 A Painter Resurrects Louisiana’s Vanished Creole Culture Andrew LaMar Hopkins celebrates the rich contributions of 19th-Century New Orleans in his folk art style (and drag).  I am delighted to share this NYT article featuring my dear friend Andrew Lamar Hopkins, aka Désirée Joséphine Duplantier. I've known Andrew for 30 years now and have watched him "pay his dues" in the art scene. I'm so happy that my friend Elle Shushan recognized Andrew's remarkable and complex talent and will feature him in her extraordinary Winter Show booth at the Park Armory on January 24th. Thus, she is bringing Andrew to the world's stage! Recently, I overheard Andrew tell a mutual friend that "I'm going to blow up!!" So I booked my travel not wanting to miss a moment of Andrew's career blowing up! Follow along with me. I'll have a front row seat covering this on my Instagram. See more of Andrew's work on his website.  Photo by NYT - see story And when Andrew makes his art debut in NYC, he is being showcased by a premier antiques dealer with a booth at the front entrance of the show. Congratulations Andrew! I will be cheering you on! I treasure this photo from France, fall 2018  I'm at left next to Marie Victorie (sister of Baron de Pontalba), the Baron, Susan Maclay of the Louisiana Museum Foundation, and Andrew Lamar Hopkins We travelled to extend formal invitations for the Founders Ball and we gained the Pontalba's permission for an exhibition featuring their family's treasures for the Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo. (Read more about the Baroness de Pontalba and the Rise of Jackson Square Exhibition and the family here.)  Adding Life to Every Party, Photo by Margarita Bergen
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Here's another fabulous New Orleans jewel box exhibit! Historic New Orleans Collection Presents: New Orleans Drawings of Gaston de Pontalba, 1848–1851  I still get goosebumps thinking about when five years ago (while on my 2nd trip to their château), Charles Edouard, Baron de Pontalba, excitedly showed these drawings to me while I was visiting. He had discovered Gaston's works just a fortnight before. They are to be treasured! Reconnecting the Pontalba family to Louisiana has been a highlight of my life! The Pontalba family are guardians of our shared French Creole culture.
THE BARONESS DE PONTALBA AND THE RISE OF JACKSON SQUARE EXHIBITION JOIN ME: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13  I encourage you to revisit it, or see it for the first time... Meeting the Pontalba family and reconnecting them to Louisiana has been a highlight of my life. Fate! Read more here. Sunday marks the last day at the Cabildo, and what an extraordinary year it's been! I feel so fortunate to have reconnected New Orleans with the descendants of one of the most prominent founding families. Please join Andrew Hopkins and me for a final walkthrough, this Sunday, Oct. 13 at 2PM at the Cabildo If you're a Friends of the Cabildo or the Louisiana Museum Foundation member, admission is complimentary. (If not, please consider joining to support these organizations.) Otherwise expect a nominal entrance fee. With this final walkthrough, Andrew and I will be sharing stories and reminiscing the highlights of the last few years that have involved the remarkable Pontalba family, who today live in their family chateau in France, where their ancestors have been living since 1805. Afterwards, come by at 4PM: 1111 Bourbon cocktails in my courtyard Join me in a toast to Charles Edouard and Isabelle, Baron and Baroness de Pontalba and their son Pierre.... without them none of this would have ever happened! (The Pontalba's are in France & not attending) In order to prepare properly, please let me know if are coming by Friday, October 11. RSVP here!  A Few Memories! Reconnecting the Pontalba Family to Louisiana has been a highlight of my life. 
       What do mythical creatures, craft cocktails, a Creole aristocrat and a vengeful father-in-law have to do with the development of Jackson Square?  THE PONTALBA EXPERIENCE AT THE CABILDO, 8.7.19 I recommend Country Roads Supper Club events as they're highly entertaining and delicious cultural events held in remarkable settings.  This upcoming Pontalba Experience on Saturday, September 7, offers an incredibly rare opportunity to dine in the upstairs gallery of the Cabildo - a magnificent Spanish Colonial building integrally tied, of course, to the Pontalba story....and then's there's the enchanting view overlooking Jackson Square! The evening is steeped in the 19th century...all tied to the Baroness de Pontalba and the Rise of Jackson Square Exhibition that closes in early October. Combine the unforgettable setting, theatrical performances on site, along with the artistry of Dickie Brennan's talented chefs and inspired drinks from his Tableau Restaurant, and you have a magical evening! For ticket and additional information click here.  For those that love the backstory, this is history filled with drama, intrigue and unforgettable architecture...Jackson Square!
Consider reading Christina Vella's book, Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of the Baroness de Pontalba, in advance. You'll deepen your understanding of our state's rich history. Vella's book helped me recognize an opportunity to reconnect the Pontalba family back to New Orleans...thus helping to bring the Baroness de Pontalba and the Rise of Jackson Square Exhibition together in time for our Tricentennial Celebration. History continues to enrich my life and so much for the better! For more about my experience with the Pontalba family, visit: https://www.peterpatout.com/blog/climax-of-tricentennial-year! PONTALBA EXHIBIT LECTURE SERIES
6:00PM TO 7:00PM IN THE CABILDO, ON THE 2ND FLOOR GALLERY **LIGHT RECEPTION FROM 5:30PM TO 6:00PM This Thursday, January 17, my talented friend and Guest Curator, Randolph Delehanty, Ph.D., will lead the exhibition lecture at the Cabildo. I encourage you to go and soak in the rich history and the backstory of the Baroness de Pontalba and the Rise of Jackson Square Exhibition. This is the first of three different talks regarding the exhibit presented by the Louisiana Museum Foundation (LMF) and the Louisiana State Museum. Visit the LMF's facebook page for more details. The talk is complimentary. I hope to see you there and encourage you to join me in supporting the LMF.  A Creole Christmas at the Lighting of the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans From left: Pierre de Pontalba, his mother and father, Isabelle and Charles-Edouard, Baron & Baroness de Pontalba are flanking me - 2nd from right, Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans. Photo by Grevy Photography Dear Friends, One of the most exciting moments of my life happened: helping the Louisiana State Museum and the Louisiana Museum Foundation celebrate the New Orleans Tricentennial. My friends, the Baron & Baroness de Pontalba and their family, came to New Orleans from France for this epic event: The Founders Ball and the launch of the Baroness Pontalba & the Rise of Jackson Square Exhibition at the Cabildo.
