2024 Collage Retreat
December 9-13, 2024
Kolaj Institute, New Orleans
In mid-2024 I applied for a residency in New Orleans at the Kolaj Institute and I was accepted as a visiting artist. The Kolaj Institute is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Its mission statement says: “The mission of Kolaj Institute is 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. We operate a number of initiatives meant to bring together community, investigate critical issues, and raise collage’s standing in the art world.” The Institute publishes a great magazine appropriately named Kolaj. The Institute staff is Christopher Dylan Kurts, Coordinator , Ric Kasini Kadour, Editor, Kolaj Magazine and Christopher Byrne, Associate Editor.
Here is how the residency works: “From 10AM Monday to 4PM Friday, artists will have 24-hour access to the studio space which will be shared with five to seven other artists. Supplies (scissors, cutting knives, mats, and glue) and Materials (books, magazines, and paper) will be provided. Artists are welcome to bring their own supplies, especially if they want to work with specific materials.”
“After an orientation on Monday morning, artists will meet once a day as a community to discuss goals and progress for the week. On Friday afternoon, artists will make a presentation to the group about what they accomplished and how they hope to build on this work when they return to their own community. Artists will have the option for one-on-one curatorial support with Kolaj Institute’s director. A clinic on documenting and imaging artwork will be held on Friday morning. Large format printing is available for an additional fee.”
Upon receiving acceptance into the residency I decided the only way I could attend with my usual flair was to drive. That allows me to stuff the van full of whatever I need to work for the five days.
Denice made the decision to come to New Orleans with me. She booked us into the New Orleans Marriott on Canal Street in part because if I cannot drive to the residency (or there is no parking nearby) I can ride the cool NOLA trolley and just have a short walk to the Institute. (As it turns out, we think the streetcar line that runs to the Marigey neighborhood was not running while we were there so the van became a pretty good option).
Friday, December 6, 2024
We get up at six this morning but we have errands to run and a breakfast at Denny’s before we can pack the van to get ready to leave.
We are off by 9:30 a.m. This trip is made easy by the fact that NOLA is directly south of us and in the Central Time Zone.
We begin the trip by heading down US 43 to Beloit where we ditch the federal highways for Illinois state ones. The best today was highway 2 which paralleled the Rock River. We stopped for lunch at a diner in Sterling, IL, called The Maple Pancake House and Restaurant. However, no waitress called me honey, baby or darling to my utter disappointment.
The down side today was that despite NOT stopping at the two antiques malls I saw, we made slow progress on the backroads of America. Tomorrow despite my whining, we are going to jump on the federal highway and get some hours in so we make it to NOLA by Sunday.
We decided to end the trip today in Springfield, IL. We decided to eat dinner at Smokey Bones, jumped into the van, drove two driveways and pulled into the restaurant parking lot. Had we but known…
Miles today: 296
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Today we are up at 6 a.m. and went across the street to the IHOP for breakfast. We found ourselves on the road by 9:00 a.m., heading south on Federal Highway 55, trying to make time.
Lunch today was at a Burger King because I love the Original Chicken Sandwich. We did see the St. Louis Arch from the highway but other than that we did not stop for anything.
To our delight, we were able to use Denice’s phone and our Marquette Golden Eagles app to listen to the big inter-state rivalry game, the #5 Golden Eagles against the #11 Wisconsin Badgers from Milwaukee. We gave our seats to my cousin Dan who enjoyed the game in our absence. I am always divided regarding this game as I am as big a Badger fan as I am a season ticket holder for the Golden Eagles. To our satisfaction, the Golden Eagles defeated Wisconsin, 88-74.
This day we got off the road around 4:00 p.m. as the sun went down in Batesville, Mississippi, and took a room at the Holiday Inn. The Inn has a restaurant (a rarity now a days) and we had supper there.
The evening was spent watching NCAA football conference championships.
Miles today: 447
Total miles so far: 743
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Today we slept in until 7:00 a.m. (whoo-who). Taking advantage of our hotel restaurant, we ate breakfast there.
Today was more Federal Highway driving but the good news is that Federal Highway 55 through Mississippi is a tree lined beauty. Other than a few necessary stops we made it to NOLA by 2:30 p.m.
We drove into the Marigey area of NOLA to find the Kolaj Institute. From the car it was impossible to sight so we parked and walked the neighborhood. We were also able to figure out where the trolley stop is on the #46 route so I can get there and back each day.
Next we drove to the New Orleans Marriott on Canal Street which turned out to be a lot more easier than it sounds when you say we were driving around NOLA.
