We’ve got your weekend: The give and the take

Kristina Knipe, “Soleil with Injury from Mardi Gras Day,” 2017

Thursday, November 9/Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp Street): There is something about death that awakens the soul, and when you add a bit of history to the subject, it also ignites the mind! The CAC is doing both with their presentation of the Louisiana premiere of Kaneza Schaal’s GO FORTH, an interdisciplinary installation and performance inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead.  Following the death of Schaal’s father, and the subsequent funeral rituals that his family organized in Burundi, Schaal re-imagined the role of ritual in grieving. The installation will be up for public viewing on Thursday at 7:30 PM, Friday at 7:30 PM, and Saturday at both 7:30 PM and 11:00 PM. Tickets are $35 (advance) or $40 (at the door). For more information, check out the CAC website.  

Friday, November 10/The Tigermen Den and Clouet Gardens (3113 Royal Street): The New Orleans community is coming together to support Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. It will be a night of food, drinks, live music, and a silent auction. Food will be provided by Chef Daniel Boyle of Piscobar at the Catahoula Hotel, ¡ASÍ! Puerto Rican Pop-up by Ozzie Louis Mendoza, and Chefs Dana & Christina Honn of Carmo. There will be live music throughout the night with performances from Margie Perez, Erin Lopez Barrantes, DJ Seprock and more.  All event proceeds will go to Americares and International Medical Corps, two reputable NGOS providing medical and water response efforts which are of critical importance during this phase of the response. The night begins at 6:00 PM, tickets are $30 (advance) or $35 (at door), and they can be purchased online here.

Friday, November 10/Music Box Village (4557 N. Rampart): If you haven’t been to the Music Box Village yet, then the end of the world is not just the location next to this beautifully, whimsical, and bubbling-with-talent wonderland. Do not fear, though, because you can be there for the first film-based, musical event ever presented at Music Box Village. Asphalt  Serenade’s “Elegy Highway,”a  road trip movie, is live-edited  and live-scored. The 10 piece orchestra includes drummer David Lovering of The Pixies, cellist Helen Gillet, bassist James Singleton, Carlos Grasso, Xandra Wong and Jason Jurzak. Beneath a high crowning canopy of trees, this is the perfect setting for creating a unique sensory experience, where visuals will be treated just like a musical instrument and edited live, as the whole experience unfolds before the audience in the moment. The performances will be Friday (7:00 PM) and Saturday (7:00 PM), and ticketing information can be found here: Music Box Village ticketing

Saturday, November 11/Homer A. Plessy (721 St. Phillips Street): Doesn’t it feel great to give and to get in a way that leaves smiles on everyone’s faces? Well…Patio Planters of the Vieux Carré is holding their White Elephant Sale & Auction, which is the primary fundraiser for Caroling in Jackson Square, a New Orleans holiday tradition since 1946. Come Saturday, some of the best French Quarter shops, restaurants, hotels, and art galleries will donate gift certificates and specialty items for this event. Yard sale items include jewelry, books, designer clothing and handbags, plants, housewares and more. You can even take a chance on “baskets of cheer” filled with libations, nibbles and other fun goodies. Admission is free and open to the public. Gates open at 10:00 AM for the sale, auction begins at 12:00 PM.

Saturday, November 11/Staple Goods Gallery (1340 St. Roch Avenue): To celebrate the opening of Prospect.4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp, Staple Goods cooperative members are presenting a special group exhibition for the month of November that explores the context and meaning of the word Buffer as both noun and verb. As a noun, Buffer refers to a bulwark, an interrupter, an inline resistor for processing incoming stimulus.  Buffer as an action involves shielding, protecting, insulating or guarding one’s community or identity. There will be over 10 featured artist, the opening reception on Saturday begins at 6:00 PM, and you can find out full details here. 

Saturday, November 11/The Joy Theater (1200 Canal Street): Don your glad rags, grab your giggle water and ankle on over for an evening of Jazz, gin, and jollies in support of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana and this year’s Oracle Gala honoree, BreakOUT! as they celebrate the donation of their archival materials to Newcomb Archives & Vorhoff Library Special Collections. Emceed by Teddy Mars, entertainment by The New Orleans Carnival Kings, they suggest cocktail attire, 1920s costume encouraged, and energy to have a good time. This shindig begins at 7:00 PM and goes until 11:00 PM. Tickets are $50 and will get you all the jazz fun you want and lots of support for the LGBT+Archives Project! You can find out more information about the event and purchase tickets on their website.