The Creative Alliance of New Orleans will hold their second annual Bal des Artistes on February 20 at 7 p.m. in City Park. The “Bohemian Carnival Ball” starts at the Morning Call Coffee Stand before moving upstairs to the City Park Casino.
The theme for this year’s celebration, “Making New Orleans,” will celebrate the talented artists, artisans, and manufacturers who all had a hand in the creation of New Orleans. It will also harken back to an age when ties between the City of Light and the Crescent City transported music, art, and culture back and forth across the Atlantic.
CANO's Bal de Artistes 2014 on February 20
“The artists in the French Quarter of the 20’s set out to present balls like those in Paris where artists were upending the art world with outlandish new impressionist and abstract art, and a freewheeling social scene,” CANO Executive Director Jeanne Nathan said in a press release.
While a coffee shop in the middle of an oak tree lined, historic public park may seem like an unlikely place to attempt to resurrect that artistic spirit, Nathan said it is the perfect place to connect the creativity and artistry of Paris in the golden age to the current New Orleans arts community.
“On February 20th, the Parisian bistro-like Morning Call Coffee House will again evoke the spirit of those game-changers with the costumes, music, images, and decor of our current exploding creative community, including what promises to be one of the most creative and eclectic silent auctions ever presented in the city,” she said.
The event will also feature work by local artists in a Design Salon, local cuisine presented by New Orleans chefs, and, of course, coffee and beignets. The after party in the City Park Casino will feature a live D.J., dancing, and specialty drinks.
A panel of local artists will judge attendees on the best costumes and ball attire, with the winners taking home unique works of art. Tickets are $100 and may be purchased at baldesartistesii.eventbrite.com. There will be a door prize, and parking is available in City Park just outside the event.
Proceeds will be used to support the CANO Creative Futures program that helps high school students learn about and pursue creative careers, to showcase work of New Orleans artists of all disciplines in its “Artists on View” online video directory, to promote collaboration and business opportunities for artists with its CANOpener networking meetings and forums, and to advocate for greater investment in the creative economy from public, business and nonprofit sources.
7 pm
Morning Call Coffee Stand in New Orleans City Park
More Info: http://cano-la.org/
