NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old US Mint hosts Carnival From the Ground Up, a photo exhibit by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee that is a tribute to the people who make New Orleans’ carnival by hand, and take carnival to the streets on foot. These are the Baby Dolls and the Black Masking Indians, and the new wave of walking and dancing krewes that march independently or strut between the floats of the uptown parades. These are the gorgeous and glorious maskers who rule the streets on Mardi Gras day. The exhibit celebrates the creativity, community, hard work, joy, and power of making carnival from the ground up.
The exhibit, on view outside the Old US Mint through Feb. 13, features 70 photographs taken by Hodgson-Rigsbee over the last eight years. Featuring captions and quotes from the people represented, Hodgson-Rigsbee’s photographs form their own parade along the Jazz Museum’s fence. His use of light and color captures the vivid textures of carnival and the ways it is rooted in everyday life. A public panel discussing the exhibit, free and open to the public, will be held Tuesday, Jan. 28, 3:30-4:30 p.m., featuring Big Chief Tyrone “Pie” Stevenson from the Monogram Hunters, Chewbacchus Overlord Aryanna Gamble, and longtime Society of Sainte Anne member Stuart Auld will talk about what making carnival from the ground up means to them with photographer Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee and Martha Radice, collaborators of the exhibit.
On Sunday, February 4, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., an exhibit ‘Opening’ is scheduled outside by the exhibit on Decatur Street. This is a casual event with king cake where you can meet participants and view photos up close. Free and open to the public!
What: “Carnival from the Ground Up,” a new outdoor exhibit of 70 photos of the people who make Mardi Gras by photographer Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee in collaboration with anthropologist Martha Radice, who wrote the accompanying text, captions, and quotes. Panel: Tuesday, Jan. 28, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Opening on Sunday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: New Orleans Jazz Museum (Old US Mint), 400 Esplanade Avenue – exhibit located on the Decatur Street side,1300 block.
When: Jan. 6 through Feb. 13, (Twelfth Night to Mardi Gras day). A public panel discussing the exhibit, free and open to the public, will be held on Jan. 30 at the Jazz Museum, 3:30-4:30 p.m.. Opening on Sunday, Feb., 4, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
