Public Programs

The Newcomb Art Museum offers guided tours and an array of public programs, all free of charge. Designed around the salient themes and images of each exhibition, such activities speak to an array of community and campus interests. Programs include lectures, symposia, artist-led family activities, public tours, performances, and studio demonstrations.

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FALL 2023 PROGRAMS

Thursday, August 17, 2023
Our new exhibition Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation opens to the public.

Thursday, September 7, 2023 – 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Emancipation Opening Reception
Exhibition co-curators Maurita N. Poole, PhD, and Margaret C. Adler will be in conversation with multimedia artist Sadie Barnette about liberatory spaces and the artist’s process. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will follow the discussion. The museum will be open prior to the reception, so arrive early for a closer view of the exhibition. The talk will begin at 6:00pm in the Freeman Auditorium, adjacent to the museum.

Wednesday, September 13, 2023. 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Newcomb Pottery Tour
Sierra Polisar, Head of Collections Management, will lead a tour about the Newcomb Pottery Enterprise. This program is one of two opportunities to see the collection up close during the fall semester. Space is limited; email spolisar@tulane.edu to reserve a space.

Tuesday, September 26, 2023. 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Lecture by Hugh Hayden
Tulane’s Art Department welcomes artist Hugh Hayden for the Fall 2023 Sandra Garrard Memorial Lecture, an annual program focused on the most critical issues in contemporary art. Hayden will discuss his artistic practice and commissioned work in the Emancipation exhibition. The museum will be open in the evening and light refreshments follow the lecture. The artist talk will take place in the Freeman Auditorium, adjacent to the museum.

Saturday, October 14, 2023. 1:00 PM
Local Viewpoint: A Tour with Shana M. griffin
Join us for a guided tour and conversation with feminist activist, researcher, abolitionist, and artist Shana M. griffin about the Emancipation exhibition and the landscape of Tulane University’s campus, which is marked by the violence of racial slavery and etched in the abolition geographies of New Orleans. griffin will discuss a selection of work from the exhibition, interrogate themes and absences explored in the show, and engage participants in a brief walking excursion in the area surrounding Newcomb Art Museum. 

Friday, October 20, 2033. 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Homecoming Open House
Our annual Open House is open to all. This is a great opportunity to have a close look at our permanent collection from 10am – 12pm, attend student and staff led tours of Emancipation at 11am, and enjoy activities for kids and families from 11am – 1:30pm. Please note: Tulane will restrict all campus parking this day. Free 2-hour parking in the neighborhood off campus is available on a first-come basis.

Thursday, November 2, 2023. 6:00 PM
Letitia Huckaby in Conversation
Emancipation artist Letitia Huckaby and Assistant Curator Kendyll Gross will discuss the exhibition with an emphasis on the interconnection between family histories, national history, and collective memory in the artist’s works. This program is supported in part by the Dorothy Beckemeyer Skau Art and Music Fund.

Thursday, November 9 – Sunday, November 12
ART PAPERS Art Writing Workshop
This program is for New Orleans-based Black writers: primarily emerging ones, but attendance is also open to experienced arts writers. Participants will leave the program with strategies for writing about contemporary arts and culture topics, and pitching to editors. They will create connections to a network of writers, editors, and publications. The initiative seeks to increase the quantity and visibility of arts writing that covers New Orleans and the Gulf South region. The workshop is FREE and open to writers based in New Orleans. It will take place in various locations: The Black School, Community Book Center, and Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University. Registration opens September 8. Visit the ART PAPERS website to learn more.

Saturday, December 2, 2023. 12:00 – 3:00 PM
Closing Reception and Youth Art Pop-Up
Enjoy a last look at Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation before its final week with a tour by Executive Director and exhibition co-curator Maurita N. Poole, PhD. Additionally, there will be a pop-up exhibition of artworks by New Orleans-based youth that have been inspired by selected exhibition themes. Light refreshments are included. Further information about the submission process for the Youth Art exhibition will be available on this webpage soon, and in our upcoming newsletter. Please sign up for our newsletter here. Interested teachers and caregivers can also email musuem@tulane.edu for details.

Image credit: Detail view. Jeffrey Meris, I, Used to Be XVII, 2022, plaster particles on roofing paper, double sided adhesive tape, Courtesy of the artist, © Jeffrey Meris