The Ogden Museum of Southern Art Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a Free Admission Day and Family Friendly Programming on January 21 Presenting a Day of Art and Community, Exploring Artists Whose Work Investigates Social Justice, Human Rights and World Peace

NEW ORLEANS – JANUARY 14, 2019

On Monday, Jan. 21 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., the Ogden Museum of Southern Art will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a free admission day featuring activities for the whole family. During this day of art and community, visitors will explore artists whose work investigates social justice, human rights and world peace through art activities, performances and dialogue.

From 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., families will be able to make crafts, listen to music, enjoy food and participate in a scavenger hunt. Art activities include:

  • Pen and Ink Drawings, Inspired by Welmon Sharlhorne: Explore How Art Can Keep You Free
    Facing injustice, Welmon used art to survive incarceration. Let your imagination run wild and create creatures using only a manila folder and pens.
  • Fabric Collage Portraits, Inspired by Benny Andrews: Building Identity and Representation
    Incorporating Benny Andrews’ iconic technique, utilize texture and fabric to create your own collage portrait.
  • Mixed Media Collage, Inspired by Thornton Dial: Creating Symbols of Strength in Times of Struggle
    Inspired by Thornton Dial’s tiger symbol, create a mixed media collage from found objects.
  • Paper Sculpture Houses, Inspired by Celestia Morgan: Addressing Housing Injustice
    The sky is the limit when building your dream home. Construct a house out of paper.
  • River Paths Watercolor, Inspired by Kael Alford: Understanding Ecological History and Climate Change
    Learn about the history of the Mississippi River while creating an abstract watercolor.
  • Drawing a World Without Borders, Inspired by Scott Dalton
    What would a world without borders look like? Draw the possibilities.

Then, from 3 to 5 p.m., guests will enjoy a musical performance by 504 Experience, with Gerald French on drums and vox, Roderick Paulin on sax, Mitchell Player on bass and Leslie Martin on keys.

Community groups such as Bike Easy, Electric Girls, Evacuteer, Liberty’s Kitchen, LINKS, Inc., Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners, the New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans Family Justice Center, STAR: Sexual Trauma Awareness & Response®, Urban League and Young Audiences will also be on hand to provide resources and opportunities.

The Ogden Museum has partnered with Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners to collect books for incarcerated people. Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners is a nonprofit whose mission is to encourage literacy, to make prison-life more endurable and to support incarcerated people’s interests to the best of their abilities. When guests bring in four paperback books on Jan. 21, they will get two free Museum admission passes. More information about the book drive can be found at ogdenmuseum.org.

“We hope this family-friendly event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day will serve as an opportunity for new and returning visitors to experience and explore all that the Ogden Museum has to offer,” says Ellen Balkin, Ogden Museum Education Manager. “This free admission day will provide people of all ages the chance to create their own connections to the art of the American South.”

For more information regarding Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Museum, please contact Melissa Kenyon at mkenyon@ogdenmuseum.org or 504.539.9631.

About the Ogden Museum

Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art and is recognized for its original exhibitions, public events and educational programs which examine the development of visual art alongside Southern traditions of music, literature and culinary heritage to provide a comprehensive story of the South. Established in 1999 and in Stephen Goldring Hall since 2003, the Museum welcomes almost 85,000 visitors annually, and attracts diverse audiences through its broad range of programming including exhibitions, lectures, film screenings and concerts which are all part of its mission to broaden the knowledge, understanding, interpretation and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.

The Ogden Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. with extended hours on Thursdays from 6 – 8 p.m. for Ogden After Hours. Admission is free to Museum Members and $13.50 for adults, $11 for seniors 65 and older, $6.75 for children ages 5-17 and free for children under 5.

The Ogden Museum is free to Louisiana Residents on Thursdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. courtesy of The Helis Foundation. The Helis Foundation is a Louisiana private foundation, established by the William Helis Family. The Art Funds of the Helis Foundation advance access to the arts for the community through contributions that sustain operations for, provide free admission to, acquire works of art and underwrite major exhibitions and projects of institutions within the Greater New Orleans area.

The Museum is closed Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.

The Museum is located at 925 Camp Street, New Orleans Louisiana 70130. For more information visit ogdenmuseum.org or call 504.539.9650.