NEW ORLEANS —There is a brand new museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Southern University at New Orleans Museum of Art is officially open.
It’s the third art museum from Southern University’s Historically Black College System. It occupies over 15 thousand square feet of the black experience and covers history that includes American slavery all the way to the present. There is also a sizeable collection of about 2,500 African artifacts that were saved when the University flooded after Hurricane Katrina.
Ted Ellis is the Museum Director and graduate of the University’s Master of Arts in Museum Studies program, which the museum is under. Ellis is also a world renown artist whose art is also on display in the museum.
“It’s fulfilling for me. I’m born and raised here. I worked as a professional artist for 30 years. Now I am on the program side of engaging and having opportunities for other artists to tell their stories. I wan to address issues that affect our community, particularly speaking of African Americans,” says Ted Ellis.
The first exhibition is inspired by national events and is titled: I Fear for My Life, the Art of Justice.
Ellis’ hope, is for the museum to be a catalyst of self-awareness for the students and the community. He also wants to Historically Black Colleges to continue to be part of provoking reflection and learning through artwork.
“This exhibition is a visual narrative that is quite compelling. I want to be as historically accurate as possible and engaging for everyone,” says Ted Ellis.
To get a view of the museum and upcoming exhibitions for yourself, the museum is open Tuesday through Friday and also by appointment on Saturday.