This week on Inside the Arts, FestiGals, the summer weekend getaway for women kicks off Downtown. We talk with spokeswoman Sandra Dartus. Then, a heads up for design aficionados. We explore minimalism in the New Orleans Museum of Art's new exhibit, The Essence of Things - Design and the Art of Reduction: An Exhibition of the Vitra Design Museum.And, we round out with the adventures of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn as Summer Lyric Theater at Tulane closes its season with the Tony Award winning

Conversation with New Orleans based filmmaker John Richie. His latest documentary "91%" looks at gun violence in this country. 91%: A Film About Guns In America, screens tonight [7/21] at Tulane University in the Boggs, Lavin-Bernick Center at 7pm. A panel discussion follows.

You are about to enter another dimension. Not just one of sight and sound, but of mind. It is a dimension of costumed revelry and sugared cakes with plastic babies, of fanatics dressed in black and gold and sandwiches dressed with “mynez” and Crystal. A dimension of wild celebration of the human condition, a place where everyone is “dawlin” and no one is without a cold drink. There is a signpost up ahead. You are about to enter...The New Orleans Zone. As philosophers, writers and quantum

This week on Inside the Arts, the NOLA Project's latest theater experience takes audiences to a movie set, atop a downtown hotel.Then, the New Orleans International Piano Competition presented by MASNO opens this week with a performance by a former gold medalist. We talk with pianist Marianna Prjevalskaya.And, we round out with a magical tale as the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane closes its season with Tony Kushner’s The Illusion.Airs Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 8:45 a.m.

Since its start in 2011, The Music Box has brought ambient sound art to thousands of people. While it’s built a reputation as a Roving Village, they’re now constructing a permanent installation in a 55,0000-square-foot forest with an adjoining warehouse in the Bywater.

When Robert Romero first arrived in America from the Philippines over 35 years ago, he was apprehensive about adjusting to an entirely new culture. Since then, Robert has not only adopted New Orleans as his home, he’s now the honorary consul of the Philippines for the state of Louisiana. NolaVie’s Brian Friedman sat down with Robert to hear his story of coming to New Orleans and his perspective on Filipino identity. Visit NolaVie's website for a related article written by Brian Friedman.

This week on Inside the Arts, issues of intra-racial divisions within the city's African American community explode on stage in Jackie Alexander's The High Priestess of Dark Alley opening this week at Le Petit Theater. Then, more paintings from Bob Dylan are on display in the Great Hall at NOMA. And, we round out with the six time Tony Award winning musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie at Summer Lyric Theater at Tulane. Airs Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 8:45 a.m.

This week on Inside the Arts, a nationally acclaimed ballerina makes her debut at the 22nd annual ESSENCE Fest. We talk with ballet star Misty Copeland.Then, Congo Square is home to a healing ceremony honoring African ancestors. The Ashe Cultural Arts Center presents its annual MAAFA Commemoration remembering the trans-Atlantic slave trade.And, we round out with a classic work by renowned Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca. In Good Company presents The House of Bernarda Alba.Airs

Nearly 100 years ago Marcel Duchamp put a porcelain urinal into a New York art gallery and changed the way we think about art. The Essence of Things is a new exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art that's dedicated to elevating the beauty of everyday objects. Can a rubber band or pair of flip flops rise to the level of high art? NolaVie's Renée Peck spoke with Mel Buchanan for the answer. Visit NolaVie's website for a related article written by Renée Peck.

This week on Inside the Arts, one of the Bard's early comedies, the Two Gentlemen of Verona opens the season for the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane.