Saturday, 9 March 2024, 6-9PM

As part of the grand opening celebration for Kolaj Institute’s new home, Kolaj Institute is mounting an exhibition of artwork that is part of Kolaj Institute’s collection. This includes New Orleans artists such as Michael Pajón, Bianca Walker, and Kolaj Institute Director Ric Kasini Kadour. Members of the Mystic Krewe of Scissors and Glue will exhibit a collection of collaborative artworks. Artwork from Kolaj Institute’s past projects will also be on view, including from Artists in the Archive, Empty Columns Are a Place to Dream, Folklore & Collage, and Politics in Collage. Also on view will be Standard Processes in Dressmaking, a collaged altered book by nine members of the International Collage Community. Other artwork from Kolaj Institute’s collection in the exhibition is being curated by participants in the Curating Collage Workshop. A display of Kolaj Institute’s books will be on view and for sale. 

During the Grand Opening Reception, Kolaj Institute’s first Solo Artist-in-Residence, Daniela Ruiz Perez, will be available to speak about the work she has been doing in New Orleans. A mixed media assembly artist from metropolitan Washington, DC, Ruiz Perez is researching the wetlands of Louisiana and making artwork that will be shown in an exhibition focusing on environmental art at Kolaj Institute’s Gallery in April and May 2024.

On Saturday, 9 March 2024, the gallery will be open from Noon to 9PM, with a reception from 6PM to 9PM. The Gallery is located at 2374 Saint Claude Avenue, Suite 230, at the corner with St. Roch Avenue. (The door is located to the right of the Peach Cobbler Factory.) In March, the gallery will be open by appointment and those interested in visiting should send an email to info@kolajinstitute.org to make arrangements. 

We started Kolaj Institute in 2019 to support artists, curators, and writers who seek to study, document, & disseminate ideas that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century movement. Last year, we moved from a fiscally sponsored project to an independent 501c3 Non-profit organization registered in the State of Louisiana, USA. In 2022 and 2023, we operated out of a studio at The School on Japonica Street in New Orleans.

We are now ready to move to a proper home.

In January 2024, Kolaj Institute moved into a 1,200 square foot space in the New Orleans Healing Center on the corner of St. Claude and St. Roch Avenues. The space will serve as an exhibition gallery, residency center, artist studio, library and archive.

Kolaj Institute operates a number of initiatives meant to bring together community, investigate critical issues, and raise collage’s standing in the art world. The move into the New Orleans Healing Center will support this work in a number of ways:

Exhibitions & Diffusion of Artwork

The public gallery will present exhibitions and connect Kolaj Institute and the artists we work with to the vibrant Bywater arts corridor that runs along St. Claude Avenue. We will produce 8-10 exhibitions a year and participate in Second Saturday, the neighborhood’s monthly art walk, putting the collage art, books and exhibitions in front of New Orleanians and visitors.

Being part of the broader New Orleans Healing Center community will provide more opportunities for exhibitions during Kolaj Fest New Orleans (12-16 June 2024) and an expanded Collage Art Market in the Great Hall.

Residencies

The space will include a fully fitted bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen that will allow us to provide housing for artists who come to New Orleans to develop their practice and make artwork during Solo Collage Artists Residencies. The gallery and studio spaces, and other spaces in the New Orleans Healing Center, will provide workspaces for groups of artists who come to Kolaj institute for residencies, workshops, and artist labs.

Archive, Library, & Collections

The space will host a library of collage books and our growing archive of material that documents the International Collage Community. These resources will be available for study so that visiting art historians can research this 21st century art movement.

Organizational Development

With this space, Kolaj Institute will be able to hire a Managing Director who can lead the growing organization. They will be tasked with pursuing grants that allow the organization to offer more financial aid, pay faculty and writers better, and support working artists. They will also coordinate the organization’s residencies, workshops, and artist labs.

Spread the Word

You can also help us by spreading the word. If you had a great time at Kolaj Fest New Orleans, met some fellow artists at a World Collage Day event, grew your practice after participating in a residency, lab, or workshop, let your fellow collage artists know about this timely and important fundraising campaign.

Donate by Mail

If you prefer to make your donation by check or money order, please send your payment to:

Kolaj Institute
2374 Saint Claude Avenue, Suite 230
New Orleans, LA 70117
USA

All gifts to Kolaj Institute (EIN 88-2857040), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.