Dinner tonight was at the Red Fish Restaurant on Bourbon Street where we also were treated to a front line performance. The French Quarter was packed and hopping which surprised me for a Sunday night in the middle of December.
The night was completed by me watching the Kansas City Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
Miles today: 386
Total miles so far: 1129
Monday, December 9, 2024
It was raining hard in NOLA today so we decided to eat breakfast at the hotel and then Denice drove me to the Kolaj Institute at 10:00 a.m. for day one. It is only six miles to and from the Institute which makes it a short ride. All week we are going to be surprised how easy we found it to drive on the streets of downtown NOLA.
Ric Kasini Kadour was on site to open the Institute at 10:00 a.m. and so were all the participants in the residency. Denice and I carried my supplies up to the second level of the building.
There are four other men taking this residency—a rarity in any art activity that I have been involved in. They are Rowan (UC Foundation Professor, Painting & Drawing, University of Tennessee--Chattanooga); Kirk (Nurse, Author, Performing Artist from Portland), Crow Dog (seed farmer from Western Canada) and Craig (Exhibitions Coordinator, Kansas City Public Library). As the week progressed it became evident to me that I was lucky to be amongst some of the most entertaining, enlightened and funny artists that I have ever experience.
Here is a little weird sidelight: when I was sharing reader's advisory skills with other librarians on a national level, I became good friends with Kaite Mediatore Stover who is the Readers Services Librarian at Kansas City Public, sitting in the office right next to Craig. We took this photograph and sent it to her which sufficiently freaked here out as its a small world afterworld.
We started the day with a get to know you circle and an orientation to the facility. Our tour included the supply room. As it turned out, I brought so much stuff I never roamed through the goodies.
Then it was time to get to work. I want to make a mask in the style of this mask which I saw in Oaxaca this fall by the village of Santiago Juxtlahuaca craftsman Alejandro Guzman Vera.
Denice came back to the Institute at 4:00 p.m. to pick me up. The good news was although it was till very damp and humid outside, the rain had pretty much stopped.
After dropping the van off back at the Marriott. Denice and I walked to the Bourbon House on Bourbon Street for oysters. That night I watched Monday night football before heading to bed.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Today’s breakfast was at Ruby Slipper on Canal Street. I used to eat here years ago when in NOLA with Michael deMeng but the Canal Street venue closed and moved to a different French Quarter location. Well, it has re-opened in a different space on Canal and we had a hearty breakfast there.
Denice drove me to the workshop again today as there is a threat of rain. By the time she picked me up at 5:00 p.m., it had poured all day so the weather is not the best.
Here is the work I got done today in the residency. The first order of business to do something I have never done before: sculpt a mask from scratch.
The project 2 ironing board got a layer of paint and some mixed media techniques before I called it a day for the residency. Today at the end of the day we had our first sharing session as a group. While there is enough going on all day to inform me about my fellow artists, the sharing reveals more stuff each day when we do it.
Tonight we could not get into Brennan’s so we picked a different Royal Street restaurant, Mr. B’s Bistro. White table cloths and elegantly dressed wait staff made it a special night—and we each had a White Christmas Martini. The food was good as well and I had lamb.
We finished the night with a viewing of Elf. We had just seen the Broadway tour version, Elf: the Musical, which we felt was just OK. After watching the film again, we realized that in the film everyone is sympathetic to Buddy whereas in the play version there is a meaner tone. An example is in the Broadway show Poppa Elf’s part is taken over by Santa and he virtually kicks Buddy out of the North Pole, forcing him to go to New York. I think we are going to add Elf to our annual Christmas movie marathon.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
This morning it was sunny but cold and windy so we walked one block to Daisy Dukes for breakfast. This is a divvy little place where it finally happened on this trip: the waitress called me “darling,”
For the first time today I drove myself to the Institute. Rampart Street, where the streetcar would turn to head to Elysian Fields, was completely shut down for construction today making me think that particular trolley is not running.
It is rare that I eat lunch but today I walked across the street from the Institute to the St. Roch neighborhood food court. To my surprise during my lunch I re-united with a great New Orleans artist who makes her work in the style of old circus poster, Molly Magwire who I had taken an Andrea Matus deMeng workshop with years ago. It’s a small world after all, part two
Here is the work I got done today:
We had a daily meeting to share at the end of the day at the Institute.
At five I drove back to the hotel. Denice and I headed over to the Hotel Monteleone for the carousel but it was too busy. We got Christmas special drinks again by sitting in a normal, none rotating, seat. Or at least it was non-rotating up until we finished our Christmas special drinks. With two nights of alcohol in me I am beginning to be tempted to act like Buddy the Elf.
