Preservation In Print feature on Octavia Art Gallery's new Julia St space
2013-05-15
Mary Fitzpatrick's article covers the history and restoration of 800 Magazine Street - the incredible building which will be home to Octavia Art Gallery's new space, opening on White Linen Night (August 3, 2013).
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art acquires piece by Jeffrey Pitt
2013-02-21
Octavia Art Gallery is very proud to announce that The Ogden Museum of Southern Art has acquired a work by Jeffrey Pitt for their permanent collection. The piece comes from the Living with Pop exhibition (Octavia Art Gallery, Fall 2012).
Please click on the title above to view an image of the work, along with a brief description.
New Wave: Art Mirrors Urban Design in New Exhibit
2013-02-09
Grover Mouton’s work as director of the Tulane Regional Urban Design Center has involved him in projects for towns and cities from the Gulf Coast to China. In the process, he has produced artful drawings of street scenes, landscapes and historic landmarks that are now the focus of an exhibition at Octavia Art Gallery.
Titled “Urban Visions,” the exhibit will remain on view through Feb. 23 at the gallery, 4532 Magazine St. in New Orleans.
Although Mouton, a Tulane alumnus, has worked at the School of Architecture for 23 years as an adjunct associate professor, he also is a talented artist. He studied drawing at the American Academy in Rome after receiving the prestigious Rome Prize while he was a Tulane undergraduate.
Please click here to read the entire article.
Monochrome Effect: Betsy Stewart - Capturing the Microscopic Cosmos
2012-12-20
Not many artists can say the specimens they draw inspiration from can fit into a petri dish, but then not every artist is Betsy Stewart. Her abstract paintings depict the microscopic life found in pond water. “In my new series, “Biocriticals”, I am interested in creating an ambiguity between micro and macro: what is happening in microscopic water as well as events in the cosmos,” she says. “If I am successful, my viewers will determine for themselves whether they are seeing particles/matter through a microscope or through a telescope.”
Please click here to read the entire article.
The Miami Herald Blog: Rum Distillery Goes Ape in Wynwod
2012-12-20
By Anna Edgerton | aedgerton@miamiherald.com
The Miami Club Rum Distillery in Wynwood was transformed into a jungle on Friday night as nine models dressed as endangered animals pranced among the tanks of rum to raise money for the Center for Great Apes.
Octavia gallery from New Orleans provided environmentally-themed artwork displayed throughout the distillery. Proceeds will go to support the Center for Great Apes, which was founded two decades ago in Miami, but now is located three hours north in Wachula, Fla. Highlights in the gallery included works by painter and primatologist Jeffery Pitt. Octavia gallery owner and director Pamela Bryan said all of the artists associated with her gallery are "environmentally inclined."
"In places like New Orleans and Florida, we're very aware of the fragility of the environment," Bryan said. "The hope is that through art we can raise environmental awareness."
Please click here to read the entire article.
Nall featured on Destination Network
2012-11-06
Octavia artist Nall discusses his artistic career as well as his methods of working.
Please click here to view the first video interview.
Please click here to view the second video interview.
WGNO: News with a Twist features Living with Pop at Octavia Art Gallery
2012-09-08
Gallery manager Emily Siekkinen discusses the Living with Pop exhibition at Octavia Art Gallery.
Please click here to view the video.
Gambit Weekly: Pop Art at Octavia Art Gallery
2012-08-09
By D. Eric Bookhardt: "When JFK was in the White House and New York was the capital of the world, a little-known artist named Andy Warhol had his first solo exhibition in Manhattan. It was 1962 and the show included his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe, Campbell’s Soup cans and Coke bottles. The Peter Pan of pop art had crafted an aesthetically provocative vision of all that was crass and ironic in American culture and somehow made it fun. The world would never be the same, and although pop’s glory days are long gone, it remains a symbol of a stylishly naive and uniquely American extravagance, perhaps because we remain a preternaturally adolescent nation forever fixated on a neon vision of fulfillment. Whatever the reason, these pop pieces by Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Dine, Tom Wesselmann and others at the Octavia Gallery look almost as fresh now as they did then."
Please click here to read the entire article.
The Wichita Eagle: Exhibit a bit of a homecoming for artist Jeffrey Pitt
2012-07-31
Behind its mesmerizing swirls and jagged edges, Jeffrey Pitt’s abstract artwork is loaded with symbolism and social commentary. More than 20 original pieces by the Wichita native are on display at Wichita Center for the Arts, 9112 E. Central. The exhibit — “A Second Glance” — is an opportunity for viewers to see his artwork, but it is also a bit of a homecoming for Pitt. “It’s sort of a chance to glance back on Wichita and for Wichita to glance back on me,” he said. “I want it to engage the viewer, make them look twice.”
Please click here to read the entire article.
Where New Orleans Magazine: Pop 'n' Fresh
2012-07-28
"More than half a century after it first sprang to life, the American Pop Art movement continues to evolve and influence a whole new generation of up and coming artists. Living with Pop at the Octavia Art Gallery provides a sweeping overview of the period's 1960s heydey, while exploring the enduring impact of advertising and popular culture on 21st-century contemporary art."
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the complete article.
Works from Wayne Amedee Selected for the Louisiana Contemporary Exhibition at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art
2012-07-21
Octavia Art Gallery is excited to announce that "Shameless" and "Standing Aloof" have been selected for the Louisiana Contemporary exhibition at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. These two works by Wayne Amedee will be on display at the museum from August 4 through September 24, 2012, with an opening reception on White Linen Night.
To view works by Wayne Amedee, please click here.
Art New Orleans Magazine: The Evolution of Pop Art
2012-07-01
Emerging Artists Pay Homage to the Modern Masters
By Libby Allen: "Pop Art had its heyday in the late 60s, 70s, and 80s. And now, in New Orleans it is reemerging as an evolved species among contemporary artists. With sociopolitical commentaries bursting out of New Orleans’ politicians, musicians, and celebrities, the local artists are no exception, from concern for our coastal wetlands, to the state of American consumerism.
Local artists Sarah Ashley Longshore, Jeffery Pitt, James Henderson, and Ken Kenan will be exhibiting their work alongside the modern masters, Wesselmann, Haring, Lichtenstein, and of course Andy Warhol at Octavia Art Gallery this summer. The show depicts how artists in New Orleans and the South are still inspired by popular culture, and to show the evolving process of Pop Art from the 1960s to today, paired with some of the greatest modern masters in history."
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the complete article.
Gambit Weekly: Inside/Outside and Identity
2012-06-30
By D. Eric Bookhardt: "It is tempting to say that Cuba is a state of mind. Although much divides that nation's citizens from the expatriate community in this country, there is a certain sensibility that pervades Cuban art regardless of where it was made — a surreal quality that goes back to the Caribbean cultural milieu melded with a Cuban dash of drama, as we see in the Inside/Outside expo at Octavia Art Gallery."
Please click here to read the entire article.
Northwestern State University of Louisiana - Hanchey Gallery presents James Henderson
2012-06-30
Octavia artist James Henderson speaks about his exhibition at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.
Please click here to view the video.
Works from E2 Series Selected for the City Museum of the Hague Summer Exhibition
2012-04-21
Octavia Art Gallery is excited to announce that "Ode to Rembrant's Jewish Bride" and "Ode to the Pinching d'Estrees Sisters" have been selected for the Zomerexpo 2012 at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. These two collaborative works by artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and E.Paul Julien will be on display at the Gemeentemuseum from June 15 - August 19, 2012.
To view works from the E2 series, please click here.
Mobile Bay Magazine - Nall Things Considered
2012-03-23
The internationally renowned Fairhope artist shares a favorite local flower with the rest of the world.
Nall has been drawing, painting and creating mosaics of flowers of all sizes for 40 years. Floral studies are one of his favorite themes. His recent exhibit, “Bouquets and Local Color,” at the Eastern Shore Art Center, showcased that infatuation. Though having lived in the Baldwin County area for a decade, this was the Troy, Ala., native’s first local show.
Hundreds of visitors were enthralled with his oversized camellias, which seem to burst through their frames with exuberance and color. The big blooms are a scaled up version of a Nall-designed motif now featured on exquisite porcelain dessert plates by Royal Limoges of France.
Please click here to read the entire article.
Betsy Stewart paintings accquired by Joule Unlimited
2012-02-09
Three of Betsy Stewart's 7' paintings were recently purchased for the new corporate headquarters of Joule Unlimited Technologies in Bedford, MA. Joule is a multi-award winning company which employs a team of molecular biologists who are converting water and solar energy into liquid fuels.
Edith Moseley Works Acquired by the Percent for Art Program
2012-01-14
Octavia Art Gallery is proud to announce that two pieces by artist Edith Moseley have been acquired by the Louisiana Percent for Art Program. These pieces will be in the collection of the Louisiana State University West Laville Honors College.
The Percent For Art Program has enhanced locations statewide, with artwork from more than 50 Louisiana artists. The artworks are located throughout state operated facilities including, municipal court buildings, fire and police stations, libraries, recreation centers, parks and neutral grounds. The quality and diversity of the Percent For Art Collection represents the strength of the area’s visual artists and celebrates what makes our community unique.
To view a list of Louisiana Percent for Art completed projects, please click here.
Edith Moseley featured in Gulfscapes Magazine
2011-04-30
Octavia artist Edith Moseley has been featured in the June issue of Gulfscapes Magazine. Please click on the link below to view a digital edition of the magazine.
Conservation as Human - Nature Relationship
2011-04-23
We need a fundamental change in the way that conservation and environmental issues are put forward to the public and a dramatic change in the visual culture that is such a dominant part of today's conservation message.
This was the message from a recent guest lecture given by photographic artist Joe Zammit-Lucia to a wide and varied academic audience at Michigan State University. Arguing that progress was in danger of stalling, he put forward a different vision of how to conceive of environmental issues and how to portray them to the wider public.
A short summary of the main points of the lecture can be found here.
Brad Robertson - Energen Grand Prize Award
2011-03-17
Energen has announced the winners of its 12th annual art competition, The Wonders of Alabama Art, which celebrates Alabama artists. James McManus, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Energen Corporation will present the winning artists with their awards at a closing reception on March 27. Brad Robertson is the winner of the Energen Grand Prize Award and $7,500 for his work “Timeless.” Robertson is from Mobile.
Please click here to read the entire article.
The Birmingham News: Art and Soul
2011-02-12
Since he first left Alabama in the 1970's, the single-named artist Nall has encountered a world of influences. He has lived the unsettled life of an artist in Paris. He has lived in Mexico, Lebanon, Italy, North Africa, Switzerland and India.
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the complete article.
Where Magazine: Fluid Lines
2011-01-04
For the past three decades Washington, D.C. based artist Betsy Stewart has been drawn to water in her work. So it's only fitting that New Orleans, a city both enriched and endangered by its unique position between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain should play host to her latest installation, Aquazoa: Micro Dramas in Peril.
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the complete article.
Gambit Weekly: Visions From the South
2010-03-25
By D. Eric Bookhardt: "Octavia Gallery features the work of outsider artists such as the late Rev. Howard Finster, who once saw a human face that told him to make sacred art in his fingerprint. Juanita Rogers was compelled by other spirits to make sculpture from mud and moss, bones and graveyard dirt, while New Orleans' own Willie White saw visions of fantastic prehistoric birds, dragons and flying horses over Central City. Clearly, mysticism is alive and well, and these artists, among others in the expo, are happy to share it with us."
Please click here to read the entire article.
Bringing Local Art to Alabama
2010-03-13
Working closely with The Retirement Systems of Alabama, the internationally renowned artist Frederic Nall Hollis (known professionally as Nall) picks the artwork in the systems's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail lodgings. "I wanted Alabama hotels to have Alabama art," he says. "In my works I express my soul. These other artists feel the same way. You can smell the kudzu and the red dirt when you look at their works."
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the complete article.
Louisiana Homes and Gardens: Think outside the box at Octavia Art Gallery
2009-12-31
Octavia Art Gallery has a dramatic presence; it is a world-class gallery tucked away in the heart of Uptown New Orleans. Located in the vibrant art, antique, and shopping district along the Magazine Street corridor, this gallery is a refreshing change from the usual sterile white-walled spaces. Artists of all media, backgrounds, and styles are chosen, and each is given a unique backdrop that inhances the work and allows the imagination of the viewer to roam free around the pieces.
