SUPPORT LOUISIANA CONTEMPORAR
AUGUST 1, 2026 –FEBRUARY 14, 2027
2025 Artist Jourdan Barnes, Rooted in Flow (Detail), 2024, Digital Photography, 20 x 30 inches, Collection of the artist
Ogden Museum of Southern Art first launched Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation in 2012, to establish a vehicle that would highlight the work of artists living in Louisiana and highlight the dynamism of art practice throughout the state. Since its launch, Ogden Museum has shown works by over 650 artists.
This statewide, juried exhibition promotes the contemporary art practices in the state of Louisiana, provides an exhibition space for the exposition of living artists’ work and engages a contemporary audience that recognizes the vibrant visual arts culture of Louisiana and the role of New Orleans as a rising, international art center.
The 2026 edition of Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation is juried and curated by Sarah Jones, Lulu C. and Anthony W. Wang Head of Live Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
2025 Artist ¡Fifi Gi! Storied Collage Art by Natalie Armstrong, T’es Belle Comme Une Fleur (Detail), 2025, Mixed media digital and analog collage on wood panel with attached 3D elements (red beans, dried okra, Spanish moss), 31 x 12 inches, Collection of the artist
LOUISIANA CONTEMPORARY
2026 JUROR: SARAH JONES
Sarah Jones is the Lulu C. and Anthony W. Wang Head of Live Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
She oversees the department and its programming, which presents and commissions works of performance, including music, dance, related hybrids and site-specific projects, often in collaboration with the Museum’s Collection and Exhibitions.
Her innovative methods to deepening audience engagement with visual art has been pivotal in expanding how the Museum embraces the live, the experimental and the urgent. Previously she acted as Chief of Staff and Director of Public Programs at Gagosian.
In 2018, she established and led the gallery’s department overseeing global public programming and performance commissions, collaborating with artists including Kyle Abraham, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Aaron Diehl, Missy Mazzoli, Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Reiner, Jason Moran, Samora Pinderhughes, Vernon Reid, Raphael Saadiq, Isabella Summers, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and John Zorn, among others. A trusted leader and strategist, Jones helped shape the gallery’s approach to performance, artist relations, and storytelling across global exhibitions and special projects. She is a 2025 Lunder Institute for American Art Fellow and she serves as President of the Board of Directors of The Kitchen, is a Board Member of ISCP and is in Performance Space New York’s Visionary Circle.
Photo courtesy of Deonté Lee
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
MAJOR SPONSOR - $10,000
• Premier name recognition on Ogden Museum website and in exhibition wall text
SPONSOR BENEFITS
• 50 complimentary admission tickets to Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation
• Invitations to Preview Reception on Friday, July 31, 2026 (up to 30 guests)
• Four complimentary one-year Ogden Museum family memberships (transferable)
• Listing on Ogden Museum’s donor wall for one year
• Name recognition on email marketing
CONTRIBUTING SPONSOR -
$5,000
• Name recognition on Ogden Museum website and in exhibition wall text
• 20 complimentary admission tickets to Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation
• Invitations to Preview Reception on Friday, July 31, 2026 (up to 20 guests)
• Two complimentary one-year Ogden Museum family memberships (transferable)
• Listing on Ogden Museum’s donor wall for one year
• Name recognition on email marketing
SUPPORTING SPONSOR - $2,500
• Name recognition on Ogden Museum website and in exhibition wall text
• 10 complimentary admission tickets to Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation
• Invitations to Preview Reception on July 31, 2026 (up to 10 guests)
• One complimentary one-year Ogden Museum family membership (transferable)
