FindArtNola

Address:
925 Camp St., New Orleans

Zip Code:
70130

Web Site:
www.ogdenmuseum.org

An Evening with artist Bo Bartlett
Fri. March 12
6 p.m.-8 p.m.

Artist Bo Bartlett, a native of Columbus, Ga., is one of the leaders of the New American Realist movement. In the tradition of Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth, of whom he was prot�g�, Bartlett�s large canvases capture the spirit and beauty of the everyday and the extraordinary, often with a hint of mystery and fantasy. He also directed the film �Snow Hill,� a biography of Andrew Wyeth, in collaboration with Wyeth�s widow, Betsy. For this event, Bartlett will screen images of his paintings while discussing his influences and evolution of his work. All of this will be set in the exhibition, “Bo Bartlett: Paintings 1984-2000” (currently on view through March 28, 2010). Admission: Free to members; $10 nonmembers. (Museum members can reserve a seat no later than Weds. March 10). For information, call 504.539.9616.

Ogden Museum of Southern Art
925 Camp St.
New Orleans, La.
www.ogdenmuseum.org

Address:
925 Camp St., New Orleans

Zip Code:
70130

Web Site:
www.ogdenmuseum.org

The Art of Southern Film: Established Masters & Emerging Makers presents: A Well-Spent Life: An Evening with Les Blank, on Sat. March 20, 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp St.

This one-night only event is a tribute to Tampa-born, Tulane University graduate Les Blank: ethnographer, documentarian, naturalist, storyteller, a chronicler of custom, gesture, tradition, ritual, song and dance. Fiercely prolific and steadfastly independent, Blank (b.1935) has made more than 40 vibrant, poetic, lyrical and loopy films in as many years and collaborated with cultural icons�Werner Herzog, Ry Cooder, Clifton Chenier, Alice Waters�and unheralded, unknown heroes.
His films on and about the characters and customs of the American South are true, unadulterated experiences, both sacred and profane. For Blank, �I do what I do. I just film. I stick things together in a way I think they should be put to make a picture of what it was I saw.�
For this program, in collaboration with the filmmaker, the Museum has selected four works, rarely screened, that tell stories about various people and places in Texas, Louisiana, Appalachia, and Alabama:

Del Mero Corazon (1979, 29 minutes)
Shot during the making of Blank�s 1976 classic Chulas Fronteras (selected for preservation by the Library of Congress National Registry), Del Mero Corazon is a lyrical journey through the heart of Chicano culture as reflected in the love songs of the Tex-Mex Norte�a music tradition. Featuring Little Joe and the Familia.

Dry Wood (1973, 37 minutes)
A fascinating look at black Creole life in French Louisiana, held together by the wild, insistent music of Bois-Sec Ardoin and Canray Fontenot. Image shown here.

Sprout Wings and Fly (1983, 30 minutes)
This touching tribute to Appalachian culture profiles legendary, old-time fiddler Tommy Jarrell. His unpretentious folk wisdom is interlaced with family scenes and reminiscences, plus plenty of old-time music.

A Well-Spent Life (1971, 44 minutes). Kurt Vonnegut Jr.�s favorite film. Many people consider Texas bluesman Mance Lipscomb to be the greatest blues guitarist and songster of all time. This glowing portrait of the legendary musician (also life-long husband and sharecropper) is among Blank’s special masterworks. Instead of growing bitter, tough times made Lipscomb sweet.

Blank will also preview an excerpt of an untitled film on the life and work of self-taught artist Butch Anthony, of Seale, Ala. Blank’s camera follows Anthony to various folk art festivals around the South, and visits the friends and artists who inspired him to create art. He also observes Anthony’s life in Alabama’s rural landscape. From raccoon hunting to calling up alligators and digging up fossils, Butch Anthony shows us a South not known to many.

About the Ogden Museum of Southern Art�s Art of Southern Film: Established Masters and Emerging Makers: This series showcases established and emerging auteurs whose films and video present unique visions and versions of the people and places, memories and histories, of the American South. Quarterly events include discussions with filmmakers and collaborators, as well as the temporary exhibition of relevant artwork. The series is supported by a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support provided by the W Hotel and Full Motion Productions. Series Producer and Ogden Museum Curator of Film: Madeleine Molyneaux.

For information, 504.539.9616.

Address:
925 Camp Street, New Orleans

Zip Code:
70130

Web Site:
www.ogdenmuseum.org

On Sunday, March 21, it�s a Sunday Afternoon Double Feature of screenings of
“Tootie�s Last Suit” and “Always for Pleasure,”
in honor of St. Joseph’s Day and Super Sunday with filmmakers Lisa Katzman and Les Blank in conversation following their films.
3p.m.-6 p.m.
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp St., New Orleans

Tootie’s Last Suit by Lisa Katzman (2007/2010, 54 minutes)
A new version of the critically acclaimed documentary, courtesy of the filmmaker.
The late Allison “Tootie” Montana is a New Orleans icon, famed for his brilliant handmade Mardi Gras costumes and renowned as a community leader for his onetime role as Big Chief of the Yellow Pocahontas Indian tribe. His family life, however, is undoubtedly more complicated. When he decides to come out of retirement to participate in one last Carnival, a long-simmering conflict with his son (and heir apparent) Darryl erupts. As both vie for the spotlight, it becomes evident that they are fueled less by animosity than by a deep passion for their craft. For Tootie, the costumes are artistic creations as well as emblems of a long-standing family history; for Darryl, they are a means of self-expression but also a way of distinguishing his own carefully honed suit-making skills from those of his father. At once a riveting family drama and an insightful exploration of the history of Mardi Gras within the city’s vibrant African-American community, the film is a celebration of the resilient spirit of a man determined at all costs to preserve a vital tradition.
��In finding out about Tootie, we learn so much: about the inherent segregation of Mardi Gras, the 19th-century relationships between slaves and local Choctaws, and about the real roots of jazz and New Orleans R&B. But mostly, we learn about the amazing art of creating the magnificent, feathered and beaded suits the Mardi Gras Indians wear, and the role marching Indian groups like Tootie’s Yellow Pocahontas played in New Orleans’ African-American culture.”??� Richard Hart, The Independent Weekly

Following Tootie�s Last Suit, there will be a one-on-one conversation with Lisa Katzman and Les Blank about their films and filmic alliances with New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians and musicians followed by a screening of:

Always for Pleasure by Les Blank (1978, 58 minutes)
An intense insider’s portrait of New Orleans’ street celebrations and unique cultural gumbo: Second-line parades, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest. Features live music from Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the Neville Brothers, and more. This glorious, soul-satisfying film is among Les Blank’s special masterworks and aptly adheres to his credo: �Doing a film is a way of getting close to the spirit or the soul of a place.�

For information, contact 504.539.9616.