NEW ORLEANS (press release) – This November, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) hosts its fall gala, which takes its theme from the blockbuster exhibition Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour. The annual event raises funds to support the museum’s world-class exhibitions, innovative programming, and educational initiatives. Starstruck: A Fashion Odyssey Presented by First Horizon is Friday, Nov. 10.
“Inspired by an important exhibition that presents fashion as art, this year’s gala is a truly special occasion to celebrate the museum as a forum for all types of creative expression,” said Susan M. Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA. “Thank you to First Horizon for returning as a presenting sponsor for Odyssey.”
“We are thrilled by the opportunity to celebrate NOMA as a vital part of New Orleans’s cultural landscape,” said Ashley Morgan, Public Relations Liaison for First Horizon. “It is our pleasure to support the museum’s work as a hub for the arts in our city and beyond.”
In developing this year’s theme, event chairs Elly and Merritt Lane and Permele and Garner Robinson and NOMA Volunteer Committee chair Elizabeth Grimes looked to the glamorous works of art on display in Fashioning America.
“With Starstruck: A Fashion Odyssey, we hope to capture the dynamism of this important exhibition and give attendees a new experience of this annual tradition,” said event chairs Elly and Merritt Lane and Permele and Garner Robinson. “We hope you will join us at Odyssey to support the important work that NOMA does all year round.”
This year’s featured exhibition Fashioning America highlights the spirit of innovation and the diversity of the United States’s fashion heritage, emphasizing the work of Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and women creators alongside brands that have redefined American fashion from the 19th century to today. On view through November 26, Fashioning America features garments by more than 100 designers—including Nudie Cohn, Lloyd “Kiva” New, Walé Oyéjide, Tyron “Marquette” Perrin, Isabel Toledo, and Shelly Xu—and artworks by Jordan Casteel, Martine Gutierrez, Roy Lichtenstein, and others. Odyssey attendees will be able to visit the exhibition during the event.
Entertainment for Starstruck: A Fashion Odyssey is provided by renowned clarinetist, bandleader, and musicologist Dr. Michael White and the Grammy Award–winning Rebirth Brass Band, who are known for their blend of jazz, funk, and hip-hop. Event design is by Urban Earth Studios, event production is by See-Hear Productions, and catering is by Ralph Brennan Catering and Events at NOMA. Libations are sponsored by Sazerac Company. The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com and St. Charles Avenue Magazine are media sponsors.
The patron party begins at 7 p.m., and the gala is 8–11 p.m. Attendees are requested to dress to dazzle.
Gala tickets start at $300, with a special price of $150 for supporters ages 21–45 who are part of NOMA’s Contemporaries member group. Sponsors at the $2,500 level and above are invited to the Odyssey Sponsor Party on Thursday, Oct. 26, hosted by Jennifer and Dennis Lauscha.
Tickets are available at noma.org/odyssey.
