KEY TAKEAWAYS: New Orleans Museum of Art selects six local artists for its 2026-27 Creative Assembly residency. The yearlong program provides funding and museum resources to support artistic projects and public programming. Participating artists work across painting, music, poetry, filmmaking, photography and other disciplines. Kelly Love Jones receives residency support from the Darryl Chappell Foundation, now in its second year of funding.   The New Orleans Museum of Art has selected six local artists for its 2026-27 Creative Assembly residency program, which provides funding and institutional support for artists to develop projects and public programming that connect the museum with the community. The yearlong program brings together artists working in painting, music, poetry, filmmaking, photography and other disciplines. Participants collaborate with the museum’s learning and engagement department to create public programs inspired by its exhibitions, collections and Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The six artists selected for the 2026-27 cohort are: Compton III, an artist, designer and storyteller whose work includes sculpture, illustration and cultural preservation. Ben Hamburger, a painter and art educator whose work explores relationships between people, places and the natural environment. Kelly Love Jones, a musician and composer whose work blends reggae, hip-hop, soul and Caribbean influences. Donney Rose, a performance poet, advocacy journalist and teaching artist whose work examines the Black American experience. Kelsey Scult, a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker working in film, sculpture, sound and installation. Tiffany Smith, an interdisciplinary artist and photographer whose work explores cultural identity, representation and the concept of home. The artists began their residencies in September with an orientation introducing them to the museum’s history, collections and educational programs. Launched in 2021, Creative Assembly provides participating artists with financial support and access to museum resources to develop creative projects and engage with audiences through public programming. “This year’s cohort of New Orleans–based artists represents a breadth of artistic perspectives,” said Dr. Redell Hearn, chief educator at NOMA. “We are thrilled for NOMA to be a place of discovery and innovation for working artists who are helping define our current moment.” Jones was also named this year’s Creative Assembly artist-in-residence supported by the Darryl Chappell Foundation, which is funding one artist in the 2026-27 program. The foundation is supporting the residency for a second year, with funding that incorporates the Wilfred Wallace Hammond Jr. Performing Arts Legacy Award. “We honored NOMA as our Partner of the Year for its Creative Assembly program, now in its second year of support from the foundation,” said Darryl Chappell, founder and CEO of the Darryl Chappell Foundation. The residency is part of the museum’s broader efforts to expand community engagement and provide opportunities for artists to develop work across disciplines. NOMA, located in New Orleans City Park, maintains a collection of nearly 50,000 works spanning multiple cultures and artistic traditions. Its 12-acre Besthoff Sculpture Garden features nearly 100 sculptures and outdoor artworks and is open to the public free of charge. ...read more read less