NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Ahead of the New Orleans Opera Association (NOOA)’s production of Blue on Nov. 10 & 12 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, NOOA partners with Young Audiences Charter School, an arts-integrated public charter school serving Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, to amplify themes of art and activism as represented in Blue – a contemporary opera about racial injustice. Art students in grades 10-11 from Young Audiences Charter School conceptualized and painted a 4x12ft mural titled Shades of Blue representing the opera with inspiration by artist Charles Alston from the Harlem Renaissance period. New Orleans Opera’s partnership with Young Audiences Charter School supports the opera’s vision to connect all people with the joy of opera by collaborating with community members to safely and impactfully display real-life experiences through art, both performance and visual. Shades of Blue is on display at the Mahalia Jackson Theater beginning Nov. 2.
“Art, in all its forms, is not just a medium of self-expression, but a powerful tool to connect, communicate, and encourage empathy for others,” says NOOA Director of Community Partnerships and Education Dr. Tara A. Melvin. “New Orleans Opera is committed to ensuring that our youth’s talents are recognized and that they are empowered to use their artistic talents to beautifully spark conversation and community around their lived experiences.”
Shades of Blue was created by Young Audiences Charter School’s advanced art students in grades 10-11 under the instruction of Roan Smith, Young Audiences Charter School’s Head of Visual Arts. Centered the opera on the story of Blue, the students combined elements of Harlem Renaissance artist Charles Alston’s painting titled Walking in the foreground representing a peaceful demonstration and Alston’s cubist Cityscapes of Harlem in the background. Within the demonstration signs are the student’s depiction of Blue’s main characters in the same style as Alston’s work.
“The students at Young Audiences Charter are extremely talented, and we are excited that our partnership with the New Orleans Opera gives them an opportunity to share their art and talent with their community,” says Young Audiences Charter School Head of Visual Arts Roan Smith. “My art students’ creation of this mural, and having it displayed at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, is an experience that will fuel their passion to unapologetically create art that will be embraced by their community members and peers – and we couldn’t be prouder to do this with such a powerful story as Blue.”
Created by Emmy Award ®-nominated librettist Tazewell Thompson and Tony Award ®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori, the opera Blue tells the story of a Black family in Harlem that struggles with the thought of raising a Black son in 21st-century America. Sixteen years later, The Son is now a young artist and activist, and clashes with his father – finding himself at odds with his father’s role as a cop. While at a protest, tragedy strikes, and The Son is killed at the hands of a white police officer. After The Son is killed, The Mother and The Father lean on their church and community as they navigate their grief.