STUDENTS BRING TO CLASS ON FIRST DAY:
Sketchbook, pens, etc., long pants that are denim or cotton (NO synthetic materials like polyester, workout wear, etc.), T-shirt, leather welding jacket, or long sleeve thick cotton type shirt to use as a “casting jacket” over t shirt. Closed toe shoes ONLY, cotton socks, welding gloves or other “tough” glove to protect hands from heat, sunglasses, or safety glasses, any wood carving tools and mallet you may have if you want to carve wood, aluminum foil if you want to use it to apply to the surface of hot glass, any found objects you may want to incorporate into the sculpture like steel, copper sheet, wire, tubes (copper can be dropped into the hot glass for a great color effect), drill and wood screws if you want to make a 2 part wood mold, bring PC-7 two part epoxy if you want to glue parts together, AND… bring yourself with your questions and energy and get ready to see why some of us are addicted to the “casting craze!!!!!”
CLASS SCHEDULE:
Friday May15, 2009, 6-9pm: overview, orientation, slides and demo and cleanup.
Saturday May 16, 2009, 10am-4pm: Scrap yard trip, studio time, and cleanup.
Sunday May 17, 2009, 10am-4pm: Studio time, and cleanup.
Saturday May 23, 2009, 10am-4pm: Studio time, and cleanup.
Sunday May 24, 2009, 10am-5pm: Studio time 10am-1pm,
Cleanup 1pm-3pm
Gallery show with individual review,
Refreshments and potluck closing party
Then cleanup again! 3pm-5pm.
There are a total of 12 seats available for this class. There must be a minimum of 5 students enrolled for the class to run.
Stuart Hall School for Boys
Knight Investiture Program
Knights Inducted
Monday, March 16
8:30 a.m. in the Chapel
Stuart Hall School for Boys
2032 S. Carrollton Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
Stuart Hall School for Boys is pleased to announce the names of their most recent Knight inductees. They are Matt Bennett, Brian Burvant, Paul Cousins, Stinson Hebert, Clayton Kallenborn, James Licciardi, Luke Robbins, Patrick Ryan, Ben Seago, Brayden Thompson, Andrew Tufts, Corey Webb, and Jimmy Whitlow.
The Knights Program is a tradition unique to Stuart Hall that provides a structure for middle school boys to develop and be recognized for the school virtues of scholarship, leadership, faith and honor. The program includes a system of recognition for exemplary knightly behavior, and a formal ceremony for eligible 7th graders to be inducted as Knights. Inductions are held at the end of each trimester.
Criterions for selection to Knighthood are the following: 1. Knighthood status is open only to 7th grade students, upon recommendation by the faculty. 2. A student must have passing grades on the most recent report card with no grade lower than a B- in effort and in conduct for all classes. 3. A student must be in at least one extracurricular activity. 4. A student must have been in the First Friday Honor Guard or Honorable Mention in 5th or 6th grades at least once, except if the student arrives at Stuart Hall after the 5th grade. 5. A student must not have received more than one Discipline Slip in the trimester prior to selection. If a Knight receives more than one Discipline Slip in a trimester, he forfeits his eligibility to remain a Knight, and he may only be reinstated at the discretion of the Headmaster. 6. A student who has been suspended or has been placed on active probation is not eligible for Knighthood.
Red Cross Month Starts Off with a Bang
March, officially proclaimed by President Obama as Red Cross Month, has started off with a bang. On Saturday, two education and recruitment booths, in Plaquemines Parish at the Dollar General Store and at the Bayou Southland Mall in Houma, distributed disaster preparedness materials to hundreds of people from Southeast Louisiana and recruited several dozen new volunteers. Also on Saturday, the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross attended a Family Day at the Belle Chasse Naval Air Station. Volunteers met with members of the armed forces and informed them of the various services made available to them by the Red Cross.
“The Red Cross is excited for all of our plans for the month of March,” said Kay W. Wilkins, CEO of the Southeast Louisiana Chapter. “We are eager to meet new faces and let the public know about all that we have to offer in the area.”
Other exciting events are planned throughout the remaining part of March. Highlights include several more education and recruitment booths throughout our 13 parishes, a large disaster preparedness event at the Whole Foods on Magazine Street on March 21 and the annual Bayou Brunch at Nichols State University.
A detailed list of Southeast Louisiana Red Cross events can be found on the following pages.
Please visit www.arcno.org for more information and updates about Red Cross Month.
To volunteer, donate, or receive current information about Red Cross activities, call 1-800-229-8191 or visit www.arcno.org. All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports members of the military and their families. The American Red Cross is a charity, not a government agency, and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission.
Milk Mustache Mobile Tour
Milk Mustache Mobile tour will be in New Orleans April 18-19 encouraging local residents to “Drink Well. Live Well.” We will be reintroducing milk as Nature’s Wellness Drink, by hosting weekend events at the French Quarter Festival. New Orleans families will be able to attend our FREE events within the festival’s “Children’s Headquarters” and partake in several of our event components.
Date: Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19
Time: 11am-5pm
Location: French Quarter Festival’s “Children’s Headquarters”
Why: The “got milk?” Milk Mustache Mobile Drink Well. Live Well. Tour will be cruising through your city hosting free events to encourage New Orleans residents to not only live well, but to drink well with nature’s wellness drink– milk.
