Mardi Gras Indian Arts Intensive

Hurricane Gustav Alert

2008-08-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Due to the threat posed by Hurricane Gustav to the New Orleans area, the campus of Xavier University is now closed. The campus will reopen on Thursday, September 6. For those students who had yet to pick up their projects from the Art Village, please know that we have moved your artwork to a secure location. You may retrieve your work once campus has reopened. In the unfortunate event of an extended evacuation like the one following Katrina, we will make alternative arrangements to get your artwork to you.

2008 Mardi Gras Indian Arts Intensive Ends

2008-08-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Mardi Gras Indian Arts Intensive concluded with an exhibition of student work at the Xavier University Library Art Gallery. The exhibition ran from August 1-11. Check back later for images from that event. Also check back within the next few weeks for news of exciting fall and spring exhibitions and events. These exhibitions and events are still in development. We will provide further details when available. Thanks again to everyone who made this summer's program a huge success!

Who's "The Prettiest"?

2008-07-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Walter Landry, instructor for the "Uptown" sewing portion of the curriculum, brought in his suit from this year's Mardi Gras for students to view and try on. Students who tried on the suit got a feel for just how heavy all of the beaded pieces are when worn together. They also got a sense of what it is like to try to move around while carrying the weight of a suit.

More Sewing in the "Uptown" Style

2008-07-22T05:12:00.001-07:00

Here are some more images of students' work in the "Uptown" sewing style.

Learning the "Uptown" Style

2008-07-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

This week, students began learning the "Uptown" style of sewing a Mardi Gras Indian costume. Walter Landry, who has masked with the Golden Arrows and the Golden Blades Mardi Gras Indian Tribes, is serving as instructor for the next two weeks. During the next two weeks, students will learn how to sew both a patch and a brooch. Patches and brooches are important foundation pieces when creating an Uptown style Mardi Gras Indian suit. Patches are created by beading pictures onto canvas. Brooches, which are added to suits as jewelry-like adornment, are also created on canvas using gemstones and rhinestones.

Filmmaker Rebecca Snedeker Pays Students A Visit

2008-07-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Rebecca Snedeker stopped by yesterday to screen her film By Invitation Only for students. The film is a documentary giving viewers an unprecedented look into the exclusive world of New Orleans' mainline Carnival krewes and their traditions. For more information about the film or to view a trailer, click here.

That's A Wrap!

2008-07-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

Students wrapped up filming today for the Mardi Gras Indian claymation movie. Everyone celebrated by watching a rough cut of the film. Gabe, Kate, and Amanda supplied the popcorn and juice. Additional edits will be made before the film has its premiere at our exhibition of student work on August 1, but it already looks great!

Filming Begins

2008-07-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday marked the first day of filming for our Mardi Gras Indian claymation movie being made with the help of our friends Amanda, Gabe, and Kate from NYU.

You Can Do That?

2008-07-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

Kate Hartman from New York University's Interactive Technology Program teaches students how to use conductive fabric and LED lights to create wearable electronics. Imagine a Mardi Gras Indian suit all lit up!

Session 2 Begins

2008-07-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

Today marked the beginning of session 2. In this session, students will learn the "Uptown" style of making a Mardi Gras Indian suit, but first they are creating a claymation film which will serve as a nice review of everything they have learned thus far. The film will depict what happens when two Big Chiefs meet on Mardi Gras morning.

Students began today by creating the wire "skeletons" for their clay characters out of armature wire and then covering those skeletons with clay to add skin, hair, clothing, and other details. This project would not be possible without three very good friends from New York University's Interactive Technology Program, Amanda O'Brien, Kate Hartman, and Gabriel Barcia-Colombo. Amanda, Kate, and Gabe are here to teach our students the fundamentals of claymation , among other cool projects, to reinforce their study of Mardi Gras Indian art and culture. Check back throughout the week for updates on our progress. Thanks also to Marianne Petit from NYU's ITP who got the ball rolling for Amanda, Kate, and Gabe's participation this summer.

Session 1 Ends

2008-07-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Session 1 ended on June 27 with a field trip to the New Orleans African American Museum. Thanks again to Big Chief Darryl Montana, our instructor for the first four weeks of the program. Thanks also to Jessica Legaux and Maureen Crittenden who served as program assistants for session 1. Jessica is a Xavier art major. Maureen is a visiting student from Bard College participating in the Bard College Urban Studies Program in New Orleans. A final thanks to Mary Hill who served as the Community Arts Program Assistant at Xavier for the past year. Mary is leaving to pursue graduate studies at the University of Southern California this fall.

Taking A Break

2008-06-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Students take a break from sewing to learn ceramics with MaPo Kinnord-Payton. MaPo is an associate professor of art and departmental chair at Xavier University. She is just back from a trip to Ghana where she has worked for several years now on clay projects and to help build kilns.

Thanks Again to Margaret and the Sewing Machine Project

2008-06-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some more images of students putting the finishing touches on their "Downtown" style sewing projects - this time with the help of some sewing machines donated to us by our good friend Margaret Jankowski and her Sewing Machine Project. Thanks again Margaret!

"Downtown" Style Projects Near Completion

2008-06-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some images of "Downtown" style projects that are nearing completion. More to come.

Let's Dance

2008-06-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

Ausettua AmorAmenkum, Director of Kumbuka African Dance & Drum Collective, stopped by this past Friday to teach students a few dance moves. She helped them see the link between dances that are familiar to them as New Orleanians and African and Caribbean dances. Assettua also masks as a Mardi Gras Indian Queen.

Kumbuka African Drum & Dance Collective is dedicated to the preservation of African and African-American folklore through the medium of dance, music and song. Kumbuka consists of fifteen men, women, and children, ranging in ages from 9 to 55. This collection of artists are dancers, musicians, jewelers, drum makers, and costume designers. These artists have studied extensively in Senegal, Ghana, Guinea, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and St. Louis. Kumbuka's objectives whenever performing are to increase knowledge of African culture, demonstrate the significance that African culture has in elevating self-esteem, self-view, and self-knowledge of young persons, familiarize the audience with rhythms, music, and movement, and strengthen ability, stamina, flexibility, and agility. The repertoire consists of dances from Senegal, Guinea, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Haiti, and New Orleans.

Sewing Continues

2008-06-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Students continue to make progress toward completing their "Downtown" style sewing projects. Check back next week to see the finished pieces.

Here It Is

2008-06-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here's the finished papier mache skull. Very scary!

Them Bones

2008-06-16T13:33:00.001-07:00

Filmmaker Royce Osborn took time out today from his role as our documentarian to lead the students in several activities related to New Orleans' skull and bone gangs, another local Black Carnival tradition. Royce has masked for several years now with a neighborhood bone gang.

First, the students were treated to a surprise visit and performance by two skeletons, after which they were able to try on the skeleton costumes. Next, they worked individually to create designs for bone gang aprons. Finally, they worked collaboratively to create the same type of papier mache skull worn by members of the bone gangs. The skull is still drying and will be painted tomorrow. More to come.

Students Customize and Print Their Program T-Shirts

2008-06-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Students have customized and printed their own t-shirts to be worn on field trip days and kept as a memento of the summer. Each shirt has the intensive's logo on the front, but is distinguished by having the student's custom design on the back. Three graduate students from from the Public Practice program at Otis College of Art and Design (thanks Candy, Kate, and Andy) led a silkscreening workshop for students where they worked out their design ideas, first on paper then on the computer, and learned about the steps that comprise the silkscreening process. Xavier art professor Ron Bechet then walked students through how to do the final printing of the t-shirts using the silkscreening equipment in the art department's printmaking studio.

Field Trip to Mardi Gras World

2008-06-06T13:40:00.001-07:00

Today was our first field trip day for 2008. We went to Mardi Gras World for an inside look at how floats are made for the city's many mainline Carnival krewes, including Rex, Endymion, Bacchus, and Orpheus. Students began the tour by trying on an assortment of Carnival costumes. They then watched a short film on the history of mainline Mardi Gras, after which they were served king cake, a traditional Carnival season treat. Later, Ms. Lynn, our tour guide, led everyone through Mardi Gras World to see the paint and carpentry shop where artists build and decorate floats as well as the float storage areas.

Making Us Proud

2008-06-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

We hoped that students who participated in our program last year would continue to sew and build skill. We have not been disappointed. Despite our high expectations for the program, even we have been amazed by the speed and skill with which some second year students are sewing. These were students who, on day two of sewing last year, still struggled to thread a needle.

Sew Sew Sew

2008-06-03T18:20:00.001-07:00

Today was the first full day of sewing in the Downtown style for students in the program. The day began, as every day will for the next four weeks, with Big Chief Darryl Montana leading the students in singing Indian Red. Indian Red is a traditional song considered sacred by the Mardi Gras Indians. It is the most important song a new Indian will learn to sing and great emphasis is placed on getting it right.

The students first art project is to sew a bust of a Mardi Gras Indian. It is designed to teach students fundamental sewing stitches, how to sew using pearls, sequins, and beads, and how to construct a three-dimensional piece in the Downtown style. Chief Montana described for students the various parts that make up a Mardi Gras Indian suit (the hat/crown, apron, boots, neckpiece, sleeves) and showed them examples of sewn pieces.

A Streetcar Named Inspired

2008-06-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Students took a break today from sewing to catch a sneak peek at a sculpture designed for A Streetcar Named Inspired, a community art project that seeks to place more than 200 streetcar shaped works of art by local artists across the metro New Orleans area. The project, which is spearheaded by the Young Leadership Council, will benefit the Downtown Development District's vision for a public art space at the corner of Canal and Basin Streets.

The streetcar the students got a chance to view prior to its installation at its public location was created by Augustus Jenkins (pictured) and Ayo Scott, both Xavier alums. Augustus is also currently an instructor in Xavier's Department of Art.

