New Orleans is full of artists helping define this moment, and six of them now have a home at the New Orleans Museum of Art. On October 28, NOMA announced its 2026-27 Creative Assembly Cohort: artist and storyteller Compton III, painter and educator Ben Hamburger, musician and composer Kelly Love Jones, performance poet and teaching artist Donney Rose, multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Kelsey Scult, and interdisciplinary artist and photographer Tiffany Smith.
Launched in 2021, Creative Assembly is a year-long residency inside the museum’s department of learning and engagement. Cohort members draw inspiration from NOMA’s collection, exhibitions, public programs and the beloved Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The group began the residency in September with an on-site orientation into the museum’s history and programs, and during the year they will receive funds and museum support to develop artistic projects and create public offerings in collaboration with museum educators.
“This year’s cohort of New Orleans-based artists represents a breadth of artistic perspectives,” said Dr. Redell Hearn, NOMA’s chief educator. “We are thrilled for NOMA to be a place of discovery and innovation.” Jones is this year’s Creative Assembly Artist-in-Residence supported by the Darryl Chappell Foundation. For visitors, the happy promise is simple: fresh painting, music, poetry, film and photography, made in conversation with the museum all year long.
Photo: New Orleans Museum of Art
