Louisiana’s melting-pot history combined with its unique, diverse landscapes is undoubtedly why it is one of the most culturally vibrant states in the country. Visitors to the state and locals alike find themselves enthralled with the food, music, history, and art of the communities that extend along the Gulf and Mississippi and over to Texas and Arkansas. Festivals welcome music lovers, food enthusiasts, and dancers for family fun, while galleries invite artists and their fans to find depth and meaning through moving works of visual art. Historic sites bring history alive with reenactments and thrilling stories of how we got where we are today. In New Orleans, opera and theater continue to thrive as stalwarts of the arts, with local theaters and organizations preparing for productions of the 2019-2020 seasons. Dig into Louisana’s arts and culture this month and see what worlds are opened to you through the imagination, creativity, and history of others.
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From October 1 through November 3, historic St. Joseph Plantation offers its annual, sought-after “Mourning Tour,” which features the grieving and funeral customs and rituals of 18th- and 19th-century Creole Louisiana. The house will be “dressed in full deep mourning,” according to the old prescribed protocol of mourning.
Every weekend through November 3, St. Joseph Plantation features live actors portraying some of St. Joseph’s long-ago residents and the mourning customs they followed. Both educational and entertaining, these live re-enactments include portrayals of Dr. Cazemir Bernard Mericq and Josephine Aime Ferry who lived at St. Joseph on separate occasions.
Regular tours are now offered seven days a week, and the guided mansion tour is one hour followed by a self-guided grounds tour. Photography of the interior is welcomed. The ground floor and gift shop are handicap accessible. For more information on St. Joseph Plantation, tours, and private events, visit StJosephPlantation.com or call 225-265-4078.
Antieau Gallery, located at 4532 Magazine Street, showcases the work of celebrated and admired fabric-appliqué artist Chris Roberts-Antieau. As a self-taught visionary artist, Antieau’s work tells stories of nature, perception, and the human experience. Her work is featured in museums all over the country, including Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum, and in the personal collections of influential people including former President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey.
Chris Roberts-Antieau has consistently been a pioneer of machine embroidery. Her main body of work, which she calls “fabric paintings,” are highly sophisticated tapestries created in her signature style of fabric appliqué and intricate embroidery, crafted on a simple Bernina sewing machine. This fall, the Royal Street gallery will display a new work, Antieau’s Jazz Funeral, a large work of fabric appliqué and embroidery depicting one of New Orleans most famous cultural traditions.
Stop in Uptown (4532 Magazine St.) or in the French Quarter (927 Royal St.) to view the works of Chris Roberts-Antieau and expand your art collection with works by this truly unique artist. For more information, visit AntieauGallery.com.
For the fifth year in a row, Algiers is excited to welcome the public for a free, family-friendly event, highlighting some of the best in local music, food, and fun. The 5th Annual Algiers Fest takes place Saturday, October 5, 2019, from 1 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Federal City, 2500 General Meyer Avenue.
Presented by the Algiers Development District, Algiers Development Corporation, and the Joint Development Committee, Algiers Fest welcomes a lineup of musicians that includes The Soul Rebels, Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band, Jonathan Boogie Long, Casme, Blues Madness, and The Marine Corps Band. Enjoy a variety of flavors and delicious foods from local food trucks. An array of children’s activities for kids of all ages will also be onsite.
For more information on this free, local festival, call 504-367-3331 or visit and like Facebook.com/algiersfest/ for the latest news and information.
New Orleans Opera Association is celebrating its 77th season this year and is proud to continue the legacy of producing opera in America’s First City of Opera. The tradition began when Andre Getry’s Sylvain premiered in New Orleans on April 22, 1796.
The 2019-2020 New Orleans Opera season includes Carmen, a story of desire, power and obsession; The Falling and The Rising, a story of service, sacrifice, and connection inside uncertainty; Joan of Arc, beautiful music with the story of New Orleans’ beloved Saint; Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, an exploration of the tormented jazz great and bebop innovator, and The Magic Flute, a popular fairy-tale for the entire family.
The NOOA Education wing features many fun events throughout the year for both children and adults with Students Night Out, Opera Nouvelle, in-school performances and programming, Opera on Tap and The Donald W. Wood, Sr. Vocal Competition.
For more information, contact 504-529-3000 or go to NewOrleansOpera.org.
An iconic French Quarter location for theater and entertainment, Le Petit Theatre was established just over a century ago in 1916. Today, its legacy continues with exciting productions running year-round just steps from Jackson Square.
The 2019-2020 season premiers October 4 with Noises Off, a joyfully out-of-control British play-within-a-play. Following A Christmas Carol, presented throughout the holiday season, January brings Something Rotten!, a play New York Magazine called “The Producers + Spamalot + The Book of Mormon. Squared!” Spring kicks off with August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, an intimate story about a brother and sister struggling over how to claim their family’s legacy and also free themselves of the past. April brings Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, the first part of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Gay Fantasia on National Themes, considered one of the best plays of the 20th century. From June 5-21, experience A Night With Janis Joplin, a musical journey celebrating Janis and her biggest musical influences—icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith.
For tickets and information, visit LePetitTheatre.com or call the box office at 504-522-2081 ext. 1.