Keeping Cool

2008-06-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

The high today was reportedly 89 degrees. It felt more like 99! Fortunately, we planned ahead and booked the Frosty Treats ice cream truck to drop by and provide much needed relief.

2008 Mardi Gras Indian Arts Intensive Kicks Off in a Big Way!

2008-06-02T14:57:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of the 2008 Mardi Gras Indian Arts Intensive. What a day! It began with a performance by Shaka Zulu and the Zulu Connection (www.zuluconnection.com) featuring West African drumming, dancing, and stiltdancing. Shaka is also a member of the Yellow Pocahontas Mardi Gras Indian tribe led by Big Chief Darryl Montana, one of our instructors for the intensive. Shaka was able to help students begin to make connections between West African traditions and New Orleans' Mardi Gras Indian culture. They also picked up a few new dance moves.

2007 Graduates Attend the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Free Of Charge

2008-05-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the generosity of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation (www.nojazzfest.com), graduates of the 2007 Mardi Gras Indian Arts Intensive were able to attend one day of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which took place April 25-27 and May 1-4, free of charge. Mardi Gras Indians performing at the festival included Big Chief Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias, Creole Wild West, Golden Star Hunters, Fi Yi Yi & the Mandingo Warriors, and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles.

A Special Thanks!

2008-05-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Margaret Jankowski and the Sewing Machine Project for a generous gift of five sewing machines. Margaret conceived the Sewing Machine Project in 2005 in response to the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia. She’d read an article about a woman who had lost a sewing machine, and her primary source of income, as a result of the storm. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in September 2005 the project shifted its focus to New Orleans. To date, the Sewing Machine Project has delivered 350 machines to the city. These machines are distributed to individuals as well as schools and community centers. People are using them not only to rebuild their lives but also to start small sewing-related businesses.

Margaret is a generous woman doing incredible work! We love her and the Sewing Machine Project. Please support them both. For more info, go to thesewingmachineproject.org.

Filmmaker Royce Osborn to Document the 2008 Program

2008-05-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Royce Osborn will document the 2008 Mardi Gras Indian Arts Intensive. Osborn is a New Orleans-born writer and producer who grew up in the rich environment of the city's Seventh Ward. In 2003, he created the popular documentary All on a Mardi Gras Day, which explores New Orleans' black carnival traditions in an historical context. The program was broadcast nationally on PBS and was awarded at the New Orleans Film Festival. It has been called one of the best documentaries ever made on New Orleans history, and has been used as a teaching tool in both K-12 and higher education settings. He is currently at work on the documentary Walking to New Orleans, about the city's cultural recovery post-Katrina.

View clips from All on a Mardi Gras Day and Walking to New Orleans at www.nbpc.tv/webcasts/katrina.

Darryl Montana, Big Chief of the Yellow Pocahontas, Returns As An Instructor

2008-05-26T15:32:00.001-07:00

Darryl Montana, Big Chief of the Yellow Pocahontas and one of the most respected bearers of the Mardi Gras Indian tradition, will return in 2008 as an instructor for the Mardi Gras Indian Arts Intensive. Chief Montana is an internationally acclaimed artist who constantly challenges himself to make "bigger and better" suits. His suits, which are created in the "Downtown", three-dimensional style, are beautiful works of sculpture. In recent years, they have consisted of as many as 500 intricate hand-sewn pieces.

Zulu Connection Will Kick Off the 2008 Summer Intensive on June 2

2008-05-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

Zulu Connection, masters of the African form of stiltdancing and ancient mystical masquerades, will kick-off the 2008 program with a special performance on June 2. Zulu Connection spellbinds its audiences with colorful and elaborate costumes, tremendous heights, extraordinary acrobatics and magnificent dance moves. The highly rhythmic music that accompanies each performance has been characterized as captivating and invigorating, pushing most audience members to get up and dance. In the course of a concert the program entertains, but educates as well on African customs, history, musical instruments, masquerades and legends, dispelling commonly held myths.

Since its inception in 1990, the company has pioneered the emergence of works by both African and African-American choreographers and has been dedicated to preserving the rich culture of Africa, the Caribbean, and Haiti which are all inherent in the make-up of New Orleans culture. Founders Shaka and Na'imah Zulu are committed to exposing audiences to the cultural arts of these nations in order to foster cross-cultural appreciation and understanding across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Bermuda.

The Zulu Connection has regularly presented seasons at the Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Kuumbaa Festival in Knoxville, TN, Black Dance USA in St. Louis, Goombay Festival in Hamilton Bermuda, England Arts Festival, Liverpool, England and the Point After Fest in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Zulu Connection has a strong impact on youth, performing and teaching for many schools and community centers including: The Africana Studies Enrichment Program with New Orleans Unified School District, the Community Arts Center of New Orleans, and the Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Schools.

For more information on Zulu Connection, visit www.zuluconnection.com.