UPDATE: RAW:NOLA released the official list of the RAW Artists 2013 New Orleans RAWards Winners on Friday, November 15. Here they are:
Tank and the Bangas accepting their RAWard for Music Artist of the Year.
Music: Tank and the Bangas
Performing Art: FreeQuency
Visual Art: Artist Emily Lovejoy
Photo: Eric J. Nunez Photography
Film: Andrew Bryan
Fashion: Romey Roe
Accessories: Axiom NOLA
Hair: Kristal Shannon
Makeup: Angela René Roberts
OffBeat photogapher Willow Haley, Director's Pick, with her RAWards exhibit.
***
Over the past year, the national RAW Artists organization has scouted dozens of New Orleans’ rising buzz artists in 10 mediums through a local chapter and created a stage for them to present their work on once a month at uptown art house and music club, Eiffel Society. This Thursday, November 14, RAW:NOLA hosts the first annual RAWards Indie Arts Awards and New Orleans Semi-Finals Show at 7:30 p.m. at Eiffel Society (2040 St. Charles Ave). Three semi-finalists in each category, who have won monthly contests in previous months, will compete by presenting their art once again, this time for a panel of special guest judges. Finalists will go on to compete on the national level.
Rising New Orleans soul-funk band, Tank and the Bangas, are music category semi-finalists at the November 14 RAWards.
This one-night-only event will entertain nearly every sense with live music, DJs, painting, photography, fashion, jewelry design, hair styling, make-up artistry and filmmaking all on the menu. As with the regular monthly RAW:NOLA shows, the Eiffel Society will be transformed into a pop-up multimedia arts gallery and the intimate stage alive with some of the city’s most colorful performers. Guest judges of the semi-finals are DJ Soul Sister of WWOZ FM, Matthew Arthur, local BRAVO TV Project Runway contestant, and Missy Wilkinson of The Gambit Weekly. The nine winning RAW:NOLA Artists of 2013 will be announced at the end of the evening, take home exciting prize packages, and go onto the national round of the RAWards competition.
Public voting is also a part of the RAWards vetting process, so attendance from anyone in New Orleans that loves art of any form and wants a voice in deciding which rising artists will receive the opportunity to expand their work to the broader RAW Artists network are encouraged. A fun and free Mystic Photo Booth and local eats by La Cocinita Food Truck are also among festivities for all guests.
DJ Murder Beach will keep the dancefloor moving while local advertising guru Mathew Irimpen serves as master of ceremonies. OffBeat Magazine contributing photographer, Willow Haley, is featured among the Director’s Choice semi-finalist nominees. Two of the three semi-finalists in the music category have both been featured in OffBeat over the past several months. The performances from the Cardinal Sons and Tank and the Bangas should be highlights of the evening. If you feel like you haven’t exactly been on top of who’s who on the rise in the New Orleans contemporary arts scene lately, Thursday night is a best bet to get up to speed and have a grand time doing so.
THE 2013 RAW:NOLA RAW Artists Semi-Finalists
MUSIC:
Tank and the Bangas, Cardinal Sons, FreedomSpeaks
PERFORMING ART:
John Lacarbiere III, FreeQuency, Summer Baldwin
FASHION:
Romey Roe, Michelle O’Reagan, Trapped in Time Designs
HAIR:
Kristal Shannon, Studio One Style Bar
MAKE-UP:
Nik of Trades, Angela Rene Roberts, LeZombie
ACCESSORIES:
Elizabeth Nicole, ReStrung Jewelry, Axiom
FILM:
Lonely Eskimo Productions, Andrew Bryan, Nick Eli
VISUAL ART:
Tarrah Aroonsakool, Emily Lovejoy, Carl Jacobson
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Crystal Shelton, Eric J. Nunez, X-Istence Photo
DIRECTOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Alex Harvie (Live Painting), Donna Guidry, Jordan Prince, LazyEye Photo, Willow’s World Photo, Tony Wilson
First annual RAWards Indie Arts Awards and New Orleans Semi-Finals Show are Thursday, November 14 from 7:30 p.m. until Midnight at Eiffel Society (2040 St. Charles Ave). Eiffel Society will be offering free Grey Goose flavor samples, as well as $3 house wines and $5 cocktails from 7:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. La Cocina will be parked outside serving up savory eats. Tickets for the event are $15 advance or $20 at the door. Students with valid ID may purchase cash tickets at the door for $15. More Info: www.rawartists.org/neworleans/rawards2013
