Don Your Linens

Your go-to guide to New Orleans' Hancock Whitney White Linen Night exhibitions

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Clean, pale, and pristine(ish) is the dress code for the New Orleans' Arts District's biggest art walk of the year. Hancock Whitney White Linen Night, hosted by the Contemporary Arts Center, returns for the 25th year in a row on Saturday, August 3. 

The free block party—stretching from Julia Street's 300 to 700 blocks—promises live music, cuisine, and cocktails to a cloud of an audience from 5:30 pm–9:30 pm. 

For those in search of more colorful stimulation though, enter into any of the dozen official White Linen Night participating galleries of the Arts District of New Orleans—plus many others throughout the area—who will host free opening receptions to an impressive array of specially curated exhibitions of local, regional, and internationally-renowned artists. 

Don't miss a thing with our block-to-block guide, highlighting the not-to-miss exhibitions along the Julia Street route and beyond.  

[*denotes official White Linen Night Participant]

300 Block 

*LeMieux Galleries (332 Julia): And Now for Something New, Vol. 2—LeMieux brings back its second juried exhibition And Now for Something New. This year's artists are: Marianne Antione, Mills Brown, Thomas Deaton, Benjamin Diller, Sean Friloux, Cheryl Ann Grace, Jim Graham, Lena Kolb, Kaori Maeyama, Don Manderson, Brian McCormick, Kelly McMahon, Lake Newton, Jennifer Printz, Carlos Rancano, Jacqueline Roche, Jill Stoll, Tom Walton, and Tommy White. The jury winning artist will receive a show at LeMieux Galleries in 20121. On display from August 3–September 28. lemieuxgalleries.com

400 Block

*Soren Christensen Gallery (400 Julia): Group Work —Soren Christensen Gallery's current exhibition celebrates new and recent work by gallery artists, including Rose Thome Casterline, William Dunlap, Melissa Herrington, Karen Scharer, Brooke Shaden, and others. sorengallery.com.

*Jonathan Ferrara Gallery (440A Julia): Diffusion and Unexpected —In the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery's summer exhibition, Astral Project jazz musician Tony Dagradi presents a collection of collages drawn from pages of vintage and antiquarian texts in Diffusion. Alongside stand the anthomorphic and zoomorphic characters in Unexpected by Starsky Brines. Opening reception for both exhibitions from 5 pm–10 pm, on display until August 30. jonathanferraragallery.com

*Arthur Roger Gallery (432 Julia): As Luck Would Have It, Florida Noir, Night Shift, For the Sake of Order—Arthur Roger Gallery presents four illuminating exhibits, all to open on White Linen Night. In Mardi Gras Indian costumer Demond Melancon's portraits in As Luck Would Have It, he depicts pop culture icons, including Frida Kahlo, Aretha Franklin, Professor Longhair, Allen Toussant, and more in his signature beadwork. Amer Kobaslija's Florida Noir uses stark color and perspective to illustrate striking scenes from rural Florida, and ex-LSU football defensive back Brandon Surtain focuses in on the dark, abstract corners of New Orleans in Night Shift. And finally Leonard Galmon explores the concept of color and "blackness" in For the Sake of Order. Opening reception from 6 pm–9 pm, on display until September 21. arthurrogergallery.com

Octavia Gallery (440 Julia): The House I Live In—Within Regina Scully's imaginary, industrial abstract landscapes, to be displayed in Octavia Art Gallery's new solo exhibition, she inserts figures—some alone and some gathered in tribes—seeking, she says, for new terrains, for home. Opening reception from 6 pm–9 pm, on display until September 28. octaviaartgallery.com.

500 Block 

*Callan Contemporary (518 Julia): Wind and Whisper —In her fifth solo exhibition at Callan Contemporary, Key-Sook Geum debuts a suite of magically delicate conceptual sculptures intimating forms of traditional Korean garments and haute couture, made from silk gauze, facted beads, crystals, coral, and semiprecious stones. Opening reception from 6 pm–9 pm, on exhibit until September 20. 

*Ariodante Contemporary Art and Craft Gallery (535 Julia): August Exhibitions—This month, Ariodante Contemporary Art & Craft Gallery presents the work of painter Krista Roche as its featured artist, painter Tanya Dischler as its Lagniappe artist, Gary Schiro as its Craft artist, and Nancie Roark as its featured jeweler. Opening reception will also feature author Cheri Ben-lesau for a book signing of her work Farewell to Egypt. On exhibit until August 31. 

*Sasik Gallery (541 Julia): New Works by Beata Sasik —Beata Sasik's works in oil painting and jewelry are characterized by vibrant color and heavy impasto for a look that is quintessentially New Orleans. Recent works will be on display throughout the month of August with an opening reception on White Linen Night. sasikart.com.  

Detour onto Camp Street

*Martine Chaisson Gallery (727 Camp): New Work by Donald Martiny—Donald Martiny's recent works—massive, almost sculptural renderings of the first mark, thick, painted mark on canvas, manage to balance complexity with their reactionalism, calculation in their randomness. See them at Martine Chaisson Gallery. Opening with a reception for White Linen Night, on exhibit until September 28. martinechaissongallery.com.

*Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp): Identity Measures—This year's open call juried exhibition, Identity Measures, brings together a diverse group of 23 artists using art as a means to explore identity as an insistently mobile and often resistant assemblage of traits and vulnerabilities. Through this range of material practices and artistic approaches, difference and what to do with it is interrogated and played with, opening up a dialogue through the language of visual art. Opening reception from 5:30 pm–9:30 pm, on exhibit until October 5. cacno.org. 

Ogden Museum of Southern Art  (925 Camp): Piercing the Inner Wall —The Ogden Museum of Southern Art presents the work of Mississippi's first modernist artist, Dusti Bongé in a collection called Piercing the Inner Wall, curated by Bradley Sumrall. The exhibit draws together paintings, drawings, and sculptures inspired by the Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans, and the New York School, in figurative, Cubist, Surrealist, and Abstract Expressionist styles, that cumulatively tell the story of Bongé's career and contribution to American Art after World War II. On exhibit until September 8. ogdenmuseum.org. 

National World War II Museum (945 Magazine): In Memory of What I Cannot Say —The art of French fine-art painter and WWII veteran Guy de Montlaur will be on display in the museum's Joe W. and Dorothy D. Brown Foundation Special Exhibit Gallery, with abstract works inspired by the experience and trauma of war. On exhibit until October 20. nationalww2museum.org.

600 Block

Gallery 600 Julia (600 Julia): Atchafalaya Actualized—It's not just wetlands but a way of life leaving the Atchafalaya Basin. Photorealist artist Will Smith, Jr., captures both in a remarkably timely exhibition at Gallery 600 Julia.Opening reception from 6 pm–9 pm, on exhibit until August 31. gallery600julia.com.

Degas Gallery (604 Julia): Works by Christopher Wynter—This month, the Degas Gallery welcomes the work of New York painter and sculptor Christopher Wynter, whose abstract designs have adorned private collections, museums, and corporate collections including IMG Corp, SAP American, Mitsubishi Corp, Merril Lynch, on custom rugs for West Elm. Twelve of Wynter's paintings will be accompanied by two metal sculptures by metal artist Hernan Cato. thedegasgallery.com.

*M Contemporary Gallery (612 Julia): Anniversary —This month, M Contemporary highlights the works of artists George Alexander, Fredrick Guess, Hilario, Deborah Mansfield, James Strombotne, and Andrew Blanchard. mcontemporary.com. 

*Hall-Barnett Gallery (614): Guess What..?—Guess What...? opens with a never-before-seen selection of Ann Barnett's new paintings as well as works by thirty local and national artists. Contemporary life undergoes a playful examination with figurative and landscape themes.Opening reception from 5 pm–10 pm, on exhibit until September 25. hallbarnett.com.

Mac-Gryder Gallery (615 Julia): Monotypes: Cartography of Hidden Worlds—In one of the most noteworthy exhibitions to open in New Orleans' Arts District this year, ten of Françoise Gilot's rare monotype works, alongside her drawings and paintings, will be on exhibition at Mac-Gryder Gallery. Opening with a reception for White Linen Night, on exhibit until September 28. macgrydergallery.com.

Steve Martin Fine Art  Studio (624)—Visit Steve Martin's studio for a look at his much-acclaimed vibrant, figurative works. stevemartinfineart.com. 

Before You Go: 

Pick the perfect outfit

Every one loves a good theme, and all the better when its monochromatic. It can be tough to stand out in a sea of pressed whites though—I recommend large hats, maybe a wig, sparkly boots, and a tide pen. 

Pre-purchase those food and drink tickets! 

Ensure a smooth-sailing, worry-free night by pre-purchasing your food and drink tickets, which come in bundles of 10 for $12. 

Ensure a cool and bougie night, for the sake of art

Reserve your spot at the CAC Cool Down Lounge, open from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm to all VIP visitors ($50). Two drinks, light bites, seating, air conditioning, a restroom, and access to the official after party at the CAC Camp Street Warehouse (read on below). 

And remember, the party doesn't end here. 

Even though the street party shuts down at 9:30 pm, keep in mind that most of the featured White Linen Night exhibitions will remain on display for weeks to come! So if you can't make it to every single one, visit gallery websites for information on their end-of-summer exhibitions, or refer to our Visual Arts Calendar for up to date information on regional exhibitions and events. 

For now, extend your experience to midnight at the White Linen After Dark party at the CAC Camp Street Warehouse (entry on Camp Street), featuring DJ RQ Away, "HI, DENTITIES" Drag Experience by Vinsantos & New Orleans Drag Workshop, late night bites, cash bar, and more. $10 in advance, $20 at the door. 

Tickets for all above add ons are available for purchase at cacwhitelinennight.com, where you can also find additional, up-to-date details for Hancock Whitney White Linen Night. 

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