', Love and Mardi Gras in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Support the Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, sustainability projects, educational outreach, and more. “We will usually sit down together and come up with a couple different ideas for themes,” Caroline said. To have a home included, send address and/or photos and other information to dmaccash@theadvocate.com. Royal Artists has four full-time float painters on staff and a team of artists who do part-time and seasonal work to assist in the process. I probably won’t ever plan a costume ahead of time. Eileen Tomczuk, who owns the LePage Street house with her partner Xiaobin Tuo, said that she “never thought in a million years” that her $25 donation would result in the flock of giant birds that has converted her home into a local attraction. We tell unforgettable stories about people, ideas, and a wide array of arts and traditions that help us explore where we have come from and where we are going. You have permission to edit this article. Thousands of New Orleans residents are decorating their houses to resemble Mardi Gras floats 'to cheer people up' after the coronavirus outbreak … Hopefully, Mardi Gras 2022 will be celebrated on the streets as it should be. Carnival is a Western Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is not just a one-day celebration; it is a season of festivities that typically lasts four to eight weeks. “I reached out to Devin on a Sunday and was just like, ‘Hey, can you think of a way we could have some of these houses sponsored so that we could actually do them up proper and so that we can pay people professional rates?’ And the next day, he called me up, and he said, ‘I got five grand. The design process is different for each krewe. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate), Float builder, artist and parade designer Caroline Thomas stands in front of house No. For Mardi Gras 2021, when the very idea of a large, tightly packed crowd feels years away, New Orleans has adapted. ... is helping Howse with flowers and plans on constructing a beehive and honeypot to … House Float #4: The Birds of Bulbancha. She was also concerned about the lasting impact that COVID-19 would have on the future of the industry. After Mardi Gras, the sculptures and props used in the “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” project will be removed from the homes, and may be exhibited and offered for sale to benefit the krewe’s charities, krewe captain Devin DeWulf said. The "Little Shop of 2020 Horrors" house float is in the Algiers Point neighborhood of New Orleans. It’s its own unique regional artform. Carnival itself is a legitimate art form in its own right. The coronavirus pandemic is disrupting everyday life and cultural expressions around the nation and across the world. People already had built up these bonds, and they had created these networks of people, so when you had this kind of emergency hit, you already had these people’s numbers saved into your phones, or you had that email list to send out and say, ‘Hey, we need help with this.’ And I think you really start to understand why these exist. The terms “Mardi Gras” and “Carnival” are often used interchangeably by locals, as they are in this essay. She has master’s degrees in French and folklore from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Indiana University, respectively. Mardi Gras refers to Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. An enormous, papier-mâché skull has sprouted from the house at 1834 Toledano St. Plus some gigantic winding snakes, tall cypress trees, and hu…. “I don’t think I really appreciated it until I left for college and left the state. De Wulf said while the spirit of the season can be difficult to grasp, it’s often found in the unexpected. When she returned to Louisiana from her trip abroad, she had a realization: “I think this thing clicked in my head where at this time, I was trying to make fine-art painting about Carnival, and I realized that it was like a hat on top of a hat. “Neighbors have been walking over and taking pictures.”. When would you start?’”. Like any proper float, this house also has a title, which is ñThe Night Tripper.î Because the coronavirus pandemic is causing widespread unemployment for Mardi Gras float painters and makers and designers, the Krewe of Red Beans started an initiative to put these artisans to work decorating houses for Mardi Gras. Altered Altars: The Changing Traditions of Día de los Muertos>, Mother Tongue Film Festival Celebrates Cultural and Linguistic ...>, The Folkloric Roots of the QAnon Conspiracy, Memories of a Young Armenian Film Director, Band Kids Never Grow Up: Starred Thoughts from the UMass Marching Band, Ella Jenkins, a Hidden Figure in the Fight for Civil Rights, Ashley Minner, Reclaiming Space for the Lumbee Indians of Baltimore. “I still do everything by hand,” she explains. A house at 2656 LePage St. converted to a stationary ‘float’ by the Krewe of Red Beans 'Hire a Mardi Gras Artist' program, A house at 2656 LePage St. converted to a stationary ‘float’ by the Krewe of Red Beans 'Hire a Mardi Gras Artist' program, 'Birds of Bulbancha,' 2656 LePage St. by the Krewe of Red Beans' 'Hire a Mardi Gras Artist' program. Carnival denotes the entire season of festivities that begins on January 6 and ends on Mardi Gras day. For Catholics, the weeks leading up to Easter are traditionally spent fasting or giving up luxuries. At the time of this writing, the team has completed 12 house floats, and has funded work for 22 houses. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate), Love in the time of Mardi Gras and a coronavirus pandemic. Because the coronavirus pandemic is causing widespread unemployment for Mardi Gras float painters and makers and designers, the Krewe of Red Beans started an initiative to put these artisans to work decorating houses for Mardi Gras. Most of the raffle winners have come from donations of fifty dollars or less. Demian and Angela Estevez, sit on their front porch decked out for Mardi Gras on Wednesday, December 16, 2020. Everything we’re doing is rooted in that history.”. The team has also accepted commissions from businesses or individuals with the means to have their houses professionally decorated. This process of designing and creating floats for Proteus is only a fraction of the work that the team at Royal Artists completes during the year. That’s why she said she suggested the bird motif to project artists lead by Caroline Thomas. In the wake of that announcement, I spoke with Mardi Gras float painter and designer Caroline Thomas. And it’s usually the people that are actually building that culture that are the last people to actually see the money. There’s certain parts about parade culture that I don’t think could really exist in its intensity outside New Orleans.”. Caroline and her team hire eight professionals to work on each funded house float. After the design is finalized, she creates hand-drawn sketches and watercolors for the artists to reference during the painting and sculpting process. “That definitely hit hard for me too, where it was like, this culture could actually be extinct. I think for a lot of these houses, there’s going to be a lot of plywood flats because obviously we can’t paint people’s houses, but we can create an atmosphere with just plywood cutouts and whatnot. It’s the second elaborately decorated house produced by the Krewe of Red Beans “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” program. 'Float houses' are popping up all over New Orleans for Mardi Gras 2021: Now with 250 photos! 1 titled 'The Night Tripper' at 1834 Toledano St. Dec. 16. Because the coronavirus pandemic is causing widespread unemployment for Mardi Gras float painters and makers and designers, the Krewe of Red Beans started an initiative to put these artisans to work decorating houses for Mardi Gras. The project is primarily supported by public donations. “It’s usually something with mythology, literature, or history. We think about Mardi Gras as a party, but really it is almost like a fire drill. Boudreaux became the Mardi Gras house float coordinator overnight, she said. The Krewe of Red Beans hopes to complete 40 decorated houses by Mardi Gras 2021 on Feb. 16. We are creating these community bonds during the good times so that when something bad happens, we can get into lock step really quickly and address the problem.”
(Photo courtesy of Rene Pierre) Rene Pierre is a Mardi Gras artist, too. Mardi Gras is one of the most well-known celebrations in the U.S., drawing on a history that dates back to medieval Europe and pagan spring festivals and fertility rites. Demian and Angela Estevez, sit on their front porch decked out for Mardi Gras on Wednesday, December 16, 2020. The krewe has collected donations of more than $1 million to support restaurants, front line health care workers and culture bearers during the pandemic. Once hired, the artists decorate a New Orleanian’s home in the style of a Mardi Gras float, complete with cut-outs, sculptural props, and painted elements. I think I had a case like a lot of people in Louisiana where you don’t understand what exactly is so unique about it until you feel its absence.”. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use), Float designer and painter Caroline Thomas. While driving along the edge of City Park a few days ago, Joe Scheuermann and his daughter Nataly hatched a bold idea. “A lot of people, if you’re just an ordinary Joe, and you want your house decorated, it might be hard for you to understand the labor that goes into something like a papier-mâché sculpture. A Louisiana native, she was born in New Orleans and raised in Baton Rouge. Float flowers add a distinct carnival flair and can be as elaborate or simple. Tomscuk, who is the curator of education at the Louisiana State Museum, said she came to New Orleans from her native New Jersey in order to attend Tulane University. 1 titled 'The Night Tripper' at 1834 Toledano St. in New Orleans Dec. 16. They imagined parking a…, Jan. 6 is the beginning of the Carnival season. Rex has twenty floats in its parade, while Krewe d’Etat has twenty-four. Mardi Gras, which means "Fat Tuesday" in French, marks the end of the Carnival season. We’ve got a map for you! Just because the Mardi Gras parades are canceled, it hasn't stopped people's creativity. —Caroline Thomas. She has published articles for the Louisiana Folklife Program, Journal of Folklore Research Reviews, Louisiana Folklore Miscellany, and the Journal of Ethnic American Literature. Caroline first started working as a Mardi Gras float painter after completing a degree in fine art painting in Cincinnati. Any local donor can have their house turned into a float no matter how big or small their donation, which Caroline says “is great because it means that you can donate a dollar and get your house done.”. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate), Float builder, artist and parade designer Caroline Thomas, right, walks out the front door of house No. Caroline and Devin see the Hire a Mardi Gras Artist and Feed the Second Line projects as platforms that go beyond the Carnival season. Beyond the homeowners, this project is a treat for the city, where locals and visitors can revel in the festivities by viewing the house floats from the street. Luckily, we do also have this rich history of the parade that has been rolling for so many years, so sometimes we will pull something that references a past theme.”