NEW ORLEANS, LA.- The new year brings a fresh line-up of exhibitions at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, as well as two additional exhibitions being extended and the continuation of a Prospect.2 exhibition.

Opened on Jan. 5 are two Education exhibitions: Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary Art Contest and Looking to Learn: Ursuline Academy. On Jan. 19, the Museum premiered exhibitions focusing on three Louisiana artists: The Created World of Enrique Alférez, The Past Still Present: Photographs by David Halliday; and Jimmy Descant’s The Shape of Louisiana Commenting on the Shape of Louisiana. Two exhibitions, also featuring Louisiana artists, have been extended to Feb. 26, 2012: Ersy: Architect of Dreams and Josephine Sacabo’s Óyeme Con Los Ojos. And the acclaimed Prospect.2 exhibition featuring New Orleans native Ashton Ramsey will be on view until Jan. 29, 2012.

The Created World of Enrique Alférez
Easily recognizable for its simple elegant lines, excellent craftsmanship, and iconic imagery, the work of Enrique Alférez has become an integral part of the city of New Orleans. Alférez was a driven artist, dedicated to a democratic ideal of public art, and unflinching in his vision of the world he created.

Born in 1901 in the State of Zacatecas, Mexico, Alférez was the son of an artist who was trained in Europe and sculpted religious figures in Northern Mexico. At the age of 12, Alférez left home to work for Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution. After the revolution, Alférez made his way to Chicago for formal art training. On his way to Yucatan for a sculptural commission, he stopped in New Orleans in May 1929, and made the city his home. Over the next seven decades he produced a legion of works, both public and private, that stand as testament to his unique ability, exuberance and vision.

The exhibition features sculptural work in bronze, plaster, wood, and terra cotta, as well as a selection of works on paper. This exhibition is on view through April 2, 2012.

The Past Still Present: Photographs by David Halliday
A master of light, New Orleans photographer David Halliday produces lush and elegant images that are both classical and modern. Using window light to illuminate his subjects, Halliday’s direct formal approach offers a fresh take on the historic art prototypes of still life and portraiture. The simplicity of his visual language produces images that transcend time. On view through April 8, 2012.

The Shape of Louisiana Commenting on the Shape of Louisiana
Jimmy Descant (a.k.a. “the Rocketman”) is an assemblage artist known primarily for his use of found objects to create retro-futuristic rocket ships inspired by the quality of earlier craftsmanship, Art Deco, science fiction and the spirit of exploration and optimism prevalent in mid-century America.

In The Shape of Louisiana Commenting on the Shape of Louisiana, Descant uses the shape of his native state as the foundation for a series of assemblages that speak to the cultural, political and natural environment of Louisiana in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the failure of the Federal levee system in New Orleans, and the BP Macondo well oil spill. On view through April 8, 2012.