Inside The Arts

This week on Inside the Arts, internationally acclaimed artist Mickalene Thomas is headed for the Crescent City. Tulane's Newcomb Museum of Art will host her first solo exhibit in New Orleans... Waiting on Prime-Time Star. Find out what First Lady Michelle Obama and Solange have in common with this artist. Then, a new work from ArtSpot Productions and Jeff Becker takes a look at what's happened in the decade since Katrina in Sea of Common Catastrophe. And, we wind down with FIVE, a vogue

Often when we think about architecture, we think about walls, structures, and enclosed spaces. But Bryan C. Lee, Jr, an architect and educator, goes beyond these boundaries by bringing in knowledge from the environment and community around him. NolaVie’s Kelley Crawford spoke with Bryan about designing for social justice and his new course at Bard Early College in New Orleans . Visit NolaVie's website for a related article written by Kelley Crawford.

This week on Inside the Arts, Alexander the Great makes a colorful splash in the 9th Ward just in time for Carnival. We catch up with artist Morgan Molthrop and CANO executive director Jeanne Nathan.

In a world that is increasingly connected digitally, we are probably getting more and more disconnected socially. Oswald Cooper, better known as "Oz The Dance Doctor," is out to change that. Oz leads the Who Dat Steppers of New Orleans . Stepping is a type of social dance rooted in African-American history, and it’s making a comeback across the country. Visit NolaVie's website for a related article written by Renée Peck.

Bobby Grier was the first African-American to play in the Sugar Bowl . As a member of the Pittsburgh Panthers, Grier played against Georgia Tech on January 2, 1956 — only months after Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi and weeks after Rosa Parks was arrested in Alabama . Perhaps as expected, his participation was met with opposition: the governor of Georgia insisted that Georgia Tech boycott the Sugar Bowl that year. But the game was played, Grier was its leading rusher, and the Civil Rights

With New Year’s Eve right around the corner, revelers may be thinking about what to fill up their glasses with as they ring in 2017. For Chuck Avery, owner of Melt New Orleans , it’s all in the ice. NolaVie’s David Benedetto spoke with Chuck about custom craft ice and its importance in the revival of the American cocktail. Visit NolaVie's website for a related article written by David Benedetto.

The president of Xavier University, Dr. Reynold Verret , is known to many as the Renaissance of Renaissance men. From science to music to biking, and even to some pretty clever pranks, Dr. Verret is bringing his knowledge and charisma to Xavier. Kelley Crawford invited Dr. Verret into the studio as part of NolaVie's Notes from New Orleans series. Visit NolaVie's website for a related article written by Kelley Crawford.

This week on Inside the Arts, Lyrica Baroque Chamber Ensemble gears up for an intimate evening with A Musical Christmas featuring soprano Sarah Jane McMahon, cellist Daniel Lelchuk and guest artist, Emmanuel Arakelian on harpsichord.

Fine art is becoming a virtual reality. More specifically, Google has compiled a vast, virtual museum to take online patrons into the collections of hundreds of institutions around the world. One of these Google Arts & Culture partners is the New Orleans Museum of Art . Renée Peck recently spoke with Seth Boonchai, digital assets manager at NOMA, about the evolution of their virtual museum. Visit NolaVie's website for a related article written by Renée Peck.

Crowds of Santa lookalikes racing through the street might be a bizarre sight, until you remember that you’re in downtown New Orleans. In fact, that’s exactly what you’ll find next weekend, on December 17, when New Orleanians gather for the annual Running of the Santas . Brian Friedman sat down with organizer Steve Schulkens to get the backstory of an outrageous yet philanthropic holiday tradition. Visit NolaVie's website for a related article written by Brian Friedman.