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T h u r s d ay, F e b r u a ry 26, 2026
Master conceptualist Dawn DeDeaux emphasizes her ecological concerns in a self-portrait wearing a space helmet-style bubble.
Demond Melancon, Big Chief of the young Seminole Hunters, has won awards and recognition for his Mardi Gras Indian suits. STAFF FILE PHOTO
PHOTO PROVIDED By DAWN DEDEAUX
Two from N.O. picked for ‘Olympics of art’ Venice Biennale draws hundreds of thousands to Italy
BY DOUG MACCASH and JENNA ROSS Staff writers
Two New Orleans artists have been invited to participate in what is arguably the art world’s most important event, the Venice Biennale. One artist’s poetic, conceptualist style taps into the prevailing trends of the 21st century. The other artist’s work represents a traditional, only-in-New Orleans custom. As revealed in a Wednesday morning announcement, Dawn DeDeaux and Demond Melancon will carry “It’s an extraordinary the torch of Crescent City creativity honor.” to the Olympics of art in May. EstabDAWN lished in 1895, the DEDEAUX, artist invited to enormous exhibit draws hundreds of participate in thousands of art Venice Biennale lovers to the seaside Italian city. DeDeaux and Melancon will be among 111 artists featured in the Biennale’s prestigious central group show, titled “In Minor Keys.” That’s far fewer than two years ago, when 330 artists were included. “It’s an extraordinary honor,” said DeDeaux, 73, a longtime star of the New Orleans arts scene. Their work reflects the cultural depth and diversity of New Orleans, said Susan M. Taylor, director of the New Orleans Museum of Art. “To have two people who are from this place, who understand it in their bones, and for whom it’s reflected in their work, is just really marvelous — because it’s a recognition of the importance of place.” The Biennale is “the cornerstone event for the contemporary art world,” Taylor continued, so their inclusion is “a testament to the artistic and cultural vibrancy of the city that has always been here and is now recognized in myriad ways.” It’s been more than a decade since
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Delta Utilities seeks to explain rising gas bills Company details efforts to reduce price volatility
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
Louisiana’s largest natural gas provider, Delta Utilities, sought to explain skyrocketing gas bills Wednesday amid rising anger from customers and elected officials, telling state regulators that they work to prevent price volatility from squeezing ratepayers. A double whammy of unusually cold winter weather and high natural gas prices have caused gas bills to soar for many customers across Louisiana, in some cases reaching several hundred dollars. Those high costs — and the recent change of most residents now receiving a separate gas bill after Delta’s acquisition of Entergy’s gas business — have caused widespread angst. The saga is the latest affordability problem that Louisiana residents have faced in recent years, after insurance and electricity bills have emerged as high-profile issues for customers, elected officials and regulators. The Louisiana Public Service Commission — a
ä See BILLS, page 7A
ELECTION 2026 U.S. SENATE STAFF FILE PHOTOS By DOUG MACCASH
Dawn DeDeaux’s sculpture ‘Free Fall’ is an installation of 64 abstract columns, inscribed with verses from Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’ on Poydras Street.
Governor helping Letlow campaign to unseat Cassidy Landry targeting fundraising, party endorsement
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Demond Melancon, of the young Seminole Hunters, staged a political statement on Mardi Gras morning 2021 when he displayed his Africancentric suit on the former site of a statue of Confederate President Jefferson ä See ART, page 8A Davis.
Not since Huey Long nearly 100 years ago has a governor tried to defeat a sitting U.S. senator from the same political party. But that’s what Gov. Jeff Landry is trying to do as Sen. Bill Cassidy, a fellow Republican, runs for reelection. Landry is working behind the scenes to raise money for the Senate campaign of U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and to secure an endorsement for her by the Louisiana Republican Party, according to GOP sources. Landry has told associates that he has inserted himself into the race at the behest of President Donald Trump, who endorsed Letlow in January because of, it’s widely believed, his unhappiness with Cassidy. The senator is running for a third term in the May 16 Republican primary. Also challenging Cassidy in the Republican primary is state Treasurer John Fleming, who
ä See SENATE, page 7A
Louisiana schools prepare to post Ten Commandments Districts weigh how to comply with law after court lifted block
with some superintendents moving quickly to distribute the posters while others, wary of potential lawsuits, wait for more guidance. The East Baton Rouge school system will send posters bearing the biblical passages to classrooms “in the near BY PATRICK WALL future,” a spokesperson said. In rural Staff writer Grant Parish, Superintendent Erin Louisiana school leaders are grap- Stokes said the School Board is eager pling with their next moves after a fed- to comply with the law, and she plans eral appeals court ended a pause on a to give donated Ten Commandments state law requiring displays of the Ten posters to school principals this week. “We’ll probably be moving forward Commandments in every classroom,
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pretty quickly,” she said. The school system in Caddo Parish is moving more slowly, with plans to wait until the summer to distribute the posters and train teachers on the law, according to School Board President Don Little. Officials in other districts said they are seeking advice from their attorneys or the state Department of Education, which has not issued any guidance and on Tuesday referred questions to the Attorney General’s
Posters bearing the Ten Commandments have been donated to nearly every public school in Louisiana. PROVIDED PHOTO
ä See SCHOOLS, page 5A
Business ......................6A Commentary ................7B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 198