NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), with the generous support of the Wagner Foundation, announces the 2021–2022 Creative Assembly Cohort, a multidisciplinary group of New Orleans-based creators selected to engage with the institution in a year-long exchange of ideas and inspiration. The Creative Assembly Cohort is comprised of a selection of creative minds who have will immerse themselves within the museum’s collection and use the institution as a catalyst for their own work and creativity.
“As the largest fine arts museum in the Gulf South, situated within one of the most culturally rich cities in the world, NOMA serves as a cultural convener and nexus for New Orleans’ vast creative offerings,” said Susan Taylor, Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA. “We are delighted to work with this outstanding group of creative talent, and we look forward to sharing their offerings developed through the Creative Assembly Cohort with the New Orleans community and beyond.”
The disciplines of cohort members range from musicians, dancers, and poets to mixologists, activists, and educators. Cohort members will symbiotically use the museum as a space for inspiration and collaboration, and work with the museum and its staff to develop and implement programs that speak to a diversity of perspectives.
“The Creative Assembly Cohort model is revolutionary within the museum field,” said Nic Brierre Aziz, Community Engagement Curator at NOMA. “Through this program, NOMA is supporting exceptionally talented and creative individuals, giving them the freedom to ‘choose their own adventure’ within a field and institution that has been historically distant from them.”
Members of the 2021–2022 Creative Assembly Cohort are:
Hospitality activist, sommelier, and bartender Ashtin Berry
Performance artist and dancer Frankie Canga
Artist, teacher, community food justice organizer, and mental health advocate Courtney Clark
Perfumer, herbalist, breathwork teacher, and craniosacral therapist Kathleen Currie
Singer, violinist, percussionist, member of Les Cenelles ensemble, and professional bookbinder Joseph Darensbourg
Trumpeter, musician, and artist Steve Lands
Poet, writer, and educator Tiana Nobile
Pop and electro musicians People Museum (Jeremy Phipps and Claire Givens)
Dancer, choreographer, and educator Edward Spots
ABOUT CREATIVE ASSEMBLY
Creative Assembly is a community engagement initiative by the New Orleans Museum of Art that uses neighborhood-based participatory art experiences as a vehicle for personal exploration, community collaboration, and social change. NOMA is committed to connecting to people both within and beyond the museum walls, and dedicated to developing sustained relationships with the individuals, organizations, and diverse communities of New Orleans. Bringing together community members, artists, community-based organizations, and museum staff, Creative Assembly facilitates community-generated art projects and programs in New Orleans neighborhood spaces and at the museum.
To learn more, visit www.noma.org/creative-assembly.
