UPCOMING EVENTS
Reel Talk: Cuttin' Cane
Join us for this month’s Reel Talk film screening, Africans on the Mississippi: Cuttin’ Cane directed by CFreedom. Cuttin’ Cane is an award-winning short film about Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Donaldsonville is one of the numerous communities created by the plantation system which flourished along the Mississippi River. The plantations are long gone but the descendants remain with fascinating stories to tell. Stay for the talk back featuring:
Spencer Howard (Writer, Executive Producer)
Darryl Hambrick (Executive Producer, Co-Founder of River Road African American Museum, Historian)
Forever Phyllis Hyman
Come and fest after dark with more live music with Naydja CoJoe' as she pays homage to the late R&B legendary Phyllis Hyman!
Give NOLA Day! Boldly unASHÉmed Exhibition Happy Hour
Support who supports you by giving to Ashé Cultural Arts Center on GiveNOLA Day! Join us on Tuesday, May 7 for a happy hour viewing of our Boldly unASHÉmed Exhibition featuring the unapologetically Black art of Ceaux, Charlie Vaughn, and Kara Crowley.
In 2023 alone, Ashé hosted over 130 FREE events in support of artists, art, and our community! #SupportWhoSupportsYou this GiveNOLA Day and help us continue to make these phenomenal experiences that celebrate the people, places, and philosophies of the African Diaspora accessible to all.
Celebrating the Life & Work of Chuck Siler: Memorial & Exhibition
Join us for a commemoration honoring Baba Chuck Siler's life, times, commitment to Black institutions; as well as a small exhibition highlighting his astounding artwork on Saturday May 25, 2024 at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center in New Orleans.
Baba Chuck was a colleague, collaborator, change-maker and friend. While we mourn his loss we are forever guided by his legacy.
2024 MAAFA Exhibition Opening
Our 2024 MAAFA exhibition, Radiant Rhythms, celebrates the power and resilience of African drums, symbols of strength and unity, of story and sound, of rhythm and joy.
2024 MAAFA Commemoration
The annual New Orleans MAAFA Commemoration is a community remembrance event, a moment to reckon with the horrors of the Transatlantic and Domestic Slave Trades, and a release from the chains of its legacy. MAAFA is a Kiswahili word meaning “horrific tragedy” and refers to the period known as The Middle Passage. This year’s event presented by Ashé Cultural Arts Center is on Saturday, July 6, 2023 at 7:00am, beginning at Congo Square (701 N Rampart St.)
This year’s theme is Radiant Rhythms, where we center the power and resilience of African drums as symbols of strength and unity, story and sound, rhythm and joy. Each beat of an African drum tells a story, echoing the voices of ancestors who taught us to use them to communicate, celebrate, mourn, and inspire. Drums announce births, deaths, marriages, religious rites and rituals, and social and political events. They herald our coming to and our going from the land of the living, and every significant moment in between. Throughout history, as Africa experienced tragedy after tragedy at the hands of colonizers, the drums remained a steadfast connection to our sacred source.
MAAFA identifies historically-significant locations of New Orleans’ own history as a major slave market, such as Esplanade Avenue and The Tomb of the Unknown Slave in Tremé. In closing, we say the names of those enslaved and free, victims of tragic events, senseless violence, as well as all those who were, so that we might be.
All white attire is preferred. The local community and visitors are invited to attend this commemoration event of healing, testimony, and celebration of our ancestors, existence, and survival.
Sistahs Making a Change
Join MoeJoe on Thursdays for 808 Bounce!
808 Bounce is a Southern journey of dance cardio and strength exercises, motivated by a power hour of bass, bounce, and global beats. During the experience all participants will have the opportunity to dance, burn calories, improve flexibility, and build muscle strength using resistence bands or drumsticks.
Sistahs Making A Change
*SISTAHS HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE ASHÉ POWERHOUSE THEATER | 1731 BARONNE STREET*
Join Fred on Tuesdays for Bonsai Care!
