Event proceeds benefit the NOCCA Foundation’s mission to invest in young artists, their mentors, alumni and the community
Tickets now available at www.artandsoulnocca.com
Thursday, March 20, 2025 (NEW ORLEANS, La.) — The NOCCA Foundation and The Meraux Foundation are proud to present the 2025 ART&SOUL “Golden Gala” on Saturday, May 17, celebrating 50 years of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). The evening will feature live entertainment from NOCCA alums Sasha Masakowski, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Preservation Hall (along with some surprise performances by additional NOCCA alumni), plus live entertainment by current NOCCA Music students, food from NOCCA’s Culinary Arts students and faculty (plus some of your favorite chefs and restaurants), a silent auction and much more. The event will also offer creative on-site experiences by NOCCA students including portraits drawn by Visual Arts students and improv poetry penned by students in NOCCA’s Creative Writing program.
Tickets to the event are now available at ArtAndSoulNOCCA.com, with proceeds directly supporting the NOCCA Foundation and its initiatives for NOCCA students, their teachers, alumni and the community.
“We are thrilled to celebrate 50 years of NOCCA and showcase talents from so many incredible students and alumni at this year’s Golden Gala,” said Adonis Rose, Executive Director of the NOCCA Foundation. “Funds raised at this event and throughout the year provide resources and opportunities that can change student’s lives. As a NOCCA alum myself, I am proud to work with the NOCCA Foundation, champion its ongoing initiatives and play a small role in helping our students achieve their dreams.”
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- Click here for sponsorship options, including tables, tickets and patron party access. *please submit by March 21 to be included on the official ART&SOUL invitation.
- Patron Party: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
- Gala: 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm.
- Alumni After-Party: 10:00pm – 12:00am
- Click here for sponsorship options, including tables, tickets and patron party access. *please submit by March 21 to be included on the official ART&SOUL invitation.
- Tickets:
- $250 / Patron Party, with a pre-gala party from 6:00pm – 7:30pm featuring a special performance by NOCCA alum Sasha Masakowski with special guests, plus early access to our art-filled silent auction and admission to the gala from 7:30pm – 10:00pm.
- $100 / Gala, from 7:30pm-10pm, with performances by Big Sam and Preservation Hall, a sprawling buffet prepared by NOCCA Culinary Arts students and faculty, and drinks provided by Sazerac/Goldring Family Foundation.
- $50 NOCCA Alumni Ticket /access to the Gala and Alumni After-Party. Limited availability!
- Click here to donate to our silent auction.
“The ART&SOUL Gala is a one-of-a-kind event that should not be missed,” said acclaimed musician and NOCCA alum Sasha Masakowski. “I’m so excited to be back at my alma mater to celebrate NOCCA’s 50th birthday and perform on the same stage as other great alumni and current students. This is going to be a night to remember!”
In May of 1975, NOCCA held its very first graduation. Fifty years later, NOCCA is known around the world for its dedicated faculty and long list of accomplished alumni, including Jon Batiste, Harry Connick Jr., Jeanne Michele Charbonnet, Wynton Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, Wendell Pierce and many more. Today, the school offers students intensive instruction in culinary arts, dance, media arts (filmmaking and audio production), music (classical, jazz, vocal), theatre arts (drama, musical theatre, theatre design), visual arts and creative writing, all while demanding simultaneous academic excellence. Every year, 95 – 98% of NOCCA graduates attend college and conservatory programs across the country, with almost 80% of students receiving scholarships.
The NOCCA Foundation champions the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, investing in young artists, their mentors, alumni and the community through programs that encourage educational excellence and artistic innovation. The Foundation’s Student Support program and its longstanding Artists-in-Residence program have helped make NOCCA the gold standard of arts education in Louisiana and around the globe. The Foundation also oversees rentals of the NOCCA campus, making it available to arts organizations, individuals, corporations and additional community or business groups.
“With over 25 alumni now serving as faculty and staff at the school, it’s clear that NOCCA not only changes lives, but also fosters lifelong relationships and dedication to bettering this amazing organization,” said Rose.
ART&SOUL 2025 is co-chaired by Ashley and Tim Francis, Stephanie and Terrance Osborne, Elise and Matt Ryan, and Sharonda R. Williams. Major sponsors include The Meraux Foundation, Emily Wolfe and Scott Wolfe, Hancock Whitney Bank, Times-Picayune/NOLA.com, Sazerac/Goldring Family Foundation, Baptist Community Ministries, Gregory Holt and Lucy Burnett, Pixie and Jimmy Reiss, and Madalyn and Robert Schenk.
For more information on the 2025 ART&SOUL Gala and to purchase tickets to the event, visit ArtAndSoulNOCCA.com. For additional details on The NOCCA Foundation and how you can support, visit NOCCAFoundation.org.
ART&SOUL 2025 COMMITTEE
CHAIRS
Ashley & Tim Francis
Stephanie & Terrance Osborne
Elise & Matt Ryan
Sharonda R. Williams
COMMITTEE
Seth Bloom
Shanekah Johnson
Phyllis Mandal
Janice R. Manuel
Adam Matasar
Ashly McCord
PJ Morton
Kristin Shannon
Stephen Stryjewski
Claire Elizabeth Thriffiley
Regine Villain
Emily Wolfe
Gabe Wright
ABOUT NOCCA AND THE NOCCA FOUNDATION
The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) was founded in 1973 and opened its doors to students in 1974. Today, NOCCA is celebrating 50 years as Louisiana’s arts conservatory for high school students, offering intensive instruction in Classical Music, Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Dance, Drama, Entertainment Production Design, Jazz, Media Arts, Musical Theatre, Vocal Music, Visual Arts and academics. Students come from across Louisiana, attending via full-day, afternoon, and after-school sessions. Admission to NOCCA is by audition, and there is no tuition.
The NOCCA Foundation is NOCCA’s nonprofit partner, providing supplemental funding for NOCCA and advocacy for its world-class program. Some of the Foundation’s more notable endeavors include: a Student Support Program that pays for students’ classroom supplies as well as fees associated with important summer training programs across the country; an Artists-in-Residence Program that brings more than 100 professional visiting artists into NOCCA’s classrooms each year; the capital campaign for NOCCA’s current home and expansion projects like Press Street Gardens; a wide array of arts classes for adults; and concert, gallery, and literary events for the community. The Foundation also oversees rentals of the NOCCA campus, making it available to arts organizations, individuals, corporations, and other groups.
ABOUT THE MERAUX FOUNDATION
When Arlene Meraux founded the Meraux Foundation, she asked her niece, Rita, to manage it with a simple guiding principle: to ensure that the land resources that Arlene transferred to the foundation would be used to improve the quality of life in St. Bernard.
Over the past 10 years, our nonprofit’s current board has been realizing that vision through a strategy focused on land use, education, environment, economic development, arts and culture, and community resilience.