. Caroline walked me through the process of how she and owner Richard Valadie develop the design for the Proteus parade each year. They've decorated many of the city's hospitals with 3D flowers and super-sized Mardi Gras beads. Unlike Rex and Krewe d’Etat, the theme for Proteus is designed by Royal Artists. Tomscuk said the artists produced the “Birds of Bulbancha” in a warehouse and installed the large decorations in a matter of hours. to explore the Krewe of House Floats. 4½-hour online spectacular to show celebrities, musical performances, Carnival features. Each New Orleans krewe that they work with has between 16 and 24 floats per parade, which does not include their work for the Mobile Carnival. De Wulf said while the spirit of the season can be difficult to grasp, it’s often found in the unexpected. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate), A flower on the front door of house #1 entitled, 'The Night Tripper' at 1834 Toledano St. in New Orleans Dec. 16. Maria Zeringue is the Folk and Traditional Arts Director at the Mississippi Arts Commission, where she manages the online publication Mississippi Folklife. “And then we’ll have probably around four artists, if not more, that are actually working on the building of the float itself, whether that is going to be someone who does the paper flowers, or we give them part of the design and they do a sculptural element. A large papier-mâché skull has taken over the front of the house at 1834 Toledano Street, surrounded by snakes, cypress trees and irises in bright hues of purple and green. “At Royal Artists, we still do everything with papier-mâché,” Caroline said. In addition, 20 percent of the funds will be donated to the Feed the Second Line initiative. Becoming a Mardi Gras Artist . There’s no pension, There’s no insurance. Over the course of our conversation, Caroline spoke about her path to become a Mardi Gras artist and the process of float building. Hire a Mardi Gras Artist is now managed by Caroline, Devin, and Dana Buehler, a Mardi Gras “painter, sculptor, and multimedia artist who serves as the project manager. According to the project’s website, its three goals are to create jobs, “spread carnival joy to NOLA” (aka New Orleans), and “take care of our fellow-New Orleanians. We delve into the complex lives of individuals and communities to find what inspires and motivates people as they respond to animating questions at the center of contemporary life. People make Mardi Gras special.”. When parades were canceled for the 2021 Carnival season due to COVID-19, many Mardi Gras artists lost their jobs. Visit Caroline Thomas’ Instagram page @feastandfolly, to see her curation of images from Mardi Gras history and masking and processional arts. DARROW: Styrofoam flowers, paper flowers - we just went with do one thing, do a lot of it. Paper mache flowers blossom from the front porch. While similar, these terms refer to different aspects of the holiday. As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues to keep large crowds from gathering, New Orleans bars are closed and parades are cancelled for the Fat Tuesday celebration. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate), A couple snakes across the top of house No. Folklife is a digital magazine of music, food, craft, and culture. As she says, the best of Mardi Gras is the community, created through celebration and festivity, that supports people through difficult times. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate), A south Louisiana theme around the front door of house No. “You know the magic of Mardi Gras is ephemeral and it comes and it goes, but in that moment when you’re there, it’s just pure bliss, it’s pure joy.” Houses are the new parade float this Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They will provide financial support for the city’s community of practitioners and artists in the future. 1 title 'The Night Tripper' at 1834 Toledano S. in New Orleans Dec. 16. A spectacular, giant egret sculpture has popped up on the porch of a home at 2656 LePage St. in the Fair Grounds neighborhood, surrounded by other huge bird replicas and enormous papier-mâché flowers. “I know some people switched over to doing it on the computer, but all of the Proteus designs are archived, so I think it is important for them to have a physical copy. Because the coronavirus pandemic is causing widespread unemployment for Mardi Gras float painters and makers and designers, the Krewe of Red Beans started an initiative to put these artisans to work decorating houses for Mardi Gras. Maria Clark. Caroline first started working as a Mardi Gras float painter after completing a … In this sense, Mardi Gras extends beyond the weeks of Carnival season. You know, it could die in my lifetime, so you appreciate it more. In 2020, there were approximately forty-seven parades in New Orleans during Carnival. Bertuccelli is a third-generation Mardi Gras artist who was born in Italy and moved to New Orleans in 1977. Demian and Angela Estevez kiss through their masks while hanging out on their front porch decked out like a Mardi Gras float on Wednesday in New Orleans. Each “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” house will cost $15,000 and employ several artists. “We do everything using those traditional techniques, and we try to use that as our strength. The Krewe of Red Beans is not alone in producing decorated houses during the COVID Carnival. The Krewe of House Floats is a loose association of hundreds of do-it-yourself house decorators, some of whom also plan to employ professional float decorators. Lisa Browning works on a portion of one of the planned 'house floats' in the upcoming Carnival season, which will not feature parades. In Alabama, Royal Artists is contracted by several parade organizations of the Mobile Carnival. With her fellow Mardi Gras artists, she discussed what they should charge.