Openings and closing

First Saturday of the month, the galleries on Julia Street are opened late for the new exhibitions. The crowd is thinner than usual, it is cold in New Orleans.

Arthur Roger Gallery presents Ida Kohlmeyer, a well-known artist in this city, defined as an abstract expressionist painter and sculptor. The collector can buy small works of great quality making this exhibition a "do-not-miss". Daily, I am exposed to Kohlmeyer's "Lollipops" on my way to work.

What about young artists? I noticed Steve Teeters from Lubbock ,Texas,

brought by Prospect 1.5 to Le Mieux Gallery. The artist is using an easy language to speak to us about corporate America through his sculptures. The message is clear.

The Heriard-Cimino Gallery is presenting Carlos Betancourt with photographs and sculptures. Vibrant, full of life, an explosion of colors and shapes with favorite objects, flowers, toy bears, candies, beads for the compositon. The photographs are guaranteed to put the viewer in a great mood. (...decorative, superficial, ennoying with their cute exuberance and obviously favorites, with some red dots already on the walls).

The closing party for Prospect 1.5 is taking place at an interesting venue: Second Line Stages, advertised as a state of the art sound stages located in the Garden District. In a corner, small works of art are displayed (poorly) for the silent auction organized to raise money for Prospect 2. The total art on sale will raise maybe 10 000 dollars...a pitance compared to the budget of such event.

This year, Prospect 1.5 is a make-over with 50 artists.
My opinion about this event? random, poorly advertised. I visited two galleries in my neighborhood, The scope of the event was a far cry from Prospect 1.

So far, I have not experienced anything close to the Biennale in Venice, but time will tell.

Waiting to see Prospect 2.

photographs by the author

1. "Semiotic Staff #11", 1987, Ida Kohlmeyer

2. " Nest Egg" Steve Teeters

3. The entrance at Throwdown 1.5, Second Line Stages