LUNA Fête artists share their creative process at Newcomb Art Museum

For four days each year artists from around the world and down the street turn the iconic Gallier Hall in New Orleans into a work of art using light and technology as their medium. The result is LUNA Fête — a one-of-a-kind outdoor spectacle that intersects the worlds of art, architecture and technology. First presented by the Arts Council of New Orleans in 2014, the festival annually draws more than 50,000 attendees to downtown New Orleans.

But how does something so large and complex even begin?

Newcomb Art Museum’s latest lecture series, in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico, explores the answer to this question and features two of the artists behind this year’s LUNA Fête, Emma Lopez and Pedro Narváez. Lopez and Narváez, the directors of AVA Visual Arts and Animation, a Mexican company specializing in projects focusing on projection mapping at an international level, will trace the transition from graphic design to projection mapping.

“With light we will celebrate together, the old and the new, life and beyond.”

—Pedro Narváez

“We believe that Mexico and New Orleans have a lot in common. Our project ‘Viva New Orleans’ seeks to create a canvas where Mexico and New Orleans merge in perfect harmony,” said Narváez.  “With light, music and color we will transform Gallier Hall’s architectural features, showcasing a magical journey through beautiful sights that portray the best from both cultures. With light we will celebrate together, the old and the new, life and beyond.”

The lecture will take place in Freeman Auditorium on Dec. 5 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with an introduction by Carlos Ponce, Consul of Mexico in New Orleans. LUNA Fête, the multiday celebration presented by Pan-American Life Insurance Group, will take place Dec. 6–9 in Lafayette Square and along Lafayette Street to Fulton Street. Free and open to the public, the festival features illuminated installations, digital sculptures, video-mapping projections and art animated by technology.

“We are thrilled to have these acclaimed Mexican artists on campus to discuss their creative process and digital artwork,” said Newcomb Art Museum director Mónica Ramírez-Montagut. “This lecture is a great way to kick off a celebration of Mexican talent and creativity at the museum that will continue into 2018 with Newcomb’s next exhibition, opening in January, which features contemporary Mexican ceramics.”

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