New Orleans (January 23, 2020) – On Tuesday, February 4 from 6 – 8 p.m., the Ogden Museum of Southern Art will host “King Cake Walk and Cocktails at the O” to support Ogden Museum educational programming. In celebration of Mardi Gras season, guests will have the opportunity to try King Cakes from local bakeries, peruse festive vendor booths and enjoy performances by the Amelia EarHawts and the Streetcar Strutters. All proceeds from the event will support the Museum’s educational programs, including tours, school outreach, camps for youth and free family days.

King Cake Walk and Cocktails will feature King Cakes by multiple local bakeries, including Bittersweet Confections, Breads on Oak, Cake Cafe and Bakery, Leo’s Bread, Levee Baking Company, Randazzo King Cakes, Rouse’s and Tartine.

Guests will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite King Cakes by dropping King Cake babies in designated jars. The Ogden Museum education team will also vote for their favorite King Cake. “Audience’s Choice” and “Education Team’s Choice” will be announced near the end of the event. The winning bakeries will receive free admission passes, along with family memberships to award to their bakers.

Vendors, like Alligator Pear Goods, Elektra Cosmetics, Fringe + Co. and Hex FX Masks, will also be present at the event with festival themed creations and products for sale. 

A raffle will be offered, with the opportunities to win art, Ogden Museum Summer Camp admission, Craft Happy Hour tickets and memberships to the Museum. 

Adults and kids of all ages are welcome to get creative at the craft table, featuring activities inspired by Mardi Gras.

Tickets are $20 for Ogden Museum members and $25 for the general public. Each event ticket includes one complimentary drink ticket. Those who purchase their event tickets online, in advance of the event, are granted one additional drink ticket. Drink tickets will be distributed at check-in. 

“We are so excited for our first fundraiser dedicated to supporting Ogden Museum educational programming,” says Ellen Balkin, Director of Education. “Since 2003, the Museum has strived to ensure equal access to the arts for all, presenting innovative programs designed to bring art and people together to enhance the lives of children and adults in the Greater New Orleans area. Engaging the community in a diverse program of educational activities, the department hosts a wide range of experiences from early childhood through adulthood, providing interactions with art, artists and educators, both onsite and in the community.” 

In 2019, Ogden Museum introduced almost 6,000 students and adults to the art of the American South through docent guided tours, and interacted with more than 11,000 others during free family days, summer camps, artist workshops and in-school arts programming. 

For more information regarding King Cake Walk and Cocktails, please contact Melissa Kenyon at mkenyon@ogdenmuseum.org or 504.539.9631.

ABOUT THE OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART

Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana since 1999, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art welcomes 85,000 visitors annually to experience and learn about the artists and art movements of the American South. It is home to a collection of more than four thousand works, making it the largest and most comprehensive repository dedicated to Southern art in the nation, with particular strength in the genres of Self-Taught art, Regionalism, photography, and contemporary art. The Museum is further recognized for its original exhibitions, public events and educational programs, which examine the development of visual art alongside Southern traditions of music, literature and local craft. Among its recent exhibitions are Piercing the Inner Wall: The Art of Dusti Bongé (2019), New Southern Photography (2018-2019), The Whole Drum Will Sound: Women in Southern Abstraction (2018), and Solidary & Solitary: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection, presented by The Helis Foundation (2017-2018). 

The Ogden Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. with extended hours on Thursdays from 6 – 8 p.m. for Ogden After Hours. Admission is free to Museum Members and $13.50 for adults, $11 for seniors 65 and older, $6.75 for children ages 5-17 and free for children under 5. 

The Museum is located at 925 Camp Street, New Orleans Louisiana 70130. For more information visit ogdenmuseum.org or call 504.539.9650.