Prof. Baca Assists Selection of 25 New Public Artworks for 9th Ward of New Orleans

PRESS RELEASE
December 23, 2008

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Morgana King, Public Art Manager
Arts Council of New Orleans
mking@artscouncilofneworleans.org
504-595-8450

Mary Len Costa, Interim President/CEO
Arts Council of New Orleans
mcosta@artscouncilofneworleans.org
504-595-8451

"Art in Public Places"

Start your new year with a HUMs!

New Orleans, LA-

Make this the first special event in your new 2009 calendar!

Join the Arts Council Sunday, Jan. 4th from 3-5:30pm in Washington Square Park to play Marcus Brown’s "Human Universal Musical sculpture: HUMs" (pictured above). Marcus personally developed the electronic system that creates a humming sound derived from your touch, on top of building the larger than life saxophone sculpture.

Special thanks to the City of New Orleans Parks and Parkways Department and the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association for hosting the sculpture in Washington Square Park. For more pictures and a map to park click here: http://www.artscouncilofneworleans.org/article.php?story=20081125154450322

Save the Date for more upcoming receptions:

Saturday January 17th: Christopher Saucedo’s monumental granite block of water, "Floodmarker", is a nomadic monolith at rest.

Art in Public Places" link to all the projects:
http://www.artscouncilofneworleans.org/article.php?story=2008111816334922

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About "Art in Public Places":
In collaboration with the Joan Mitchell Foundation, and an independent jury, the Arts Council selected twenty public art projects designed specifically by local artists for the City of New Orleans. Artists received $25,000 to create artwork to be placed in the public venue and help with rebuilding their artistic careers. The commissions provide the opportunity for local and regional artists to showcase their work parallel to the international exhibits: Prospect.1 Biennial and Sculpture for New Orleans.

Artists from Louisiana and Mississippi who were affected by Katrina or Rita were eligible to apply through a Call to Artists advertised by the Arts Council of New Orleans. The Call to Artists was initially for ten commissions, but due to the extraordinary response, the artistic diversity and the high quality of the proposals, twenty commissions funded by the Joan Mitchell Foundation were awarded.

About the Arts Council of New Orleans:
The Arts Council of New Orleans is a private, non-profit organization designated by the City of New Orleans as its official arts agency. Now in its 33rd year, the Arts Council works in partnership with the City of New Orleans, community groups, local, state, and national governmental agencies, and other nonprofit arts organizations to meet the arts and cultural needs of the New Orleans community through a diversity of initiatives and services. The Arts Council serves as one of nine regional distributing agencies for Louisiana Division of the Arts funds and administers the Community Arts Grants and the Percent For Art program for the City of New Orleans.

About the Joan Mitchell Foundation:
The Joan Mitchell Foundation was established in April 1993 as a not-for-profit corporation following the death of Joan Mitchell in October 1992. The Foundation strives to fulfill the ambitions of artist Joan Mitchell to aid and assist the needs of contemporary artists and to demonstrate that painting and sculpture are significant cultural necessities.