Media Contact:
Jess Brown
DEVENEY
504‐949‐3999, ext. 223
jbrown@deveney.com

 

NEW ORLEANS - September 16, 2014 - In collaboration with DelMonico Books and Prestel Publishing, Prospect New Orleans is pleased to announce two catalogues in conjunction with the International Contemporary Art Biennial - "Prospect. 3: Notes for Now" and "Basquiat and the Bayou Presented by The Helis Foundation"

Both fully-illustrated, comprehensive catalogues will be available at the opening of the biennial, are authored by Prospect.3 Artistic Director Franklin Sirmans, and include essays by other noted art historians, curators and academic scholars.

"To put the show in context, it was important for us to bring in experts to further expound the catalogue experience," Sirmans said. "All of our contributors have such strong connections and unique perspectives on the P.3 framework; they really helped bring the works to life outside of the show itself."

The "Prospect.3: Notes for Now" catalogue features writings from various contributors, including Christine Y. Kim, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Rickey Laurentiis, a New Orleans poet and 2013 recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts; Mary A. McCay, Ph.D, the Moon and Verna S. Landrieu Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities and Natural Sciences at Loyola University New Orleans who was also the inaugural director of the university's Walker Percy Center for Writing and Publishing; and native New Orleanian Melissa A. Weber, (a.k.a. DJ Soul Sister), who has hosted her "Soul Power" show on WWOZ-FM for nearly two decades.

The "Basquiat and the Bayou Presented by The Helis Foundation" catalogue features essays by contributing scholars Robert G. O'Meally and Robert Farris Thompson, in additions to Sirmans' writings. Thompson has written extensively on Basquiat, and his text explores three artworks in great depth, tracking the complexities and culture-crossings of the artist's work. O'Meally offers fresh scholarship with an unexpected analysis of Basquiat's work in relationship to Romare Bearden and Louis Armstrong.

"DelMonico Books and Prestel Publishing are thrilled to co-publish with Prospect New Orleans the catalogues, "P.3: Notes for Now" and "Basquiat and the Bayou Presented by The Helis Foundation," said Publisher Mary DelMonico of DelMonico Books/Prestel Publishing. "It is a great privilege to collaborate with the inspired and inspiring curator Franklin Sirmans and the amazing P.3 team, led by Brooke Davis Anderson, on these important publications, and we are most excited to bring these books to a broad, international audience."

Both catalogues will be available for purchase at www.prospectneworleans.org, as well as various venues around New Orleans, including the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, New Orleans Museum of Art and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

Both catalogues have been published by DelMonico Books, a Prestel partner established in 2009, which focuses on distinctive art books and museum co-publications. Prestel, founded in 1924 and owned by Random House Germany/Bertelsmann, publishes books in art, photography, architecture, fashion and design. Prestel is a fully global operation, with offices in Munich, London and New York. DelMonico Books and Prestel partner with artists, art foundations, galleries and museums around the world to publish in separate English and German editions as well as French, Spanish, and Italian language editions, to produce award-winning publications. DelMonico Books and Prestel titles are sold in more than 80 countries.


About "Basquiat and the Bayou Presented by The Helis Foundation"
The "Basquiat and the Bayou" exhibit is made possible by the Diana Helis Henry and Adrienne Helis Malvin Art Funds of The Helis Foundation. Additional support is contributed by the Henry Luce Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

About The Helis Foundation
The Helis Foundation is a Louisiana private foundation, established and funded by the William Helis Family. The Helis Foundation's resources and objectives are divided into two areas: the general fund and the Diana Helis Henry and Adrienne Helis Malvin Art Funds. The general fund focuses on community needs within the Metropolitan New Orleans area by grants to numerous charities. The Art Funds were established by bequests from Diana Helis Henry and Adrienne Helis Malvin. The Art Funds make grants to sustain, to provide free admission to, and to acquire art works for institutions within the Metropolitan New Orleans area. The Art Funds also underwrite major exhibits and projects, such as the Contemporary Arts Center's 30 Americans, Prospect.3's "Basquiat and the Bayou" exhibit scheduled for late 2014 and the Sculpture for New Orleans Poydras Corridor Project for notable sculpture installations on the Poydras Street medians.

About Prospect New Orleans
Prospect New Orleans is an International Arts Biennial. Its third iteration, "Prospect.3: Notes for Now," will take place from October 25, 2014 through January 25, 2015. The exhibition will present the work of more than 50 artists selected by Artistic Director Franklin Sirmans, in more than 15 locations throughout neighborhoods across New Orleans. For more information, please visit www.prospectneworleans.org.
Prospect New Orleans is free and open to the public* Wednesdays through Sundays, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.**

It will be closed on the following holidays:

  • November 27-28, 2014 (Thanksgiving)
  • December 24-25, 2014 (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)
  • December 31, 2014-January 1, 2015 (New Year's Eve and New Year's Day)


Due to academic calendars, the following venues have additional closures during the holidays, including:

  • Delgado University
    November 26-30, 2014 (Thanksgiving Holiday)
    December 20, 2014-January 4, 2015 (Winter Break)
  • Dillard University
    November 26-28, 2014 (Thanksgiving Holiday)
    December 20, 2014-January 4, 2015 (Winter Break)
  • Xavier University
    November 27-28, 2014 (Thanksgiving Holiday)
    December 20, 2014-January 3, 2015 (Winter Break)


If traveling to New Orleans for Prospect.3, please consider that holiday schedules may preclude viewing at some venues. Book your travel so as to ensure the opportunity to experience the biennial in totality. Please visit our website for more information: www.prospectneworleans.org.

*General admission may apply at certain participating venues.
**Longue Vue House and Gardens opens at 1pm on Sundays with additional hours available on select Sundays by appointment. For more information or to make an appointment, please call (504) 488-5488.

 

###