Caring for a Bonsai tree requires time and patience! Learn more about how to properly care for this beautiful tree from roots to leaves.
Fred Johnston is a Community Health Worker with Ashé’s I Deserve It! program and a local artist of many styles, from fine art to folk art. He has a dynamic drive to share art with the community for a collective cultural evolution, producing a fulfilling life of freedom of expression.
COUCHES ft. aja monet, Sunni Patterson, GLADNEY
COUCHES debuts at Ashé Cultural Arts Center featuring aja monet performing her Grammy-Nominated record, when the poem do what they do, backed by GLADNEY. GLADNEY will also perform an opening set and the evening will be hosted by poet/artist/luminary, Sunni Patterson!
Produced by New Orleans own, Chief Adjuah (fka Christian Scott), when the poems do what they do is aja's first full-length record.
Listen to the record here.
Read the Pitchfork review here.
This show is presented in collaboration with FREEQUENCY and ASHÉ CULTURAL ARTS CENTER with support from the National Performance Network.
$25 PRESALE, $40 DAY OF SHOW
Text 504.499-1542 for text-only discounts and future early bird announcements.
Sistahs Making a Change
Join MoeJoe on Thursdays for 808 Bounce!
808 Bounce is a Southern journey of dance cardio and strength exercises, motivated by a power hour of bass, bounce, and global beats. During the experience all participants will have the opportunity to dance, burn calories, improve flexibility, and build muscle strength using resistence bands or drumsticks.
Workplace Wellness Luncheon
Join us for April’s Workplace Wellness Luncheon: Wellness You Deserve! Our I Deserve It! program will share more about the wellness you deserve and tips and resources to achieve it. Lunch will be provided by Cafe Porche.
Sistahs Making a Change
Join MoeJoe on Thursdays for 808 Bounce!
808 Bounce is a Southern journey of dance cardio and strength exercises, motivated by a power hour of bass, bounce, and global beats. During the experience all participants will have the opportunity to dance, burn calories, improve flexibility, and build muscle strength using resistence bands or drumsticks.
Le Mois De La Francophonie 2024: Conversation with Alain Mabanckou
Alain Mabanckou is a novelist, journalist, poet, and academic. A French citizen born in the Republic of the Congo, he currently teaches literature and creative writing in the Department of French & Francophone Studies and African Studies Center at UCLA. Known for his novels and non-fiction writing depicting the experience ofcontemporary Africa and the African diaspora in France, Mabanckou is among the most recognized Franco African writers in France in contemporary literature.
5:30 - Happy Hour and Book Signing
6:30 - Discussion with moderator and translator
In partnership with Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Villa Albertine, Tulane University, Consulate General of France in Louisiana, Consulate General of Canada, Garden District Book Shop, and OIF..
Sistahs Making a Change
Join MoeJoe on Thursdays for 808 Bounce!
808 Bounce is a Southern journey of dance cardio and strength exercises, motivated by a power hour of bass, bounce, and global beats. During the experience all participants will have the opportunity to dance, burn calories, improve flexibility, and build muscle strength using resistence bands or drumsticks.
Sistahs Making A Change
Join Fred on Tuesdays for Bonsai Care!
Caring for a Bonsai tree requires time and patience! Learn more about how to properly care for this beautiful tree from roots to leaves.
Fred Johnston is a Community Health Worker with Ashé’s I Deserve It! program and a local artist of many styles, from fine art to folk art. He has a dynamic drive to share art with the community for a collective cultural evolution, producing a fulfilling life of freedom of expression.
Sistahs at Book Talk: Afro-Puerto Rican Rhythms
Join Sistahs Making A Change with Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda at Book Talk: Afro Puerto Rican Rhythms on March 14 at 2pm!
