The New Orleans Jazz museum will celebrate the launch of local photographer Cheryl Gerber’s new book Cherchez la Femme with an accompanying exhibit on January 16. 

The New Orleans native gained inspiration from the Women’s March in Washington, DC back in 2017. She sought to illustrate the remarkable contributions of women to the city and capture the unfaltering feminine power of modern New Orleans. With over 200 photographs of the city’s most well-known women as well as snapshots of everyday women, the book encapsulates the rich diversity that makes the Crescent City one of a kind. 

In addition to the photographs are 12 essays written by various female writers about significant New Orleans figures such as Leah Chase, Irma Thomas, Mignon Faget, and Trixie Minx. The book also celebrates many outstanding groups of women empowering the city such as the Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, the Krewe of Muses and more. Divided into 11 chapters, the book touches upon a catalogue of different women who each play a pivotal role in making New Orleans what it is today. Entertainers, activists, musicians, chefs, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, burlesque artists and socialites are just some of the many roles in which women’s invaluable impact are captured. 

As one of the only existing photographic histories of modern New Orleans women, the book serves as an important reminder of the tremendous and irreplaceable role women play in every single aspect of society and culture. 

The event will be free and open to the public with a book signing by the author. For more information, click here.