Nola Reporter

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) has announced its 2024–25 Creative Assembly Cohort, featuring eight artists from diverse disciplines. Since its inception in 2021, the Creative Assembly residency has aimed to foster community engagement by encouraging artists to collaborate with NOMA's permanent collection, special exhibitions, and programs.

Susan M. Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA, expressed enthusiasm for the new cohort: “We are thrilled to see this year’s Creative Assembly Cohort hit the ground running, finding inspiration in NOMA’s collection and exhibitions.” She emphasized the museum's role as a space for discovery and innovation for contemporary artists.

The cohort members include poet Andy Young, dancer and choreographer Caleb Dowden, filmmaker and visual artist Carl Harrison Jr., musician Cassie Watson Francillon, painter Horton Humble, clay artist Jer’Lisa Devezin, collage artist LaVonna Varnado-Brown, and poet Nikkisha K. Napoleon. They began their residency with an orientation followed by workshops to explore the museum's offerings. The theme for this year is Literacy and Language.

The Darryl Chappell Foundation supports two Afrodescendent visual artists in this year's cohort. Darryl Chappell stated: “We are excited to partner with NOMA to support exceptional artists from the New Orleans community as a part of the 2024–25 Creative Assembly Cohort.”

Previous projects from the 2023–24 cohort included video works by Kr3wcial and Charm Taylor; workshops on poetry and beadwork; and a dance work inspired by composer Julia Perry.

NOMA continues to be a significant cultural institution in New Orleans with nearly 50,000 works in its collection. Its Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden offers free public access to sculptures within a unique landscape.