The Formula: Community+Culture+Commerce=Equity
Join us in conversation regarding three innovative programs of Ashé Cultural Arts Center and partner organizations that are bringing greater equitable outcomes to New Orleans. These programs are in the areas of Health Equity (I Deserve It!), Cultural Equity (Claiborne Cultural Innovation District), and Economic Equity (AfriCarnaval).
Speakers: LaShaunda Pickett-René (Ashé Cultural Arts Center), Nyree Ramsey (Claiborne Cultural Innovation District (CID)/Ujamaa Economic Development Corp.), Dr. Takeisha Davis (New Orleans East Hospital). Moderated by Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes (Ashé Cultural Arts Center).
This event is part of the New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) 2024 series of programming titled 'NOEW in Your Neighborhood' that takes place on Monday, March 11th and Tuesday, March 12th of the week-long event: March 11th - 16th, 2024.
Each NOEW in Your Neighborhood (NIYN) is independently produced by organizers from across the Greater New Orleans region. In order to attend individual NIYN events, you must 1) Register for NOEW 2024 and 2) Register for each NIYN event you plan to attend.
Register for NOEW 2024: www.noew.org
For over a decade, New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) – pronounced 'noh-wee!' – has brought together startup founders, business leaders, aspiring entrepreneurs, industry experts, investors, and other thought leaders to celebrate innovation, technology, entrepreneurship, culture, and big ideas during a dynamic week-long event. In 2024, NOEW is offering a unique fusion of top-tier speakers, forward-thinking & business-focused thought leadership, and the kind of world-class celebration of culture that defines New Orleans!
To learn more about NOEW 2024 including themes, speakers, sessions, and more, visit www.noew.org.
Sistahs at Xavier University with Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda
Join Sistahs Making A Change at Xavier University with Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda on Tuesday, March 12 at 6pm for a community gathering and cultural presentations!
A King Like Me SXSW Documentary Screening
Premiering at SXSW in Austin, Texas this weekend featuring Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes (Chief Equity & Executive Officer, Ashé Cultural Arts Center):
In March, on the heels of a successful Mardi Gras 2020 celebration, the Zulu Krewe - a group of over 800 men, almost all African American, lost twelve members out of over seventy who contracted the COVID-19 virus. To date, sixteen members of this historic organization have been lost to the Coronavirus. The origin story of our film was an interest in discovering the impact of the pandemic on such a stalwart cultural organization, and what that loss could tell us about our country’s health inequities, as tied to race. Diving into the fascinating origin story of The Zulu Club, we begin to uncover the way Black people and Black culture have shaped New Orleans and our nation.
Director: Matthew O. Henderson
Central City Saturday
Join us on Saturday March 9th from 11:30 am to 5 pm as we celebrate the music, culture, food and history of Central City New Orleans at the first “Central City Saturday”. This community-led event will be hosted by Ashé Cultural Center, Arts New Orleans, and Civic Studio on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. between the cross sections of Felicity St. and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
We’ll kick off the day with a second line band through the neighborhood and move into programming that supports local business, engages in family friendly activities, and gives attendees a chance to experience arts and culture through the lens of members of the Central City community.
This work was made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts creative placemaking grants program and the efforts of many passionate Central City residents and organizations since the project’s start in February 2023.
Sistahs Making a Change
Join MoeJoe on Thursdays for 808 Bounce!
808 Bounce is a Southern journey of dance cardio and strength exercises, motivated by a power hour of bass, bounce, and global beats. During the experience all participants will have the opportunity to dance, burn calories, improve flexibility, and build muscle strength using resistence bands or drumsticks.
Sistahs Making A Change
Join Fred on Tuesdays for Bonsai Care!
Caring for a Bonsai tree requires time and patience! Learn more about how to properly care for this beautiful tree from roots to leaves.
Fred Johnston is a Community Health Worker with Ashé’s I Deserve It! program and a local artist of many styles, from fine art to folk art. He has a dynamic drive to share art with the community for a collective cultural evolution, producing a fulfilling life of freedom of expression.
