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One of the new exhibitions on view this fall at Newcomb Art Museum is called Flint is Family, the result of artist, activist, and MacArthur Genius awardee LaToya Ruby Frazier’s time spent photographing three generations of women and their day-to-day lives as they endured the Flint Water Crisis. (Photo by Newcomb Art Museum)

To mark the opening of their new exhibitions on view this fall, Newcomb Art Museum is hosting a weekend of celebratory activities, including an opening reception, an exhibition panel, gallery talk, and family activity day – all free and open to the public.

On Thursday, September 5, guests are invited to the museum to explore "Flint is Family," the beautiful and moving artistic result of artist, activist, and MacArthur Genius awardee LaToya Ruby Frazier’s time spent photographing three generations of women and their day-to-day lives as they endured one of the most devastating human-made, environmental tragedies in U.S. history: the Flint Water Crisis. Also on view is the accompanying student exhibition, organized by the Critical Visualization and Media Lab at Tulane, "The American Dream Denied: The New Orleans Residents of Gordon Plaza Seek Relocation." This exhibition, part art show, social history, and critical visualization project, features interviews from Gordon Plaza residents, historical photographs, activist documentation, and artworks by Tulane faculty members AnnieLaurie Erickson and Jonathan Traviesa, among others, as it explores the human impact of environmental pollution in Louisiana.

The reception begins at 5 p.m. with a special preview hour for museum members, artists, show collaborators, and Tulane faculty and staff. The reception is immediately followed by an engaging and informative exhibition panel discussion at 6 p.m. in Freeman Auditorium. The panel features experts on the Flint Water Crisis, Michael Mascarenhas and Ben Pauli, as well as Tulane Environmental Studies professor Christopher Oliver, PhD, Peoples’ Assembly Representative Angela Kinlaw, and Gordon Plaza resident Shannon Rainey. The panel will revolve around a discussion of the impact of environmental pollution on marginalized communities. Directly after the panel, the museum will remain open late from 7 to 8 p.m. for a public reception with refreshments.

On Friday, September 6 at 1 p.m., in conjunction with the opening weekend, the museum will host chemist, microbiologist, and MacArthur Genius awardee Wilma Subra for a free gallery talk. Subra is known for helping vulnerable communities ­– including those communities featured in the student-organized "The American Dream Denied" – document the health toll of industrial pollution.

Closing out the weekend on Saturday, September 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., families are invited to take part in a free family day, with activities inspired by the exhibitions on view. Guests of all ages can make art with recycled materials, create a ‘zine’ to document their own stories, enjoy interactive storytelling from Young Audiences of Louisiana, and take part in recycling by bringing gently loved crayons to be packaged and passed along to local schools.

The museum and its opening weekend events are free and open to the public. Learn more by visiting newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu.