‘Connection’ – Inaugural International Exhibition of Contemporary Art - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans, LA, USA – A new programme for emerging contemporary art has planted itself among the arts and cultural renewal of New Orleans, LA, a city that has historically been one of the most international of US cities. In the midst of the post-Katrina landscape BECA gallery is surfacing as a bridge by which emerging contemporary art flows between New Orleans and the larger contemporary art community abroad. The artist run gallery is an 1100 square foot renovated warehouse space situated in the heart of the New Orleans arts district. It is located directly across the street from the Contemporary Arts Center and within close walking distance to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. BECA gallery will host 12 exhibits each year. Six exhibits feature local and regional emerging contemporary art and 6 exhibits feature international emerging contemporary art.

The gallery was founded by co-directors Melissa Roberts and Kurt Schlough as a place for both innovative local and international emerging contemporary art to grow and flourish in an environment that is accommodating to both artists and collectors. A unique component of the gallery program focuses on the introduction of innovative international contemporary art to the city of New Orleans and its surrounding region via physical exhibits as well as future virtual exhibits and exchange partnerships with other galleries and projects. The latter will serve both future local artist members as well as those artists exhibiting from abroad.

The theme of the gallery’s first international exhibition, opening February 9, 2008, is ‘Connection’ curated by Caroline Worthington, Curator of Art, York Museums Trust, York Art Gallery. She looks forward to her pioneering position and writes, “As BECA gallery’s first international curator, it seems to me that the theme of connections is an obvious choice to reflect the aspirations for their programme. Working from the UK, I’ll be weaving together those invisible threads that spin outwards from each of us, connecting you with each other as well as to BECA and me.” It is of note that Caroline had no knowledge of the artists names nor which cities or states within the US or countries outside of the US they were submitting from. ‘Connection’ will run from February 9 – March 1, 2008 with an opening reception on Feb. 9th from 6-9pm.

The gallery is pleased to announce the following 16 artists from 9 countries have been chosen for this inaugural international exhibit:

Richard Bennett (Alabama, USA), Matthew Derezinski (Missouri, USA), Naomee Guest (Florida, USA), Pat Jolly (Louisiana, USA), Master Sun-Don Lee (Taiwan), Alberto Accettura + Florian Lüdde (Milan, Italy + Berlin, Germany), Margaret McLeish (Scotland, UK), Mary Anne Morrison (England, UK), Robert Peters ( Northern Ireland, UK), Jane Ponsford (England, UK), Zack Smith (Louisiana, USA), STASS+VOTSIS (Cyprus), Francine Stock (Louisiana, USA), Hansen Thiam Sun (Bali, Indonesia)

###

BECA gallery
527 Saint Joseph Street
New Orleans, LA 70130 USA

becagallery(at)gmail.com
http://becagallery.typepad.com

BECA gallery - Bridge for Emerging Contemporary Art

This release was published on openPR.