Become immersed in the colorful histories of festivals, specifically, carnival and Mardi Gras. In this workshop, rare and exquisite visuals, multi-media, first-hand accounts, and documentaries will inspire discussion and insight into research materials available, along with strategies for researching festivals and relevant topics. Collections specific to carnival are held within many New Orlean memory institutions, and The Louisiana State Museum is notable for its collections on Mardi Gras. The workshop will be lead by two historians and a local Mardi Gras artist who will discuss festival culture, highlight core research materials, and share rare resources from the LSM collections.
Because the old and new traditions of festivals are deeply performative and multi-disciplinary, the workshop will be of interest to researchers of art history, craft, performance, music, costume, design, theater and dance, cultural history. The rich history of Carnival and Mardi Gras in New Orleans from when it first started in 1703, and its origins of the old world traditions - costumes, masks and role playing - will be artfully revealed through a look into the archives and collections that preserve this culture and how it has manifested into new world traditions with Mardi Gras parades, music, and masquerades. The local artist, a Mardi Gras Indian, will discuss the practice of one of the most vibrant carnival traditions in New Orleans.
Location: Louisiana State Museum, 751 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Organizer: Deborah Ultan, Arts & Architecture Librarian, University of Minnesota
Presenters From the Louisiana State Museum: Karen Leathem, Historian David Kunian, Music Curator Special Guest Mardi Gras Artist & Performer
Max Participants: 30
Fee: $30 (LSM is within walking distance, transportation not included)
Art & Performing Arts Librarian, Curator of the Gorman Rare Art Books and Media Collection, Curator of the Performing Arts Archive, University of Minnesota Libraries
Sunday February 5, 2017 1:00pm - 4:45pm CST
Louisiana State Museum751 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70116
