NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Ogden Museum of Southern Art celebrates the 50th anniversary of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) with NOCCA PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE: Five Decades of Training Tomorrow’s Artists. This exhibition of work by the arts conservatory’s acclaimed alumni and faculty will be on view in the Museum’s Passageway Gallery from March 9 through April 21 with a closing reception on Thursday, April 18, at 5 p.m. Access to the exhibition and the reception are included with museum admission.
Visual Arts is one of only three arts departments that welcomed NOCCA’s first students when the school opened on January 28, 1974. Since then, NOCCA has evolved to include 11 different departments, with Visual Arts extending into virtual realms in addition to more varied physical media.
Ellen Balkin, deputy director of Experience & Engagement at Ogden Museum of Southern Art, states, “We are thrilled to be a part of this milestone exhibition. In New Orleans, the arts are vital to our community’s identity, culture, and economy. Thus, quality arts education for our young people is essential and an important part of Ogden Museum’s mission. Through the years and over multiple generations, NOCCA has been integral in fostering and developing the uniquely Southern identity that we champion at Ogden Museum. We are grateful for the exceptional arts education NOCCA has provided to so many young artists, and it is an honor to celebrate their achievements on their golden anniversary.”
NOCCA PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE includes works from Ogden Museum’s permanent collection; the private collection of the museum’s founder, Roger Ogden; works purchased by the NOCCA Foundation, NOCCA’s nonprofit partner; and pieces by current and past NOCCA faculty. The long lists of artists featured in the exhibition include NOCCA alumni like Zarouhie Abdalian, Marcus Brown, and Hannah Chalew, as well as current and past NOCCA faculty Courtney Egan, Sarah House, Mary Jane Parker, Keith Perelli, the late Ersy Schwarz, and Visual Arts chair, Michel Varisco. NOCCA PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE features a full range of 2D and 3D artwork, including painting, photography, and printmaking.
The artists included in this exhibition reflect NOCCA’s pedagogical model, which is rooted in the time-honored master-apprentice tradition. At NOCCA, professional artists pass on their lifetimes of experience to the future generations, who frequently become professional artists themselves and continue the process. Visual Arts chair Michel Varisco explains: “Students audition into the program from schools in New Orleans and from the larger region. The arts training students receive is from practicing artist-mentors who excel in their fields and who support their students’ growth technically and conceptually. NOCCA grads often return to speak with current students about their own experiences as professional artists in fields as varied as animation, illustration, architecture, design, photography, sculpture, and curatorial careers. We look forward to what’s next in this cycle of expression, transformation and growth.”
