Carnival Collective

Have you ever wanted to take a piece of Mardi Gras home with you, other than the exponentially multiplying beads that cause no end of clutter? Now it’s possible, thanks to Carnival Collective, a group of four float artists who design and sell smaller pieces of float art for people to hang in their homes. 

“We’ve realized for some time that it would be fantastic to collaborate with other independent float artists to introduce ourselves to the public and make our work available for collection,” said float artist Dana Beuhler (who’s worked for float-builders Rizzuto and Co., Studio 3, and Royal Artists Inc.). While their creations aren’t salvaged from floats, they are built with the same methods and materials.

“There’s something about these [pieces] being on a wall,” said Caroline Thomas, an artist with the collective who works for float-builder Royal Artists Inc. “You can actually sit there and appreciate it, whereas when it’s moving by on a float, you don’t pay much attention.”

Angee Jackson, owner of Miette on Magazine Street and the person responsible for corralling the artists into a collective, is selling the artwork in her boutique. Pieces for sale include flowers, headpieces, and butterflies of various sizes that range from $40 to $400.

“One of the things I appreciate most about the carnival collective is that we’re working with a lot of great personalities, and the whole operation has been able to develop organically,” said Beuhler. “The most exciting part is the opportunity to learn from each other and grow as artists as we work together to create a market for our Mardi Gras creations.” The group is currently working on a website with hopes to expand.

Carnival Collective pieces can be viewed and purchased at Miette, located at 2038 Magazine Street in New Orleans. iheartmiette.com.

Work by Carnival Collective artist member Caroline Thomas. Photo by Randy P. Schmidt.