when he came to New Orleans to exhibit at
Jazz Fest in 1977. The Pennsylvania native
never left. “Everybody is kind of searching
for his or her spiritual home, and every-
thing about New Orleans clicked with my
personality,” says Mann, who neverthe-
less describes the local art scene 30 years
ago as “backwaterish.” “But I’ve watched
it come alive and mature over the years
to the point where now we’re enjojdng an
incredibly sophisticated and vivacious
scene,” he adds.
A major catalyst for that evolution was
the city’s hosting of the 1984 World’s Fair.
That event spawned the development of
the Warehouse District, where a number
of art galleries and studios soon began
to sprout. Located between the French
Quarter and the Garden District, along
the banks of the Mississippi River, the
neighborhood pulses with creative energy.
Mann also points out that artists have
found New Orleans to be a relatively inex-
pensive place to live. But for artists with-
out their own studios, the lack of adequate
work space has long been a factor pushing
Opposite: Thomas
Mann’s gallery is
an example of the city’s
strong arts scene. He
shows his work, such as
Tech Tile Tilt Clock,
and
that of others including
Steve Buss’s
Birdhouse
Clock,
Patrick Meyer’s
PexvterBotvl
and Mi-
chael Aram’s
L ea f Tray.
Right and below: Glass
artist, metalsmith and
gallery owner Arden
Stewart has borne wit-
ness to the many eclec-
tic characters that have
been drawn to New
Orleans, bringing with
them new ideas and in-
fluences from different
cultures.
far too many of them to seek their liveli-
hood elsewhere. Solving that problem was
the impetus behind Louisiana ArtWorks,
a 93 ,ooo-square-foot Warehouse District
facility containing 19 studios for artists-
in-residence and shops for metal, glass,
ceramics and printmaking that officially
opened in June 2008 after 13 years of plan-
ning. According to its director, Joy Glid-
den—who before her arrival in New Orleans
was a consultant for the Joan Mitchell
Foundation in New York City and founder
of the
d u m b o
Art Center in Brooklyn,
two nonprofits dedicated to supporting
the arts-the facility is unique in its com-
prehensiveness. “ There is no other>
N
S
Explore New Orleans!
Visit americancraftmag.
org for even more infor-
mation and photos.
Click on our Wide
World of Craft interac-
tive map to find recom-
mended places to visit,
shop, eat and play.
apr/maj'09 american craft 075
