Jennifer Graycheck, Evening Soak, 2025, Archival pigment print, 11 x 14 inches, Collection of the artist
(NEW ORLEANS, LA) – Ogden Museum of Southern Art announced today the artists selected for the 2026 edition of Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation, the Museum’s annual juried exhibition celebrating contemporary artists from across the state. Reflecting the exhibition’s ongoing commitment to new ideas, this year’s selection includes 28 artists participating for the first time. Juror Sarah Jones, Lulu C. and Anthony W. Wang Head of Live Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, selected 50 works by 45 artists. Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation, will be on view at Ogden Museum from August 1, 2026, through February 14, 2027.
Ogden Museum first launched Louisiana Contemporary in 2012 to celebrate artists living in Louisiana and showcase the vitality of artistic practice across the state. Since the inaugural exhibition 14 years ago, the Museum has presented work by more than 650 artists, establishing Louisiana Contemporary as a key moment on the national arts calendar that recognizes and celebrates the breadth of creative voices emerging from New Orleans and arts communities throughout Louisiana.
“Each year, Louisiana Contemporary reminds me of the remarkable depth of artistic talent across our region,” shares Amy Newell, Director of Exhibitions, Ogden Museum of Southern Art. “I’m continually inspired not only by the volume of submissions we receive, but by the originality, ambition, and diversity of the work. This year, 28 of the 45 selected artists are exhibiting in Louisiana Contemporary for the first time, while 17 are returning participants. Welcoming new voices alongside artists who have helped shape the exhibition over the years is one of the most rewarding aspects of this process. Each exhibition builds on the legacy of those before it while introducing fresh perspectives, ensuring that Louisiana Contemporary continues to evolve and reflect the dynamic landscape of art in our state.”
The roster of 2026 artists include:
- Nathalia Toledo Barcia (Mandeville, LA)
- Donald Beale (Baton Rouge, LA)
- Erin Bennett (Carencro, LA)
- Thom Bennett (Jefferson, LA)
- Farah Billah (New Orleans, LA)
- Josiah Bolth (New Orleans, LA)
- Marcus Brown (New Orleans, LA)
- Ryan Burns (New Orleans, LA)
- Owen Canter (New Orleans, LA)
- Kathryn Citrin (New Orleans, LA)
- Tai Collins (New Orleans, LA)
- James Constantine (New Orleans, LA)
- Justine Crowley (New Orleans, LA)
- Margaret Davis (New Orleans, LA)
- Emily Ezell (Ruston, LA)
- Brandon Felix (New Orleans, LA)
- Sarita Fonseca (New Orleans, LA)
- Lizz Freeman (New Orleans, LA)
- Jessica Goldfinch (New Orleans, LA)
- Jennifer Graycheck (New Iberia, LA)
- Brandon Holland (New Orleans, LA)
- William Howell (Mandeville, LA)
- Andre´ Hubbard (New Orleans, LA)
- Giani Jones (New Orleans, LA)
- Kay Breaux Livaudais (Metairie, LA)
- Sara Madandar (New Orleans, LA)
- Kristin Meyers (New Orleans, LA)
- Joshua Mintz (New Orleans, LA)
- Jacob Mitchell (New Orleans, LA)
- Madeline Monlezun (Mandeville, LA)
- Coby Naquin (Baton Rouge, LA)
- Adam Newman (New Orleans, LA)
- Emi O’Brochta (New Orleans, LA)
- DeShawn Oravetz (New Orleans, LA)
- Pablo Perez-Castroman (Baton Rouge, LA)
- Tyler Russell (New Orleans, LA)
- Pamela Skehan (Metairie, LA)
- Billy Solitario (New Orleans, LA)
- Alexander Stolin (Madisonville, LA)
- Trenity Thomas (Westwego, LA)
- Angela Lynn Tucker (New Orleans, LA)
- Catherine Walker (New Orleans, LA)
- Sydney Walker (New Orleans, LA)
- Tom Walton (New Orleans, LA)
- Antonia Zennaro (New Orleans, LA)
Juror Sarah Jones shares, “It was a deep honor and privilege to make the selections for this year’s Louisiana Contemporary at the Ogden. I was thrilled to see artists taking risks across a breadth of mediums without sacrificing depth or excellence. I’m looking forward to celebrating this phenomenal cohort of Louisiana artists, whose work carries such tenderness, joy, provocation, and rigor.”
Marking the exhibition’s 15th anniversary, William Andrews, The Helis Foundation Executive Director, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, adds, “For 15 years Louisiana Contemporary has examined the art of our time, recognizing a vital artistic community while commemorating the incredible range of cultural influences that contribute to our sense of place. It has become an annual highlight of our unique educational mission, and is celebrated regionally and acclaimed internationally. We’re grateful for the support of The Helis Foundation and for the opportunity to present a new group of artists each year to our visitors, along with our network of jurors from museums across the nation, encompassing 15 years of rigorous artistic inquiry.”
With support from The Helis Foundation, Ogden Museum recognizes four exhibiting artists whose work stands out for its originality and artistic merit. Each award includes a grant and special recognition at the Museum. The exhibition’s top honor, The Helis Foundation Art Prize, includes an unrestricted $5,000 grant. Jones will present the awards at an artists’ reception for Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation, artists on July 31, ahead of the public opening of the exhibition, on August 1 during Fidelity Bank White Linen Night, a community-wide celebration of art and culture.
Additional programming is made possible by the presenting sponsor. As part of the 2026 exhibition, members and visitors are invited to join juror Sarah Jones for a gallery talk on Saturday, August 1, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. During these interactive tours, Jones will discuss a selection of works from the exhibition alongside participating artists, offering unique insights into their creative practices and the curatorial process. Different artworks will be featured on each tour. Space is limited.
About Sarah Jones
Sarah Jones is the Lulu C. and Anthony W. Wang Head of Live Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She oversees the department and its programming, which presents and commissions works of performance, including music, dance, related hybrids, and site-specific projects, often in collaboration with the Museum’s Collection and Exhibitions. Her innovative methods to deepening audience engagement with visual art has been pivotal in expanding how the Museum embraces the live, the experimental, and the urgent. Previously she acted as Chief of Staff and Director of Public Programs at Gagosian. In 2018, she established and led the gallery’s department overseeing global public programming and performance commissions, collaborating with artists including Kyle Abraham, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Aaron Diehl, Missy Mazzoli, Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Reiner, Jason Moran, Samora Pinderhughes, Vernon Reid, Raphael Saadiq, Isabella Summers, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, and John Zorn, among others. A trusted leader and strategist, Sarah helped shape the gallery’s approach to performance, artist relations, and storytelling across global exhibitions and special projects. She is a 2025 Lunder Institute for American Art Fellow and she serves as President of the Board of Directors of The Kitchen, is a Board Member of ISCP and is in Performance Space New York’s Visionary Circle.
About Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana since 1999 and open to the public since 2003, Ogden Museum of Southern Art invites visitors to experience and learn about the artist and culture of the American South. Ogden Museum is home to a collection with over five thousand works, making it the largest publicly available 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 exhibition, public events and educational programs, which examine the development of visual art alongside Southern traditions of music, literature, culinary heritage and craft and design.
Ogden Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Museum is located at 925 Camp Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. For more information visit ogdenmuseum.org or call 504.539.9650.