Warehouse Arts District hotel will feature work by students, alumni and faculty.
The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery, New Orleans’ most anticipated new hotel, and the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), the city’s innovative and iconic arts education institution, are joining forces to create a travel and art experience that –like the city of New Orleans itself –isreal,rooted, unconventional and utterly unique in the world.
The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery is the newest member of Provenance Hotels, a company with a passion for creating hotels that feature thoughtfully integrated art collations designed to inform and enhance guests’ experience of a destination. Celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year, NOCCA is a regional, pre-professional arts school founded by artists, educators and community activiststhat offers intensive instruction in culinary arts, dance, media arts: filmmaking and audio production, music, theatre arts, visual arts, and creative writing. It boasts a faculty rich with working artists and an illustrious roster of alumni that includes Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., Terence Blanchard and many more.
Recognizing a shared passion for the arts and a unique opportunity to showcase the work being done at NOCCA, Provenance Hotels and the school have partnered on a collaboration unprecedented in the hospitality industry. When the hotel opens in the heart of the New Orleans’ Warehouse Arts District in April, the NOCCA story will be woven into the fabric of the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery in the form of visual and written art created by the school’s students and ongoing events showcasing their talents.
“New Orleans is a city that is rooted in the arts – NOCCA’s longstanding success is a testament to that fact. We make it a priority to incorporate art that tells a story into all of our hotels and partnering with NOCCA and making their story the story we tell at the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery is an incredible privilege,” said Bashar Wali, President of Provenance Hotels. “We are excited to showcase the work of their very talented students at the hotel and are looking forward to collaborating with NOCCA for many years to come. This is a partnership that we expect to grow in innumerable exciting ways.”
“It is an honor to partner with Provenance Hotels to celebrate and recognize the creations of emerging artists,” said Kyle Wedberg, President and CEO of NOCCA. “We are proud to welcome Provenance and collaborate with them here in New Orleans. Our partnership gives our students a chance to shine and their guests the opportunity to know the work of NOCCA and its students, especially in the disciplines of Visual Arts and Creative Writing.”
Student painters, printmakers, photographers, designers, collage and graphic artistsfrom NOCCA’s upper level visual arts program were invited by Provenance Hotels to submit works to be featured in the guestrooms at the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery. Works by six students were selected to be reproduced and displayed in the hotel. They includeTombstone by Savana Jonau, Parking Lot Girl by Kane Huynh, Heart Break Hotel by Gabrielle Cantelli, Daisy Deuces by Amanda Wilkes, Taking Back What Is Hers by Armand deLaureal and Trumpets for Eyes, Fur Man and The Study by Monica Catalanotto.
In addition to this visual art, all guestrooms will feature copies of UMBRA, an annual publication created by NOCCA’s creative writing students. From poetry to fiction to essays, the writing in UMBRA isfilled with the emotions, humor and diverse perspectives of NOCCA’s students. Guests can readUMBRA during their visit and purchase copies at the hotel. When guests buy a copy, their purchase supports NOCCA’s creative writing program and future editions of the publication.
The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery is located at the intersection of Tchoupitoulas and Lafayette Streets, just four blocks from the French Quarter and steps from the art galleries along Julia Street. In keeping with the neighborhood’s artistic roots, the hotel’s lobby will include a street-facing gallery space with rotating art curated by NOCCA featuring works by the school’s students, faculty and alumni. This art will be available for purchase with proceeds going to the artist. New works will be rotated in on a schedule that coincides with the Julia Street gallery rotation and the gallery at the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery will serve as a NOCCA outpost in the heart of the Warehouse Arts District. For more information about The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery, visit www.old77hotel.comor follow the hotel on Instagram and Twitter @Old77_Hotel and Facebook at www.facebook.com/Old77Hotel.