Black Trivia Night
Mark your calendars and gather your crew because Black Trivia Night is back! Close out Black History Month with us on Thursday, February 29th at 6PM.
From our contributions, local heroes, and changemakers, to your favorite musicians, films, and cultural phenomenons—test your knowledge at the Blackest trivia night in the city!
Sistahs Making a Change
Join Fred on Tuesdays for Art Therapy!
Fred Johnston is a Community Health Worker with Ashé’s I Deserve It! program and a local artist of many styles, from fine art to folk art. He has a dynamic drive to share art with the community for a collective cultural evolution, producing a fulfilling life of freedom of expression.
Sistahs Making a Change
Join MoeJoe on Thursdays for 808 Bounce!
808 Bounce is a Southern journey of dance cardio and strength exercises, motivated by a power hour of bass, bounce, and global beats. During the experience all participants will have the opportunity to dance, burn calories, improve flexibility, and build muscle strength using resistence bands or drumsticks.
Sistahs Making a Change
Join Fred on Tuesdays for Art Therapy!
Fred Johnston is a Community Health Worker with Ashé’s I Deserve It! program and a local artist of many styles, from fine art to folk art. He has a dynamic drive to share art with the community for a collective cultural evolution, producing a fulfilling life of freedom of expression.
Ashé on Mardi Gras Day!
Ashé Cultural Arts Center, in collaboration with Tambourine & Fan and Ujamaa Economic Development Corporation, proudly presents AfriCarnaval: Under the Bridge, a historic celebration of culture and community set to take place on Mardi Gras Day, February 13, 2024.
Located at the iconic Claiborne and Orleans Avenue intersection, AfriCarnaval: Under the Bridge will run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and will offer a showcase of Black Carnival traditions and recognize the femininity embedded in New Orleans hip-hop.
The event will feature performances by: Cheeky Blakk, Lady Red, Ms. Tee, ReUp Reedy, Treety, G.I. Peachez, The Baby Dolls, Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, 504 Icy Girl, Odd the Artist, Kings of Brass, DJ Two Scoops. Hosted by Sunni Patterson, Genergy and “Uptown's Illest MC,” Charlie V.
2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Art Exhibition Opening
Join us at Ashé this Saturday, January 13th from 12pm-4pm as we celebrate and honor the life of Dr. King with the opening reception of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. art exhibition opening, titled An Experiment in Love. This year’s keynote speaker is Kathy Hambrick, Executive Director of the Amistad Research Center. The opening is free and open to the public.
An Experiment in Love is based on An Experiment in Love: Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Six Pillars of Nonviolent Resistance and the Ancient Greek Notion of Agape; article from “My Pilgrimage to Nonviolence” published Sept. 1958, New York.
The exhibition is showcased in three spaces this year: Ashé Cultural Arts Center, The Building and Stella Jones Gallery. Doors open at noon with the program beginning at 2pm. Following the program is a procession to The Building for Part 2 featuring an announcement of contest winners and more!
Kwanzaa Celebration: Presenting the Principle of Ujamaa
Ashé Cultural Arts Center and Ujamaa Economic Development Corporation present the 4th principle of Kwanzaa: Ujamaa! Bring out the whole family and learn more about Kwanzaa while celebrating Familyhood and Cooperative Economics. Hosted by Sunni Patterson, performances by Sha’Condria ‘Icon’ Sibley, Watotos of Kumbuka Dance Ensemble. Featuring Black-owned vendors and a panel discussion on the establishment of social wealth and the work necessary to achieve it with:
Dr. Kendra Harris (The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond)
Shaddai Livingston (Founder of Louisiana Afro-Indigenous Society)
Malik Bartholomew (Historian, Cultural Curator, Owner of KnowNOLA Tours)
Vera Warren (Co-owner and operator, Community Book Center)
Moderated by Sha’Condria Icon Sibley
Holiday on the Boulevard
Join us at Ashé on Saturday, December 16 for a family-friendly festival and marketplace that brings community, artists, and vendors together for a holiday celebration!
