by Cate Czarnecki

New Orleans artist Dan Tague was recently selected by the prestigious West Collection as one of its West Collects Artists of 2012. Tague’s collection “Live Free or Die” was picked from a pool of over 2,500 national and international contemporary artists, and will be featured as part of the Collection’s fall exhibition in Oaks, PA. Tague’s initial reaction to the acquisition was surprise.

by Brad Rhines

Last month, a handful of artists from St. Claude galleries pulled their work from the Spaces exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center to protest the practices of the CAC’s director, Jay Weigel. On Wednesday, Weigel announced his departure from the CAC, ending a tenure that began in 1996. While Weigel and the CAC made no mention of the opposition, the timing is certainly very interesting.  

While Spaces—a recent exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center highlighting the artists and galleries of St. Claude—may not completely capture the raucous spirit of the downtown art scene, a weekend protest by some of the artists involved in the show more clearly illustrates the divide between St. Claude Avenue and Julia Street. 

Artists Who Wish They Were Dead II

August 13 – September 3

Barristers Gallery & UNO St. Claude Gallery

This past December, the international exposition Art Basel saw the work of local artist Dan Tague when he was part of an exhibit at the show curated by Julia Street's Jonathan Ferrara Gallery. Proving they're only moving up in the world, the three JFG artists have now landed a show in Marfa. We've only got one April Fool's gag in us, so believe it folks. The Texas town saw the opening of The World According to New Orleans at Ballroom Marfa (a center for contemporary art and culture housed in an old 1927 dancehall). It's an exhibition curated by Founder and Artistic Director of U.S. Biennial Dan Cameron (hola Prospect New Orleans), featuring Skylar Fein, Gina Phillips, and Dan Tague ((two of whom received NoDef Nods for Top 11 Visual Artists in 2011) .

The visual arts continued their resurgence in 2010. Events such as Prospect 1.5, PhotoNOLA, and the suddenly hot monthly art walks have propelled those putting brush to canvas to a stature equal to those putting brushes to skin... feet to canvas. Right now, we are seeing incredible art coming out of this city; the works span all mediums, and convey themes still tinged by the Storm, but no longer pigeonholed by our dark days.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.-- Among the sea of pressed shirts and tie clips in the Miami Convention Center for Art Basel Miami Beach this past weekend, there was one brave man, clad in a white tee and Mardi Gras beads.