Ogden Museum of Southern Art
925 Camp St
New Orleans, LA 70130
504.539.9650 | HOURS
925 Camp St
New Orleans, LA 70130
504.539.9650 | HOURS
Khalil McKnight, Bull in a China Shop, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 25 inches, NOCCA Foundation Collection
The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts — better known as NOCCA — is one of America’s leading arts high schools. Founded in 1973, NOCCA is partially a product of 1960s politics like the passing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts (both in 1965). However, its existence is more properly due to the perseverance of local artists and educators who believed that NOCCA was needed to help preserve and promote New Orleans’ unique culture.
When NOCCA opened its doors on January 28, 1974, it was a half-day program, offering classes in three disciplines: Music, Theatre and Visual Arts. Over the past 50 years, however, NOCCA has evolved to include 11 different arts departments and a groundbreaking degree-granting academic program. Students come from across the region and are admitted based solely on their audition. There is no tuition. Notable NOCCA alumni include Jon Batiste, Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Wendell Pierce and many of the visual artists featured in this exhibition.
NOCCA PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE includes works from Ogden Museum’s permanent collection; the private collection of the Museum’s founder, Roger Ogden; works purchased by the NOCCA Foundation, NOCCA’s nonprofit partner; and pieces by current and past NOCCA faculty.
The artists included here all reflect NOCCA’s pedagogical model, which is rooted in the time-honored master-apprentice tradition. At NOCCA, professional artists pass on their lifetimes of experience to the future generations, who frequently become professional artists themselves and continue the process.
