PhotoNOLA, the New Orleans Photo Alliance’s (NOPA) annual photography festival gets underway this Thursday, November 29 with PhotoGALA, a benefit party and auction held at the Musee Conti Historical Wax Museum.

The event will take place from 7:00-10:00 p.m. and feature works from: Herman Leonard, Heidi Kirkpatrick, Zack Smith, Maggie Taylor, David Rae Morris, Michael Marshall, Louviere + Vanessa, Adam Furguson, S. Gayle Stevens, Leslie A. Addison, Ryan Nabulsi, Josephine, Sacabo, Ken Rosenthal, Henry Horenstein, Ellen Susan and Steve Pyke.

Guitarist John Rankin and friends will provide the night’s entertainment. Cocktails will be available at a cash bar, NOLA Brewery will bring the beer, and restaurants Dijon, La Petite Grocery, The Joint, Shake Sugary, Cafe Dauphine and Nacho Mama’s will serve complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

For those die-hard Saints fans wishing to attend, Thursday’s Saints-Falcons matchup will be shown during the gala.

Kathleen Robbins, Mom on New Year’s Eve, 2007

The night will begin with a silent auction at 7:00 and continue with a live auction starting at 8:00. For a peek at the items up for bidding, take a look at this photo gallery. Those unable to attend but wishing to bid can do so via this absentee bidding form.

Advanced tickets are $20 and available online at photonola.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the door the night of for $25. The Musee Conti Historical Wax Museum is located at 917 Conti Street in the French Quarter (Map). Cocktail attire is recommended. Proceeds from the event will go towards funding the Photo Alliance’s local outreach efforts, community workshops, exhibitions and events. OffBeat has two pairs of tickets to giveaway to Thursday night’s gala… To enter into the drawing, simply fill out this form before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday (Nov 28).

PhotoNOLA will continue through Sunday, December 2, showcasing the breadth of NOPA’s efforts across various exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and galas held throughout New Orleans in partnership with several of the city’s museums, art galleries and alternative venues. PhotoNOLA’s Portfolio Review, the festival’s cornerstone, gives budding photographers the chance to have gallery owners, editors, publishers, accredited photographers and museum curators from around the country examine their work as they compete for the festival’s coveted Review Prize. Its winner will receive $1000 cash, 50 copies of his/her own Blurb book and a solo exhibition at the following year’s festival. Last year’s winner Kathleen Robbins is set to display her award-winning collection Into the Flatland — a series that investigates the notion of home, the desire to leave and familial ties as show through images of the road leading back — at NOPA’s gallery space located at 1111 St. Mary Street in the Lower Garden District (Map).

For a full list PhotoNOLA’s festival events, visit the following links:
Exhibitions
Workshops
Book Signings