Holiday on the Boulevard uplifts the traditions of Kwanzaa and Christmas and provides a space to experience art, community, and the joys of giving and receiving. Enjoy a day of performances while shopping at our marketplace of local Black-owned businesses for holiday gift shopping!
Featuring sounds by DJ Sugarcookie and live performances from Mama YeYe & Baba Kwanzaa, Culu & N’Kafu African Dance Company, Naydja Cojoe & Friends, Youth Choir, Girls Play Trumpet Too w/ Troy Sawyer, Iris P, and Tai Cook. The whole family is invited to make art at the Kuumba Kids Space by I Deserve It, take photos with Black Santa, and shop with The Ashé Diaspora Boutique and vendors: Sugakissed Jewels, Young Professionals Movement, Froot Orleans, Mothers Nature Wellness, + more!
Holiday on the Boulevard is open to the public and free with RSVP.
Iba se Egun
"Iba se Egun" is a collection of works centering ancestral reverence, genealogical discoveries, and cultural preservation through 35mm film photography, collage art, and blackout poetry. Each piece serves as a testament to the enduring beauty and interconnectedness of our past, present and future.
The artist and documentarian, Jay Evans, strives to inspire the breaking of harmful family patterns and create space for exploring the dynamics of identity and self-acceptance as they relate to healing generational trauma, advocacy for justice, and the ongoing struggle for liberation.
Sistahs Making A Change
Ramona Graham leads a Kickboxing class that will get the body moving and heart pumping! From self-defense to fitness, Kickboxing offers a cardio and strength workout.
Join Ramona on Thursdays for Kickboxing!
Sistahs Making A Change
Join Sistahs Making A Change and MEDICC’s Community Partnerships for Health Equity (CPHE) for a Congolese Drum & Dance community class on Tuesday, November 28! In partnership with Cultural Ties, Titos Sompa and Kai Knight will lead us in the rhythms of the Congolese drum as we move our bodies, minds, and spirits.
Open to the public, donations are welcomed.
Losing Louisiana: Solutions for Survival
The annual Losing Louisiana convening connects people, place, and race to combat the environmental injustices of our region. The imminent threat of “losing Louisiana” to climate change, coastal loss, disaster, toxic air/land, and other environmental risks calls us together to identify the solutions to save our home.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center in partnership with Healthy Gulf, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Genevieve’s, and Recirculating Farms presents Losing Louisiana: Solutions for Survival featuring:
Community-built art installation: Guests will be guided in the creation of a personal reliquary, a small keepsake honoring the "home within." Please bring a tiny, personal treasure that represents “home to you” to include in the reliquary design.
Solutions-based discussion: A conversation on identifying and reviving ancestral practices for the environmental threats we face as a community featuring:
L'Oreal Evans: Events Manager at Ashé Cultural Arts Center, earth justice warrior, historian, visual artist, African antiquities expert, exhibition curator and African dancer
Arséne Delay: musician, singer, songwriter, Baby Doll and water warrior
Michael Richard, II: Farm Manager for Recirculating Farms, botanist, food justice warrior and Loyola Law student.
Cherelle Blazer: MESc, Senior Director, Sierra Club International Climate and Policy Campaign
Monique Harden: Director of Law and Policy at Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Sage Michael Pellet: New Orleans Climate Justice Organizer at Healthy Gulf
Sustainable fashion show: Featuring models from Chic Nouvelle and sustainable materials from the Ashé Diaspora Boutique such as mud cloth and recyclable purses from Cape Town, South Africa.
Joce and Vote
JOCE US on Saturday for discussions and special guests at Joce and Vote, hosted by the Young Fierce Citizens! Young Fierce Citizens is an initiative “bridging the gap between youth and policy change” by Ashé Cultural Arts Center and Power Coalition. This group of Black youth ages 16-24 are on a mission of civic empowerment to increase participation in the democratic process among their peers. Their methods include canvassing, voter registration, movement building, and civic engagement.
