DiQuan Forcell Curates FESTIVAL/NEW/WORKS at CAC New Orleans

The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in New Orleans presents FESTIVAL/NEW/WORKS, an exhibition curated by DiQuan Forcell featuring 18 Louisiana-based artists. The show marks the CAC's 50th anniversary while looking forward to its next half-century. Forcell organized the exhibition into three distinct 'stages' to create multiple conversations, akin to a festival like Jazz Fest. Notable pairings include Martin Payton, John Barnes, and Jer'Lisa Devezin, showing intergenerational artistic knowledge transfer. Kerry Punzo and Malaika Favorite, both featured in the original 1980s Festival of New Works, share a wall. Forcell emphasizes storytelling and local voices, rejecting the notion that artists must leave New Orleans for success. The exhibition includes works by Jake R. Swanson, John Alleyne, John Barnes, and others.