New Orleans families will be able to:
-Sample lowfat and fat-free milk from Brown’s Dairy and Borden Milk Products
-Pose like their favorite celebrity for their own Milk Mustache photo
-Sample milkshakes and smoothies
-Receive a health assessment from a registered dietitian
-Receive a five-minute chair massage from a licensed massage therapist
Take home got milk? giveaways
More info:
• Whymilk.com
Stuart Hall School for Boys
Knight Investiture Program
Knights Inducted
Stuart Hall School for Boys is pleased to announce the names of their most recent Knight inductees. They are Matt Bennett, Brian Burvant, Paul Cousins, Stinson Hebert, Clayton Kallenborn, James Licciardi, Luke Robbins, Patrick Ryan, Ben Seago, Brayden Thompson, Andrew Tufts, Corey Webb, and Jimmy Whitlow.
The Knights Program is a tradition unique to Stuart Hall that provides a structure for middle school boys to develop and be recognized for the school virtues of scholarship, leadership, faith and honor. The program includes a system of recognition for exemplary knightly behavior, and a formal ceremony for eligible 7th graders to be inducted as Knights. Inductions are held at the end of each trimester.
Criterions for selection to Knighthood are the following: 1. Knighthood status is open only to 7th grade students, upon recommendation by the faculty. 2. A student must have passing grades on the most recent report card with no grade lower than a B- in effort and in conduct for all classes. 3. A student must be in at least one extracurricular activity. 4. A student must have been in the First Friday Honor Guard or Honorable Mention in 5th or 6th grades at least once, except if the student arrives at Stuart Hall after the 5th grade. 5. A student must not have received more than one Discipline Slip in the trimester prior to selection. If a Knight receives more than one Discipline Slip in a trimester, he forfeits his eligibility to remain a Knight, and he may only be reinstated at the discretion of the Headmaster. 6. A student who has been suspended or has been placed on active probation is not eligible for Knighthood.
WYES FRENCH QUARTER NIGHT
* WYES Will Air An Entire Night Of Programming Dedicated To The French Quarter *
WYES salutes the French Quarter Festival (April 17 – 19, 2009 <<http://fqfi.org/frenchquarterfest/>http://fqfi.org/frenchquarterfest/> ), dedicating a special night of programming in honor of the French Quarter. WYES FRENCH QUARTER NIGHT will begin at 7:00 p.m. on WYES Thursday, April 16th and will feature programs throughout the evening that celebrate the history and liveliness of one of New Orleans’ most beloved neighborhoods. WYES will also run spots featuring WYES Director of Broadcasting Beth Utterback noting WYES’ affection for the neighborhood that has played a part in many of WYES’ local documentaries. A special mention of the recent death of noted New Orleans photographer Johnny Donnels’ will be made. Donnels is featured in the locally produced, THE MAN IN THE PINK SATIN SUIT.
If you are interested in images for the below programs, please e-mail me at <ahinyup@wyes.org>ahinyup@wyes.org
Airing on WYES’ FRENCH QUARTER NIGHT –
7:00pm THE FRENCH QUARTER THAT WAS Produced and narrated by Peggy Scott Laborde, this program is filled with rare historic footage and home movies of one of the most popular neighborhoods in New Orleans.
8:00pm ARTS AND CRAFTS CLUB OF NEW ORLEANS From the 1920s until the early 1950s, in an attempt to preserve the cultural life of the French Quarter, the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans, provided local artists with a venue for their work, educated young art students and brought traveling exhibitions of cutting-edge modern art to the Crescent City. This film explores the club’s legacy using rich imagery of the Club members’ original works, excerpts from the writings of its founder, Lyle Saxon, and endearing, often humorous interviews with surviving Club members, their family and friends. The 30-minute documentary was produced for The Historic New Orleans Collection by independent producers Stephanie Riegel and Wade Henderson.
8:30pm BOURBON STREET: THE NEON STRIP With a bit of a reputation, this documentary focuses on the infamous street that has a long history of risqué nightclubs, hot and spicy jazz, cool drinks and girls galore. Produced and narrated by Peggy Scott Laborde.
9:00pm THE OUTSIDERS OF NEW ORLEANS: LOUJON PRESS Louise “Gypsy Lou” Webb, now well into her nineties, tells the story of how she and her husband Jon Webb published the avant-garde literary magazine The Outsider from a small apartment in the French Quarter in the early 1960s. By day Gypsy Lou sold paintings on a street corner, and by night found talent such as the beat poet Charles Bukowski whose work Jon Webb also chose for their first two Loujon Press books– It Catches My Heart In It’s Hands and Crucifix in a Deathhand. This story is about Gypsy Lou and Jon’s love for each other and their dream of publishing great literature together.
10:00pm THE MAN IN THE PINK SATIN SUIT documents the struggles, perseverance and discipline that go into the making of a self-made man. Johnny Donnels is an icon of the French Quarter where he runs a gallery filled with his own art. Revealed in a lover’s embrace with the life that he has created, he is, to many, the last of the great Bohemians: a symbol of freedom and ease. ** On Thursday, March 19, 2009 Johnny Donnels died at the age of 84.
11:00pm A CONVERSATION WITH TENNESSEE WILLIAMS Host and WWL News Anchor Eric Paulsen interviews the great American playwright in 1981 on a variety of subjects. Williams reveals that he considered New Orleans his “spiritual home” and the French Quarter as the “last frontier of bohemia” and an inspiration for some of his greatest works.
11:30pm ARTS AND CRAFTS CLUB OF NEW ORLEANS