Laveau Contraire, a rising drag performer and 2022 CAC Artist in Residence, is presenting COLORS with collaborators sora, and Synamin Vixen. Through storytelling and performance, COLORS aims to splatter the walls of your mind with experiences and perspectives on what it means to live in a world full of color.
The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans (CAC) announced the premiere of COLORS by Laveau Contraire’s, a decadent celebration of the vibrant lives and expressions of some of the gulf coast’s most brilliant performers of color including Sora, and Synamin Vixen, September 2 & 3, 2022 at 7:30 pm, during Southern Decadence weekend. Tickets are On Sale, $25/$20 for CAC Members at cacno.org or at 900 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA.
Contraire is part of the CAC’s Artist Residency program, an application-based program offering time, space, resources, and professional development opportunities for both visual and performing artists in New Orleans. The residencies advance the CAC’s mission to foster and engage local and regional artist communities, and support the creation of multidisciplinary art of our time.
Cast of COLORS
Laveau Contraire (She/They) is a drag performer from New Orleans, Louisiana. She has been putting audiences under her spell since 2015, and strives to bring magic and wonder to all of her artistic endeavors. Shortly after starting her drag journey, Laveau was crowned the winner of Tumblr’s Drag Race Cycle 7 and hosted and produced Cycle 8. Since then, Laveau has expanded her artistry to include hosting, producing, live singing, original music, celebrity impersonations, improv, drag mothering, drag wrestling, and is always looking to expand her horizons. An educator by day, Laveau is passionate about making drag accessible to audiences of all ages and often participates in Drag Queen Storytime events throughout the city. Laveau was also recently awarded the title of “Best Drag Queen” by the community in the 2020 FLAME Magazine Awards, and Gambit’s 40 under 40 Class of 2021. Known for her non-stop shenanigans, this witch is sure to bring down the house. Learn more about Laveau Contraire at www.laveaucontraire.com and @laveaucontraire on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter.
sora (He/They/Any) is a young pop songwriter who follows the timeless approach of taking emotional and personal experiences and bringing them to life, using a vast arsenal of sounds and influences paired with unique, striking visuals. The end result is music for the digital age: alt-pop made easy. Instagram & Twitter: @soracalling
Synamin Vixen (She/They) is a writer, educator, Black Studies scholar, singer, and choreographer. She has more than 25 years of dance experience locally and internationally, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Black Studies and Dance Composition from Swarthmore College. She has studied Afro-Diasporic herbal and traditional care practices, reiki, and sex doula work for the past three years. With a wide range of experiences, Synamin explores how all of these different artistic interests live in one body and influence each other. Her choreography sparks conversations on identity and social memory. Much of Synamin’s work explores how individuals relate to and influence groups, and how our narratives on similar events can differ greatly based on our lived experiences. Her work in burlesque (on and off stage) focuses on how the body is a sensual site of transformative healing. In 2021, she released her first book of ancestral poetry entitled Daughter of a Nymph Divine.
In addition to Laveau Contraire, the CAC’s multi-disciplinary curatorial team selected the following artists for the 2022 Summer artist residency: Britt Ransom a visual artist whose practice and teaching explore the conflicts within our shared climate through digital fabrication processes; a.r. havel, a multidisciplinary artist who brings his work Oh Holy Filth, a collaborative altar project that combines set design, photography, collage, and spiritual practice. havel’s collaborators include Xiamara Chupaflor, a collage and mixed media artist; and Koko Barrios, a first generation Mexican-American multidisciplinary artist from Los Angeles. Both Ransom and havel’s work is currently on view in SOLOS through September 25, 2022. Lauren Ashlee Messina, a mover, maker, and mentor who is fascinated by the medium of dance, is also a member of the 2022 Artist Residence. Messina premiered Louisiana Flood Stories on July 8, 2022 at the CAC.
“New Orleans is a city full of diverse artists creating important and innovative work and the applications we received is proof of this. I was beyond impressed with the proposals and was heartened to see the range of voices and talent. The visual and performing artists selected for this year’s residencies are going to bring much color and life to the CAC and I am pleased to be able to work with them in the development of their solo shows,” states Erin Lee Antonak the CAC’s Multidisciplinary Arts Curator.
COLORS by Laveau Contraire is made possible through the generosity of the Welch Fund and the RosaMary Foundation.
Programming and Exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans are made possible through generous support from our generous supporters including: The Andrew Mellon Foundation; Art for Justice Fund, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; The Helis Foundation; the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation; Greater New Orleans Foundation; National Performance Network; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation; CAC President’s Council members; and CAC Silver Circle members. We are also grateful for the generous in-kind support from The Domain Companies and Old No. 77 Hotel and Chandlery.
About the CAC
The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans is committed to artists, the presentation of multidisciplinary work, and advancing the value and power of the art of our time. As a touchstone for Contemporary Art in New Orleans and the Gulf South, the CAC works to foster awareness of new ideas in contemporary art; provide exhibition and performance opportunities for artists pioneering in their fields; serve as a hub for artistic communities; and enhance access for New Orleans and Gulf South communities to contemporary art that provokes, inspires, and encourages critical and creative reflection on a just society. Museum admission is free on Sundays for Louisiana residents, courtesy of The Helis Foundation. Children and students through Grade 12 and under receive free admission, courtesy of The Helis Foundation. Visit the CAC online at cacno.org.
