NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Prospect New Orleans is proud to announce Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah as the headline performer of the Prospect.5 Gala, taking place Thursday, Oct. 21, at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans. The Gala will also honor art historian and curator Dr. Kellie Jones, curator, collector and Creative Director, UTA Fine Arts & UTA Artist Space, Arthur Lewis, photographers Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick, as well as New Orleans artist collectives Antenna, The Front, Good Children, Level Artist Collective, and Staple Goods.
Scott’s performance is a fitting prelude to Prospect.5’s opening weekend (October 23-24), as the New Orleans-born jazz musician’s socially conscious 2010 album, Yesterday You Said Tomorrow, inspired the title and thinking behind this year’s Triennial. Prospect’s only fundraising event in its three-year exhibition cycle, the gala honors the individuals who shape the New Orleans contemporary art community and have been influential to the P.5 process. Held in a legendary locale—where Mardi Gras floats are made and stored during the spring parades—the gala promises unforgettable entertainment and culinary favorites from Dooky Chase Restaurant, the Link Restaurant Group, and the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group. Click here for available tickets.
“Prospect’s gala sets the tone for the most active and celebratory weekend of the exhibition cycle. The entire organization, our artists, and our staff have been through so much in recent years; we’re thrilled to see the faces of our supporters, colleagues, and friends at the gala. Attending the event is the best way to support Prospect and the P.5 artists,” said Nick Stillman, Executive Director of Prospect New Orleans.
P.5: Yesterday we said tomorrow, curated by Artistic Directors Naima J. Keith and Diana Nawi, is the fifth iteration of Prospect New Orleans. On view through January 23, 2022, This citywide contemporary art triennial will feature fifty-one artists in approximately twenty venues throughout New Orleans and will include newly commissioned works alongside the work of historically significant artists. P.5 will investigate how history informs the present––particularly in relation to New Orleans, a uniquely American city grappling with the most pressing social, economic, and environmental issues facing our world today, but which remains deeply invested in and subject to its recent and historical past. Taking the city as inspiration, this exhibition will examine history as both document and fiction, exploring the idea that our moment feels both unprecedented and familiar.
Prospect.5 is closely monitoring the public health situation surrounding the Delta variant. Several of the venues for this year’s edition are outdoors, and others will require masking and distancing protocols for visitors. To ensure the safety of everyone, gala attendees are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the event. We look forward to welcoming guests in the safest manner possible.
