An exhibition of photographs by Erika Goldring titled Lightning and Thunder: Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles opens at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Wednesday, March 23.

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and Wildman Charlie Martin, Mardi Gras 2019, photo by Erika Goldring

For more than fifty years, Boudreaux has led the Golden Eagles, a Black masking Indian tribe. In 2021, he turned eighty, which makes him one of the true elders of the Mardi Gras Indian masking tradition. While many masking tribes are family based, the Golden Eagles are particularly known as a multigenerational family affair. His children Joseph and Wynoka; his grandchildren J’wan, Marwan and Michael; his wife Chellene; and his brother Yetti have all been a part of the tribe. 

Erika Molleck Goldring’s photography spans a broad range of culture and entertainment. Her portraits of everyone from Fats Domino to Keith Richards, Beyoncé, and Jason Isbell show energy and emotion amid balance and simplicity. Her work has appeared in Downbeat, Rolling Stone, Garden and Gun, The New York Times, the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Her portraits show the detailed artistry and eye-catching colors of Mardi Gras Indian suits over the years, serving as an extraordinary archival record.

The exhibition opening will include a concert at 5 p.m. by Big Chief Monk and the Golden Eagles in the museum courtyard. A cash bar and food will be available on site.

Monk Boudreaux 78th Birthday Party: Michelle Longino holding Lauren Boudreaux (Lawrence’s daughter), Jerry Moran, Trina Johnson, Monk Boudreaux, Joseph Boudreaux, Rukiya Brown (phone hiding her face), Tahj Williams, Yeti Boudreaux, Valence street and Magnolia Street, December 2019, photo by Erika Goldring

Located at the juncture of the French Quarter where Esplanade Avenue meets Frenchmen Street, an epicenter of live music, the New Orleans Jazz Museum celebrates jazz in the city of its birth.. Through dynamic interactive exhibits, multigenerational educational programming, research facilities, and engaging musical performances, the music New Orleans made famous is explored in all its forms. In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jazz Museum has provided much-needed relief to local musicians through its Balcony Concerts—a free weekly series bringing New Orleans music to both live and virtual audiences. Visit nolajazzmuseum.org for more information.