 Above: Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser - in the middle - lights the way at the Roosevelt Hotel, and greets Baron and Baroness de Pontalba and Pierre de Pontalba to New Orleans! Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser said it best: “For a city so steeped in history, to be able to showcase an exhibit as important to the development of Jackson Square, the focal point of the city of New Orleans, is historical in and of itself. The legacy Don Andrés Almonester and his daughter, Baroness Micaela de Pontalba, left on the architecture and culture of the city attracts millions of visitors every year,”
Dear Friends, I am proud to offer a truly once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in the New Orleans Tricentennial: a chance to meet Charles-Edouard and Isabelle, Baron and Baroness de Pontalba and family members - direct descendants of Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba.  The luncheon includes two speakers, sumptuous hȃute Creole Cuisine and drinks, and is generously sponsored by Tableau as a benefit for the Louisiana Museum Foundation. We are thankful to Dickie Brennan and his team for their support. Pontalba family historian, Pierre de Pontalba will share his family’s legacy in France and New Orleans. Louisiana State Museum guest exhibition Curator Randolph Delehanty, PhD will preview the exhibition that will open Saturday, December 1 at the Founders Ball, and to the public on Sunday, December 2 at The Cabildo.
Taking a wrong turn six years ago in the French countryside was incredibly fortuitous! I met the de Pontalba family! -Read about that wonderful adventure here- Tickets for the Pontalba Luncheon and the Founders Ball raise funds for the Louisiana Museum Foundation which supports the Louisiana State Museum. Luncheon tickets are $125 each, most of which is tax deductible, and can be purchased by clicking this link. Please join us by reserving now. Seating is limited. These remarkable events will sell out. Founders Ball tickets are $300 each for Louisiana Museum Foundation Members and $350 for non-members. So, join me for Lunch at Tableau and at The Cabildo for the Founders Ball! My best to you, Peter December 1 At The CaBildo
SUGGESTED READING
Intimate Enemies New York Times book review  Ironwork detail with the signature Almonester & Pontalba family logo from the Pontalba Apartments
 The Pontalba Family is Returning to Louisiana for the Founders Ball & Launch of the Baroness Pontalba Exhibit at the Cabildo! Dear Friends! I am thrilled to offer you early ticket access to the Louisiana Museum’s Founders Ball & Exhibition Opening at the Cabildo. This is one for the history books! Taking a wrong turn in the French countryside six years ago was incredibly fortuitous! I met the Pontalbas!. This wonderful occurrence along with help from friends led to this year's Founders Ball and Baroness de Pontalba exhibition....Here's how it happened and what you can anticipate.
 Pontalba Family Founders Ball Invitations From the beginning, we set our sights on the LMF’s top fundraising event, The Founders’ Ball, and invited the Pontalba family to be our honored guests. We also realized that Mont l’Évêque is a treasure trove of historical items related to the Pontalbas' time in Louisiana - primarily in the 19th century. So, the idea for the exhibition was born.  New Orleans’ iconic urban core: Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, the Presbytère, and the twin Pontalba Buildings - Upper Pontalba Apartments shown. In addition to items from the de Pontalba family château, the exhibition will draw from the Louisiana State Museum, and loans from private collections. We are honored to have guest Curator, Randolph Delehanty, PhD, who will tell the city-defining story of Don Andrés Almonester and his formidable daughter, Micaela, the Baroness de Pontalba.  The Founders Ball and Exhibit are dedicated to Christina Vella  Of course, none of this would have happened if I hadn't read Intimate Enemies. We should all be eternally grateful to the late Christina Vella, author of this book that was critically acclaimed by the New York Times. If you haven't already read Intimate Enemies, I encourage you to do so. It will deepen your appreciation of the exhibit and what Jackson Square means to all of us. The costume Ball will be reminiscent of the elegant parties Baroness Pontalba held in New Orleans and in her mansion in Paris, which today, still known as the Hôtel de Pontalba, serves as the official residence of the United States Ambassador to France. Late-18th-century to mid-19th-century attire, recalling the days of Don Almonester and our Baroness, are encouraged for the ball. Contemporary black tie and ball gowns will also be acceptable. Together, we will welcome Charles-Edouard and Isabelle, Baron and Baroness de Pontalba, their son Pierre, and other family members from France! Here’s a link to buy your Founders Ball tickets. They are $300 each for Louisiana Museum Foundation Members and $350 for non-members. I suggest you do this today for tickets are limited and this remarkable event will sell out! The only mission of the Louisiana Museum Foundation is to support the Louisiana State Museum through community donations and programmatic support. I hope that you will join me as a proud member of the LMF to support them for this event and beyond.  Almonester Pontalba balcony ironwork detail from the Pontalba Apartments
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