KOLAJ LIVE ONLINE
The Art of River
Saturday, 19 September 2026, 1-3PM EDT (1700 UTC)
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During this Kolaj LIVE Online, we will hear from artists whose work appears in the exhibition “Come to me, here beside the River.” Artists collaged Harold Fisk’s 1944 Mississippi River Meander Belt Maps along with materials found in archives and their personal material collections to make artwork that invites us to consider the role the Mississippi River has played in shaping history and community.
“Come to me, here beside the River”
8-22 September 2026
New Orleans Jazz Museum
Iron Fence of the U.S. Mint
400 Esplanade Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana 70116 USA
“Come to me, here beside the River” brings together nine International Collage Artists, each of whom offers a unique take on the Mississippi River as a dynamic force of culture. Artists collaged Harold Fisk’s 1944 Mississippi River Meander Belt Maps along with materials found in archives and their personal material collections to make artwork that invites us to consider the role the Mississippi River has played in shaping history and community. The artwork inspires curiosity or wonder; tells stories about the River’s history; speaks to how the River fits into contemporary life; and encourages the viewer to reflect upon the The River as a source of poetry and spirituality. The title of the exhibition is a reference to Maya Angelou’s (1928–2014) invitation in her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning” where she wrote, “Speak to humankind today. Come to me, here beside the River.”
Artists Participating in the Exhibition
Anthony D Kelly (Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland); LaVonna Varnado Brown (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA); Marta Janik (Warsaw, Poland); Lilya Chavaga (Brussels, Belgium); Matthew Hendricks (Cape Town, South Africa); Allison Spence (Tallahassee, Florida, USA); Jeanna Penn (Oakland, California, USA); Ric Kasini Kadour (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA & Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
About “The River Bends and So Must We”
The exhibition is the first activity in Kolaj Institute’s project, “The River Bends and So Must We”. In 2026 and 2027, The Institute is bringing together artists from the International Collage Community to make artwork that imagines and speaks to what lessons the River can teach us about our own humanity. “We will consider the history of the River in New Orleans from primordial times, pre-Columbian civilization, and to the present moment. We will examine how the River is an economic force, a tool of power, a natural wonder, and source of magic.”
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ABOUT KOLAJ LIVE ONLINE
Kolaj LIVE Online is a series of virtual programs in the form of forums, panels, workshops, artist talks, studio visits, and other activities that allow people to come together, learn and talk about collage, and connect in real time to the collage community. Our goal is to bring the community together in a spirit of mutual support and fellowship. Kolaj LIVE Online manifests Kolaj Magazine and Kolaj Institute by bringing together artists, curators, and writers to share ideas that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century movement. Learn more at the SERIES WEBSITE.