Panelists:
Mariama Drammeh (Power Coalition, Program Coordinator)
A’Leahia Barbarin (Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Young Fierce Citizen)
O’mari Ho-Sang (Senior State Organizing Manager in Louisiana, Black Voters Matter Fund)
Special Guests:
DJ 89 Ray
Elm Boy Peg
BJ So Cole
Ashé Rooftop Festival
October 7-8, 2023 12pm - 12am | Enter a world of cultural majesty right under the open sky at the Ashé Rooftop Festival! Experience themed rooftops featuring art, wellness, social justice, Black literature, and performances from your musical favorites. Iconic DJs, mouthwatering foods, signature cocktails, thought-provoking discussions, interactive installations, and much more!
The Wellness, Social Justice, and Ashé Café Rooftops will close with a sunset toast and direct you to The unASHÉmed Rooftop for additional performances.
The unASHÉmed Rooftop
Sponsored by Premium Parking | 12pm-12am Oct. 7 & Oct. 8
Premium Parking P373 (650 O’Keefe Avenue Floor 6 New Orleans, LA 70113)
Join us at our main, unASHÉmed Rooftop for two full days of the African Diaspora in the sky! We’re taking the journey from our roots and hymns, to the beats and raps that define our culture. Catch some of your favorite DJs, headlining performances from local and national acts, food, Black-owned vendors, a fashion show, and more!
The Wellness Rooftop
Sponsored by New Orleans East Hospital, Selina Catahoula, Center for Black Health and Equity | 12pm-6pm Oct. 7 & Oct. 8
Selina Catahoula (914 Union Street New Orleans, LA 70112)
Take a moment to pause, breathe, and relax with massages, yoga, health and wellness resources, spa treatments, healthy bites,and mindfulness meditation led by Ashé’s I Deserve It community health workers and Sistahs Makin’ A Change. Experience the transformative power of self-care in our community, because you deserve it!
The Ashé Café Rooftop
Sponsored by Roami at The Brandywine | 12pm-6pm Oct. 7 & Oct. 8
Roami at The Brandywine (888 Baronne Street New Orleans, LA 70113)
Dive into the world of Black literature and Black liberation at the Ashé Café Rooftop featuring thought-provoking spoken words, books and art, and scents and tastes of coffee-shop sips and sweets!
The Social Justice Rooftop
12pm-6pm Oct. 7 & Oct. 8
Troubadour Hotel (1111 Gravier Street)
Hosted by #BLAIRISMS, come out for music, performances, and empowering Art of Conversation panels elevating the various social impacts in our community with artists, local leaders, and organizers.
To ensure a smooth experience for all, please note that tickets to the Ashé Rooftop Festival and Gala are non-refundable and non-transferrable. This means that once you've secured your spot, it's all yours to enjoy!
We understand that unexpected circumstances may arise, but this policy helps make sure everyone gets a fair chance to attend this unforgettable event.
Special thanks to our philanthropic partners who have supported us in our 25th Anniversary year: Warner Music Group / Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund, Surdna Foundation, Ford Foundation and our additional philanthropic partners: Kresge Foundation, Women's Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Mellon/Billie Holiday Fund, Mellon Foundation, Louisiana Division of the Arts, Greater New Orleans Foundation, Black Seed, Resilience Initiative, Ford Foundation (IMLS), Enterprise Corporation, Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation, Hancock Whitney, Johnson & Johnson, Culture and Community Power Fund, United Way, Foundation for Louisiana, South Arts, ACNO NEA ARP, ACNO CAG, Center for Black Health & Equity, New Orleans Tourism & Cultural Fund, and Hearthland Foundation.
EVENT CALENDAR
Ashé Cultural Arts Center creates, promotes, and hosts professional and community productions and events that explore and illuminate artistic distinction, community engagement, and a commitment to the African Diaspora and surrounding community.