Folklore on Parade: Exhibition Tour & Curator Talk

"Folklore on Parade," the current exhibition at Kolaj Institute Gallery in New Orleans, brings together the work of sixteen artists, each of whom are speaking to ideas about carnival and folklore and its role in our communities. "Carnival in New Orleans could be considered the largest, ongoing folklore festival in the world," wrote curator Ric Kasini Kadour. "When we look at culture through the lens of Folklore, we see culture shaping our sense of place, our relationship to communities, and a framework for how we exist in the world around us." At this event, Kadour will present a tour of the exhibition and we will hear from some of the artists whose work is on view.

Since 1998, Carol M. Lynch (Metairie)has been "heavily involved with the Mardi Gras culture of New Orleans, designing and creating costumes, headpieces, queens’ collars and trains, sequined appliques, graphic arts, centerpieces and shadow boxes to commemorate events." She currently serves as a Board Member for the Joan of Arc Project. The suite of three collages featured in this exhibition each present a different perspective on Carnival in New Orleans. She will speak about her three collages featured in the exhibition.

Carnival is about making shared memories: among friends and family and among communities at large. Julie Glass (Amite) describes herself as an "eternal tourist" to New Orleans, someone who frequents the city, but doesn't make it their home. As such, her experience of the city and carnival is that of a person on the street. Her collection of collage sculpture figures reminds us that during Carnival, the paradegoers, the people on the street, the walkers and watchers are as much part of the spectacle as the parades and second lines themselves. In this sense, the Folklore of Carnival is as much about the seeing and hearing as it is about the performance.

Join Ric Kasini Kadour for an Exhibition Tour and Curator Talk on Saturday, 14 March 2026 at 5PM at Kolaj Institute Gallery, part of Second Saturday in the Bywater.

The exhibition runs through 11 April 2026.

NOTE: This event is in-person only and will be neither live streamed nor recorded.

ABOUT KOLAJ INSTITUTE GALLERY

The mission of Kolaj Institute is to support artists, curators, and writers who seek to study, document, and disseminate ideas that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century movement. We operate a number of initiatives meant to bring together community, investigate critical issues, and raise collage’s standing in the art world. Kolaj Institute’s Gallery in New Orleans presents exhibitions and connects Kolaj Institute and the artists we work with to the vibrant St. Claude Arts District. We produce 8-10 exhibitions a year and participate in Second Saturday, the neighborhood’s monthly art walk, putting the collage art, books and exhibitions in front of New Orleanians and visitors.

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