Mystery in Motion: African American Masking and Spirituality in Mardi Gras

Carnival in New Orleans represents a wealth of traditions innovative and ancient, frivolous and sacred—but consistently captivating. Many of the most distinguished traditional celebrations are those carried on in the Black communities of New Orleans: Black masking Indians, skeleton gangs, Baby Dolls, and krewes like Oshun and Nerfertiti. In a new exhibition at the Louisiana State Museum's Presbytere, these vibrant Carnival traditions are celebrated and explored. Through displays of the extravagant hand-sewn costumes, juxtaposed with extraordinary African textile works on loan from the Musée du Quai Branly—Jacques Chirac in Paris—the African religious and cultural practices interwoven into the contemporary traditions is explored. louisianastatemuseum.org.