Dinner was late tonight but worth the wait: we ate at Brennan’s and I had duck. However neither of us could muster up the courage to eat the desert: the famous Bananas Foster.
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Today’s breakfast was at Mr. Ed’s in the French Quarter. Then I drove myself to the Institute for day four of the experience.
Around lunch time I took advantage of the first day without rain to walk around the Marigey street of St. Claude and shoot this great street art.
I also got into the Healing Center which was in the mall next to the Institute to photograph these Mardi Gras statutes.
Here is what I accomplished today in the residency:
After our evening sharing, I drove myself back to the hotel tonight but for the first time the downtown NOLA traffic was a little bit of an issue. However, we made it on time to a great NOLA restaurant for dinner, Muriel’s. I had the four course chef’s special (venison entree) and I am still full.
Friday, December 13, 2024
Today we went to breakfast at Café Conti. This little breakfast place was on our list from the NOLA workshops that Michael deMeng led and it is still a nice place to eat.
I drove myself to the Institute this morning. It is the last day so things are always a little somber when we know it will be time to go at the end of the day.
This is what I got done before I called it quits.
Today we all sat in a circle and reviewed the residency. It seemed like everyone had a great time and got a lot of take aways to go home and make art.
I drove back to the hotel in time for our reservation tonight at Café Sbisa. This place was great and I had a bouillon that was to die for.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Denice and I slept in today until 7:00 a.m. before heading over to Mena’s Palace for breakfast. Then we were on the streetcar for our first stop of the day: the New Orleans Museum of Art.
This is a must stop for me each year I am in New Orleans. While the major exhibit was on glass (and not all that interesting to me) the rest of the museum is still very interesting. The upper level is the world portion of their collection so today we saw stuff from Mesoamerica, Japan and Africa.
My favorite exhibit was called Show and Tell: a Brief History of Photography and Text. Besides a cool thematic show, their were photographs by Berenice Abbot, Lewis Hine, Walker Evans and Margaret Bourke-White.
Back on the trolley, we went back to Canal Street where we got off in front of our hotel which is Camp Street. We walked down Camp Street to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, another must stop when in NOLA for me.
This year the exhibits were not that thrilling except for the best one for me: the photography of Baldwin Lee. Lee was an Asian-American man who wandered the Deep South in the 80’s integrating himself into poverty stricken parts of the Southern States where he got unbelievable access to the lives of these forgotten folks. The poverty is painful to see but the dignity of these subjects shows the potential in them that is denied by the white capitalism of the USA.
After walking back to the hotel, we went to our room where we ordered room service because by 6:00 p.m. we wanted to be listening to the radio broadcast of the #6 Marquette Golden Eagles versus the Dayton Flyers. Unfortunately we lost our second game of the season on the road in Dayton. Bummer.
Sunday, December 15. 2024
Today Denice and I ate breakfast at the hotel’s buffet and then checked out. We were on the road home at 8:30 a.m.
We made the decision to try and get home in two days (opposed to the three days coming down). Our only stop (other than Starbucks, gas stations and rest stops) was the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument in Gillsburg, Mississippi, at the site of the October 20, 1977, airplane crash that killed three members of the band and three others.
Tonight’s stop was at a Holiday Inn Express in Sikeston, Missouri. We ate next door at Colton’s where I pounded down a steak.
All of the timing of this was to be able to watch Sunday Night Football as the Green Bay Packers were taking on the Seattle Seahawks. The good news: the Packers won!
Miles today: 553
Total miles so far: 1683
Monday, December 16, 2024
Today we woke up to find the weather in Missouri was dangerous. In a nearby county, coming our way, was a tornado warning area. We made the decision to delay our departure as the bad weather was heading directly over Federal Highway 55 which was our way north.
We were able to walk to a Huddle House across the parking lot from the hotel where we ate a leisurely breakfast then wandered back to our room where we waited out the storm until 11:00 a.m. (check out time).
By that time it appeared that if we were willing to drive through some of the wild weather we would clear it before we got to St. Louis—which is exactly how it worked out.
With a few stops along the way, we drove all the way home by 7:30 p.m.
Miles today: 520
Total miles so far: 2203
***
There were a couple of things that surprised me about this trip. The drive to NOLA and back was relatively free of complications like road work and traffic back ups. I could not believe how easy it was to drive around NOLA. We were both surprised at how cold and windy it was in NOLA but we managed to survive.
I would like to thank Ric Kasini Kadour for his direction of our residency. I would especially like to thank the four fellow travelers who proved to be unique and brilliant to be with. Thanks to Kurt, Craig, Rowan and Crow Dog. That was fun.
