The previous Art for Co-op Sake was a rousing affair that rocked the Big Top for hours. Last time a sizable crowd enjoyed a spectacular live art auction that generated several thousand dollars to fund projects of the New Orleans Food Cooperative. This year we are expecting to top that with a fantastic array of well-known and soon-to-be-well-known artists that are all a part of the wonderful art scene right here in the Crescent City. The doors open at 7pm and the auction starts at 8pm on the 14^th of October, details are also listed here.

If you have never been to a live auction, this is an experience you do not want to miss. The Food Co-op’s own John Calhoun will be the auctioneer and he will work his distinctive patter throughout the auction accompanied by live music. We expect to have a variety of home-cooked delicacies for your nourishment and of course the Big Top offers a beer and wine bar for your refreshment. Live music will be presented during the intermission by New Orleans jazz-man Martin Krusche. The Big Top, home of the 3 Ring Circus, is a unique venue as a performance space and art gallery located at 1638 Clio Street just a couple of blocks from Lee Circle.

All proceeds will benefit a future cooperative storefront and the current project of the New Orleans Food Cooperative, a mobile market to bring grocery to the starving under-served city of New Orleans. Many neighborhoods still do not have easy access a grocery stores and we will be operating an innovative mobile grocery store starting this winter in select neighborhoods. This is just one more step on our way to opening a cooperative grocery store in New Orleans, so come on out, have a tasty plate of food, enjoy the swell atmosphere of the Big Top and purchase some one-of-a-kind local art to support the New Orleans Food Cooperative.

What follows is a list of just some of the artists who have contributed art for this year’s auction, and if available, a brief description of the piece or a link to information about the artist and their work on the Web. For corrections or additions, please see the note below. All links are to external pages and will open a new browser window.

• Donald Tully has crafted an iron sculpture, you can see a review of one of his past series entitled Digital Taoism & Tribal Icons here.
• Audry Herbert has donated a pottery piece.
• Hope Amico of the zine Keep Loving, Keep Fighting. Her zine work also included in the anthology Stories Care Forgot– An Anthology of New Orleans Zines.
• Hannah Cohen, enter her contemporary folk art world of Red Beans and Nice.
• Amzie Adams has been an essential New Orleans character since 1969, check out his online gallery.
• James Michalopoulos has donated a print, he has a gallery downtown and online.
• Lynn Moore has donated a wire sculpture of the human figure.
• Violet Skye has contributed a botulism piece from her recent Biotoxin series.
• Dr.Bob’s folk art is immediately recognizable to any New Orleans resident‚ Be Nice or Leave are words we could all live by
• Cree McCree is a culture author and flea market connoisseur. She designed the Flying Monkey costumes worn by members of Friends-of-SMITH of Krewe de Vieux in Mardi Gras 2006 and is donating an original costume.
• Jeannie Detweiler paints aliens, cats and Mr. Bingle and makes plush stuffed toys and handmade faux fur shoulder bags, check out her site and bid on a stuffed toy.
• Reynard Rochon has donated a photograph.
• Jonathan Traviesa has also donated a photograph, his work was recently featured on the cover of Katrina Exposed: A Photographic Reckoning by NOMA reviewed by a local blogger here. He garnered local fame for neighborhood photos of Bayou St. John area homes during Katrina that he then installed in situ post-k.
• Simon, a renowned New Orleans folk artist has a gallery on Magazine.
• Shannon Brinkman has donated a photograph, see the online gallery here.
• Renee Allee has donated a folk art piece.
• Bedonna Magid-Wakeman has a unique folk art style seen here.
• Zack Smith, an old friend of the Co-op, has donated a photograph. His online gallery space can be enjoyed here.
• Shawn Hall of Piety St. Recording works in a variety of media.
• Mystic Blue Signs operates out of a Magazine address, you have definitely seen their work.
• Herman Leonard is a photographer of great renown, and we are very pleased to present another one of his photographs to support the co-op.
• George Rodrigue of Blue Dog fame has donated a print.
• Julie Piere is donating a future performance art installation.
• Ibby Caputo has donated a photograph.
• Other featured artists include Ed Hammerli, James Martin, Tamara Grayson, Laura Rieff, Carolyn Fields, Frank Carter, Bunny Martin, Eric Buchanan

Note: If you are an artist on this list, and you want to add to or correct the the description, you may leave a comment below, or send an email to budd at nolafoodcoop dot org.