Magnolia Ball 2024, photo courtesy of Ashley Lorraine
(NEW ORLEANS, LA) – On Saturday, June 7, from 7 to 11 p.m., Ogden Museum of Southern Art will host its annual Magnolia Ball, celebrating Hoa Tay (Flower Hands): Southern Artists of the Vietnamese Diaspora. Centering emerging and established Vietnamese-American artists working throughout the American South, Hoa Tay (Flower Hands) showcases diverse media and styles conveying narratives of the Vietnamese Diaspora, both personal and universal. Raising funds for the Museum’s unique educational mission including exhibitions and award-winning programming, the evening will feature live music, DJs, entertainers, a silent auction, cuisine from local restaurants and specialty cocktails. The co-chairs of the 2025 Magnolia Ball are Artemis Antippas, Uyên Đinh, James & Laurie Kalyvas and Alex M. Sorapuru.
Twenty local restaurants will be a part of the evening including Magasin Vietnamese Cafe, MaMou, Sidecar Patio & Oyster Bar, Oxtailbros504 and Manolito. Entertainment for the evening will feature a Karaoke Lounge, DJ Heelturn, Krewe des Fleurs and more.
The Silent Auction, held in-person and online, features over 65 regional artists and businesses. Artists include Irvin Washington, Sadie Sheldon, Christian Đinh, Josh Hailey and Kimberly Ha, while businesses include JAMNOLA, Common House New Orleans, Dyers Dyes, Magnolia Yoga Studio and NOLA Couture.
Bidding opens Saturday, May 31 and will close Sunday, June 8 at 5 p.m. The silent auction will be on display at the Museum for public preview May 26 through June 8.
2025 Co-Chairs Laurie and James Kalyvas share, “We are so grateful to be a part of the 2025 Magnolia Ball at Ogden Museum of Southern Art. And we’re especially excited about this year’s celebration of Hoa Tay (Flower Hands) because it highlights the rich cultural diversity of New Orleans, and the South at large, which we hold so dear. Exploring and honoring the important cultural role that our local Vietnamese community holds through great art, music and food and drink promises to be a night of heightened sensibility and plain old good fun!”
In addition to Magnolia Ball General Tickets, there are VIP Tickets which provide access to a VIP Lounge. The lounge experience includes a premium beverage service with private seating, Magnolia Ball branded keepsakes and additional cuisine.
Magnolia Ball is supported by Bryan Subaru & Octavia Art Gallery (Music Sponsor), The Times-Picayune | nola.com and St. Charles Avenue. Benefactors include Hattie Collins & Rebecca Maisel, Eclectic Home, The Helis Foundation, Charles Urstadt & David Bernard, Joey Walker & John Malta and WWNO.
For a full list of Silent Auction artists and businesses and to purchase tickets, please visit ogdenmuseum.org/magnoliaball. Attire is creative cocktail.
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.