March 30, 2020 | From City of New Orleans
'Embrace the Culture' — Mayor's Virtual Series to Support Local Artists, Stimulate Cultural Economy
NEW ORLEANS — The Mayor's Office of Cultural Economy, on Friday, March 27 kicked off it's "Embrace the Culture" series, a virtual series to showcase and support local expressions of art via visual arts, literary arts, film, music, crafts, fashion, and the culinary world from a collaborative diverse group of artists.
The "Embrace the Culture" series kicked off, with DJ Raj Smoove at Gallier Hall for the Mayor’s Lunch Mix (pictured above). You can watch the performance here.
"We want to uplift Creatives to increase opportunities, stimulate the economy, and preserve traditions through a virtual experience. Our culture bearers serve as a beacon light of hope and we value the importance of bringing artistic expressions directly to you safe at home," said Lisa Alexis, Director of the Office of Cultural Economy.
Next up: Black Film Festival of New Orleans (BFFNO) Online Edition will run through April 13, 2020. BFFNO will provide an online exhibition of short films by independent content creators right here in New Orleans. Each day between noon-midnight, a link to a short film from one of our talented directors will be shared via the BFFNOtv YouTube page. At 7 p.m. CDT, a BFFNO representative will go live on Instagram along with the filmmaker for a question-and-answer session open to all who are logged in. There will also be a showcasing of poets, singer/musicians, comedians, hip-artists, and more.
The Q&A interview will also feature a performance by a local New Orleans artist doing a five-minute set in their respective discipline. The live interview will be available for 24 hours on the BFFNO Instagram page (@blackfilmfestno) until the next interview begins the following day.
Future performances will be announced this week.
"It is important to feel the soul of the city at all times because the culture is thriving within us. So let’s create while at home," said Alana Harris, Deputy Director of Arts & Culture.
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