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the complete article.
New Orleans Saints, artist Alex Beard team up for charity
2009-10-05
The Saints and artist Alex Beard unveiled an original painting titled "Geaux Saints Geaux" on Sunday. A limited edition of 500 silkscreen prints will be sold to benefit several local charities.
An even smaller number of prints will be signed by the artist, coaches and players. More information can be found at www.alexbeardstudio.com or www.neworleanssaints.com.
B & W Magazine Merit Award Winner
2009-08-01
Victoria Montoro Zamorano was chosen as a Merit Award winner for the B & W Portfolio Contest 2009. Victoria was one of the 80 Merit Award winners chosen out of more than 800 entrants.
Please click on the title above to download a pdf file of the B & W Special Issue.
Andrés Duany Discusses Art and Urban Planning
2009-02-11
See urban planner Andrés Duany describe an exhibit of drawings produced for Louisiana's recovery after the 2005 storm and flood.
Please click here to view the video.
Vanity Fair: Call of the Wild
2008-04-01
"At 37, Alex Beard is an accomlished artist, an adventurer, and an accidental entreprenuer redefining the New York gallery scene with his SoHo studio, which doubles as an exhibition space. Here the flow of ideas, audience participation, and children are always welcome. His motto: 'Be curious...' "
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the article.
The Times-Picayune, The 60-Second Interview
2008-10-03
The 60-Second Interview: Alex Beard
Friday, October 03, 2008
By Chris Rose
Alex Beard is the son of a philanthropist and a writer in New York City, the nephew of legendary wildlife photographer Peter Beard, grew up listening to Truman Capote and e e cummings at the family dinner table and attended all the best schools.
Then, about 18 years ago, he set out for New Orleans to become his own kind of artist, a painter, specializing in -- but not limited to -- the whimsical and fantastical elements of animals and fish. He married a Louisiana girl, opened the Alex Beard Gallery in the Quarter and began to raise a family.
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the article.
Gambit Weekly: Recommended "Karina Wisniewska: New Quartz Sand Paintings"
2008-09-16
By D. Eric Bookhardt: "Born in Venice in 1966, Swiss artist Karina Wisniewska was an acclaimed concert pianist for most of her adult life. Despite her starring role in many recordings and performances with leading European symphony orchestras through the '90s, she decided in 2000 to devote herself exclusively to her true love, visual art."
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the article.
Alex Beard Mentors Local Kids During Mural Painting at Mahalia Jackson Center, New Orleans
2008-09-23
At 11 a.m. on September 30th, Beard will share his love of creativity with a group of Central City students at the Early Childhood and Family Learning Center at Mahalia Jackson in New Orleans. Together, Beard and the students, as well as special guests from the New Orleans Saints, will paint a 10 x 20 foot mural featuring his signature style of whimsical animals at play.
Miami Herald: "Photographer Joe Zammit-Lucia Enlists Animals"
2008-04-13
Zammit-Lucia's newest project is photographing many animals of the same species to demonstrate the bond that an exists between man and animal, and to show each animal as an individual. Not thinking of animals as having feelings, personality and character engenders disregard for animal life, he says.
Read the entire article by clicking on the link above.
Art Voices:
2008-07-01
By Robin Durand: "Alex Beard lived in New Orleans for ten years before the storm. He had a studio/gallery on Chartres St. across from the W New Orleans Hotel. He is, notably, an internationally shown artist, a world traveler, and adventurer. He was raised in a household that entertained the likes of Andy Warhol and Truman Capote. He has now relocated to New York where he has a similar studio/gallery, but Beard still displays with Octavia Art Gallery on Magazine Street."
Please click on the title above to download a pdf version of the article.
Conservation Photographer Included Among World's Greatest
2008-01-01
The work of conservation photographer Dr. Joe Zammit-Lucia has been included in "The World's Greatest Black & White Photography" - a new book launched in January 2008 by the World Photographic Arts Corporation.