Daniel S. Palmer, Chief Curator at SCAD Museum of Art
(NEW ORLEANS, LA) – Ogden Museum of Southern Art has opened the call for entries for the Museum’s annual juried exhibition, Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation. In addition to being the presenting sponsor, The Helis Foundation will again present The Helis Foundation Art Prize, a $5,000 award, chosen by the juror and given to an artist in the exhibition in support of their studio and artistic practice. Awards will also be given to first, second and third place winners, selected by the juror.
Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation is open to all artists 18 years and older residing in the state of Louisiana. All work must be original and completed within the last two years (2023-2025).
Important dates:
- April 7, 2025 – Call for Entries open ogdenmuseum.org
- May 9, 2025 – Last day for mailed entries to be postmarked
- May 23, 2025 – Online entries close at 11:59 p.m. CST
- Week of June 30, 2025 – Notification of accepted entries will be emailed to all applicants
- August 2, 2025 to January 4, 2026 – Exhibition on view at Ogden Museum of Southern Art
“Ogden Museum is honored to collaborate once again with The Helis Foundation to present the works of Louisiana artists dedicated to living and creating within our communities,” says William Andrews, The Helis Foundation Executive Director of Ogden Museum. “We’ve worked together on many projects that focus on celebrating excellence while preserving artistic legacy. In this regard, Louisiana Contemporary is a very exciting exhibition as these artists are pioneering our future through this present-day showcase.”
2025 guest juror Daniel S. Palmer, Chief Curator at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Museum of Art, will curate a selection of the works submitted, and subsequently choose four award winners to receive further recognition.
Daniel S. Palmer shares, “I am truly honored to serve as the juror for the 2025 Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation, the 14th edition of this groundbreaking survey exhibition. I have been so inspired by the vibrant art of New Orleans on my numerous recent visits to collaborate with the incredible teams at Ogden Museum of Southern Art and The Helis Foundation, especially around the fabulous Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition. Each trip I’ve made to Louisiana over the years has been filled with dynamic local culture and transformative experiences, including visits to artist studios, local galleries, brilliant collections and many editions of Prospect New Orleans. This wonderful city has so much to offer. I look forward to more thoroughly discovering its boundless creativity and engaging with its unequivocally welcoming community!”
Special programming for the 2025 edition of Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation will be announced this summer.
About Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation
Ogden Museum first launched Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation, in 2012 to engage artists living in Louisiana and to highlight the dynamism of art practice throughout the state. Since the inaugural exhibition 13 years ago, Ogden Museum has shown works by over 600 artists, making Louisiana Contemporary an important moment in the national arts calendar to recognize and experience the spectrum and vitality of artistic voices emanating from New Orleans and in art communities across Louisiana.
To learn more about Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation and to submit work, please visit https://ogdenmuseum.org/exhibition/louisiana-contemporary-2025/.
About Daniel S. Palmer
Daniel S. Palmer is chief curator at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia. Previously, he was curator at Public Art Fund, New York, where he organized twenty exhibitions. He has also served as the Leon Levy Assistant Curator at the Jewish Museum and Curatorial Research Assistant at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Palmer has curated numerous exhibitions independently and has contributed writing to many artist monographs, publications and journals. He holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil in art history from the CUNY Graduate Center and a B.A. from Rutgers University.
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 artists and culture of the American South. Ogden Museum is home to a collection with almost 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 exhibitions, 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.