Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s annual Magnolia Ball is Saturday, June 12! We are thrilled for this year’s online silent auction as we have over 90 items included from regional artists and businesses. Here is a preview of the items up for bid NOW! 

Sesthasak Boonchai, Crossing the Crescent, 2021, 20×30, Acrylic Face mounted Pigment Print, Courtesy of the artist

Sesthasek Boonchai is a creative nomad whose work runs the gamut through drawing, painting, time-based media, photography and installation. He explores the effects of time and distance on how we construct memories. The habitual way people, places and things tend to linger just a bit too long here in New Orleans serves as tremendous inspiration. 

Crossing the Crescent was born during the Covid-19 lockdown. Like billions of people across the earth, Boonchai spent a lot of 2020 searching for ways to lessen the din of anxiety and stress swelling in his heart. The most effective activities for him were long and solitary walks around New Orleans. On one of these walks, he happened across this view of the Crescent City Connection suspended in a thick fog. Boonchai spent a couple of hours there, watching the fog rise and several flocks of birds fly across the Mississippi River. It was the quietest his head had been in months. This print is number 3 from an edition of 10. 

Jacq Francoi$, Keedy, 2021, 18×24, Graphite/Pastel/Ink, Courtesy of the artist

Jacq Francoi$ is a visual artist based in New Orleans. His drawings are influenced by Blackness, consumerism and pop culture. Using specifically ink and graphite, Françoi$ aims to challenge the viewing audience with a Black gaze and authority that has historically been misrepresented for public consumption.

Heather Bird Harris, Mono No Aware, 2021, 37x49x2, Forged Soil/Watercolors from Bulbancha, New Orleans East, Louisiana/Oak Gall Ink/ Tree Bark/Ink/ Acrylic/Charcoal/Pastel on Raw Canvas, Courtesy of the artist

Heather Bird Harris is an artist living in New Orleans, Louisiana. She paints abstract landscapes using earth pigments found in southern Louisiana / Bulbancha. Her work explores parallels between humanity and nature, women and the earth, and our past and present relationship to the land. Her recent work focuses on the throughlines between Louisiana’s history of injustice and its current environmental and human crises. Her paintings explore the range of our experiences in relation to a singular but layered place, highlighting the history that has been baked into the land, and articulating the tension between natural beauty and human darkness. 

Mono No Aware is a celebration of Louisiana’s natural beauty in the face of coastal land loss and also a commitment to unpacking the history that is baked into the land around us. 

Erin Lato, Coral Atoll, 2021, 31.5×37.5, Oil, Courtesy of the artist

Erin Lato has enjoyed being creative for as long as she can remember. She has studied under the direction of many successful and well-known artists. These mentors have shaped her vision and technique in a way she believes no traditional art school ever could.

Lato’s art is created in a natural light studio inside of her home. The large windows which overlook her garden give her a connection and settled feeling to the sunlight and views of nature within the space that she has created for herself to paint. As an abstract expressionist, Lato’s vision is loosely describable and created impulsively without prior planning. Her husband, Scott, and I have one young child, Hannah, two adorably bad goldendoodle pups, and a sweet and very patient kitty.

$150 gift certificate to M.A.D. Nails

M.A.D. Nails knows what it’s like to sit on your side of the nail table. Their goal is to offer you the dream nail experience you’ve always been looking for, no matter your budget. Whether you’re in the salon or at a mobile booking, M.A.D. Nails provides a safe and clean experience in a relaxing environment. You will be so thrilled to book your next appointment before they apply your topcoat! Your nails are their canvas and top priority. M.A.D. Nails believe that you look at your hands more than any other part of your body, so why not make them something magical?

Small, Bronze Daydreamer Cuff by MIMOSA Handcrafted

MIMOSA Handcrafted jewelry is intentionally designed to foster connection and mark the moments in life that deserve to be remembered. The pieces are inspired by landscape, culture and the human experience. MIMOSA uses the ancient art of Lost Wax Casting to create unique bronze, sterling silver and 14k gold jewelry. Each piece is created start to finish in their South Louisiana studio by their in-house team. MIMOSA Handcrafted is committed to their #goodsforgood initiative, where they turn their goods to good paid forward.

The daydreamer cuff is equal parts wearable art + fidgety gadget. You can use it as a way to funnel some of that frenetic energy during a zoom call, mindlessly run your fingers back and forth as you daydream, ground yourself in something tactile when you need to get out of your head or even occupy a little one for a few minutes. 

This year, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our guests and allow for social distancing, we’ve implemented timed ticketing with 3 available entry times. Come support Ogden Museum’s educational mission and celebrate the exhibition, Outside In, Improvisations of Space: The Ceramic Work of MaPó Kinnord. The evening will feature art, live music, DJs, entertainers, an online silent auction, food vouchers from your favorite local restaurants, cocktails and more!

Bidding is NOW OPEN and available through June 13 at 5 p.m at bidpal.net/magnoliaball. Your silent auction purchase not only supports Ogden Museum, but also artists and businesses who receive a percentage of final sales.

Reserve your tickets now!

Tickets for 6 to 8 p.m Tickets for 8 to 10 p.m

Tickets for 10 p.m. to midnight Learn More about Magnolia Ball

Bios and photos courtesy of the artists and vendors.