THE
OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN
university of new orleans
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2013
ART
Contact: Sue Strachan
504.539.9613/ Cell:504.432.8695
[email protected]
SCULPTURE FOR NEW ORLEANS POYDRAS STREET CORRIDOR DEBUTS
Large-Scale Outdoor Sculpture Recently Installed in Downtown New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS, LA—Sculpture for New Orleans (SFNO) has completed its first phase of public
sculpture along the Poydras Corridor, Convention Center Boulevard and Diamond Street. Seven
sculptures—created by seven leading Southern artists—were installed on the neutral ground in time
for the hundreds of thousands of visitors New Orleans will see for Super Bowl XLVII and Mardi Gras
2013.
Curated jointly by Sculpture for New Orleans and The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the exhibition
will ultimately feature 25 sculptures from 25 of the American South’s most significant artists, many with
national and international relevance. These sculptures join 45 other sculptures that have been placed
throughout the city, many from the initial SFNO installation. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art was
the site of the very first SFNO sculpture in February 2008, “Me, Knife, Diamond and Flower” by James
Surls.
Started in 2008, Sculpture for New Orleans began as a program to support public art in New Orleans,
using large-scale outdoor sculpture to increase visibility and make the city even more appealing as an
art destination. The inspiration for the Sculpture for New Orleans Poydras Street Corridor is the
acclaimed Sculpture on Park Avenue program in New York City. Artist and Sculpture for New Orleans
founder Michael Manjarris has been working for seven years to create a version of that prestigious
project for New Orleans.
The exhibition is funded by The Diana Helis Henry and The Adrienne Helis Malvin Art Funds of The
Helis Foundation, and in partnership with the City of New Orleans/Department of Parks and
Parkways, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art/University of New Orleans, UNO Foundation, and the
Wisner Foundation. The sculptures are on view from North Diamond Street at Convention Center
Boulevard in front of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in the Warehouse Arts District, along
Poydras Street, ending in front of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the city’s Central Business District.
About Sculpture for New Orleans
Sculpture for New Orleans began as a vision by New Orleans native Michael Manjarris. Manjarris
realized that sculpture could be a key component in rebuilding the art community and the city postHurricane Katrina by drawing the attention of the international arts community to New Orleans as an
artistic center. As a sculptor, Manjarris has produced a number of major sculpture projects nationwide
and sees the creation of sculpture parks as an art form as well. His projects include: Mariposa
Sculpture Park (Corpus Christi, Texas), Hudson River Sculpture Trail (Commissioned by Martin
Ginsburg of Ginsburg Development to form a sculpture trail from New York City to Peekskill, N.Y.),
among others.
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SFNO Poydras Street Corridor: Currently on View
Approaching from Lake Pontchartrain side to Mississippi River side
1. Reawakening, 2007
Wesley Wofford (North Carolina)
Polyurethane
Poydras Street/O’Keefe Avenue and Baronne Street
2. Standing Vase with Five Flowers, 2010
James Surls (Texas/Colorado)
Bronze
Poydras Street/Baronne Street and St. Charles Avenue
3. At Rest, 2010
Jason Kimes (Mississippi)
Steel
Poydras Street/Camp and Magazine Streets
4. Nethership, 1997-2013
Ed Wilson, (Texas)
Steel
Poydras Street/Tchoupitoulas and S. Peters Streets
5. Man Defeats Chair, 2010
Russell Whiting (Louisiana)
Carved steel
Poydras Street/Convention Center Boulevard
6. Zach’s Tower, 2007
John Henry (Tennessee)
Painted steel
Poydras Street/Convention Center Boulevard (in front of Harrah’s Casino)
7. Sunflower Gate, 2010
Jim Gallucci (North Carolina)
Convention Center Boulevard/N. Diamond Street
Galvanized steel
Installation Scheduled in February/March 2013
Enrique Alférez, Gymnast, c. 1990, Bronze, (Louisiana)
David Borgerding, Sasookasoon, 2010, Bronze, (Louisiana)
Carlos Borer, No. 386, 2006, Stainless Steel, (Switzerland)
Mia Kaplan, Swamp Flower, 2012, Plate steel, (Louisiana)
*Current Artist biographies attached. **High-Res Photos available upon request.
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Follow Sculpture for New Orleans:
Twitter: @SFNewOrleans
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SculptureforNewOrleans
Follow the Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Twitter: @OgdenMuseum
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ogdenmuseum
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ABOUT THE OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART/NEW ORLEANS
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art/University of New Orleans is home to the largest and most
comprehensive collection of Southern art in the world, and includes the Center for Southern Craft and
Design. Here you will find the story of the South—the old as well as the new as told through its art,
music and education programs. The museum includes Stephen Goldring Hall, which opened in 2003,
and two buildings under construction and renovation: the Clementine Hunter Education Wing and the
Patrick F. Taylor Library designed by American 19th-century architect, Henry Hobson Richardson.
Among the many artists represented in the museum’s collection are Benny Andrews, William Dunlap,
Ida Kohlmeyer, Will Henry Stevens, Hunt Slonem, George Ohr, Walter Anderson and Clementine
Hunter.
Museum hours are 10 am-5 pm Wednesday through Monday and 6 pm-8 pm Thursday evenings for
Ogden After Hours.
Admission: $10 Adults; $8 Seniors (65 and over) and Students (with current i.d.); $5 Children 5 to 17;
Free Children under 5 and Museum members. Free except for special events (i.e. Ogden After Hours $5): University of New Orleans Students, Faculty, Staff (with current i.d.). Thursdays are free to
Louisiana residents, courtesy of The Helis Foundation. Please note other special event prices (such as
Ogden After Hours) may vary.
For more information, call 504.539.9600, or go to www.ogdenmuseum.org.
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