Event: Whitney White Linen Night (New Orleans, LA)

Julia Street in New Orlean's Arts District

White Linen Night 

By: Channing Parfait



Despite the usual high heat in South Louisiana, the Warehouse District in New Orleans was full of art lovers from all walks of life this past weekend.  The annual Whitney White Linen Night fundraiser, hosted by The Contemporary Arts Center, was held on Julia Street on August 4, 2012.  Although the weather was unpredictable for most of the day, the skies remained clear and the event had a great turn out.  Over 21 art galleries and museums opened their doors to celebrate each artist’s individuality and talent.

Dalton Primeaux; Channing Parfait

My friends and I began the night at the Callan Contemporary Gallery, which featured works from Raine Bedsole.  Her art was truly interesting since it focused on nature but also incorporated contemporary concepts through her color palette.  

 The event attracted so many people, which made it difficult to enjoy the unique elements each piece had to offer.  If anyone wanted to stand and admire a piece of art, they could forget about it since there was a constant flow of people in every direction.  Not to mention, the Callan Contemporary Gallery was one of few galleries we walked through where guests were able to escape the heat.  However, it did not stop us from walking through most of the galleries and admiring what artists had to offer.

Dalton; Veronica Cabral

Another unique and favorite gallery of the night was The Foundation Fine Art Gallery with Rob Stephens.  His prints were called, “All Alive and Close Enough to Touch.”  His showcase was interesting since he offered shirts with his artwork, which guests were able to buy.  It was also nice to walk through the M. Francis Gallery, where Myesha Francis unveiled some of her new work entitled Evolution:  “The Spirit of an Artist.”

As the sun went down, the mixture of heat and people in the streets made us thirsty.  The signature cocktail for the event was rain vodka ginger mint lemonade and it was easy to find at one of the many bars set up along the street.  This drink sounded like a definite way to cool off, but keeping New Orleans tradition in mind, it was also a definite way to have a person feeling good.  One drink was enough for all of us to enjoy.

Our last stop for the night was at food vendor New Orleans Hot Dogs.  I wondered why they chose hot dogs at a white linen event but this vendor got rid of my doubts since the hot dogs were delicious!  I thought it was unfortunate I did not have the stomach to visit and taste what other food vendors had to offer.

Keeping summer tradition in mind, it was great to attend the Whitney White Linen Night and see everyone who came out to support the arts.




For more information check out the CAC's website.