Since 1976

About the CACNO

At its core, the CACNO exists to cultivate and present art that challenges convention and expands the definition of contemporary practice.

1976
Founded by a collective of artists working across disciplines
4
Galleries across two stories of the building
150
Seats in our black box theater, plus a dance studio
1,000+
Artists presented since the doors opened in 1976
Our mission

The CACNO is committed to artists, the presentation of multidisciplinary work, and advancing the power of art in our time.

Our values

Locally rooted,
globally engaged

The CACNO was founded on the conviction that artists from New Orleans and beyond deserve a platform where ambitious work can be developed, shared, and supported across media, methodologies, and cultural perspectives.

Rooted locally and engaged globally, the CACNO explores how to support regional artists on a national and international scale. These encounters spark contemporary conversations that energize audiences and encourage artists to take risks.

What we present

Visual art and performance

From its earliest exhibitions to its current programming, the CACNO has foregrounded work that engages aesthetics, identity, family, and the complexities of lived experience.

Visual art spans painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation. Performance brings together theater, dance, sound, and music under a shared commitment to innovation and rigor.

Our home

900 Camp Street

The CACNO officially began in 1977, although rumor persists that its spirit was already hard at work in 1976. It was founded by a collective of artists united by a shared belief in experimentation, exchange, and possibility.

Our home at 900 Camp Street, gifted by Sydney Besthoff in 1999, is both a legacy and a living space. The four story facility includes four galleries, a 150 seat black box theater, a dance studio, a board room, and administrative offices.

The CACNO's history is defined not by retrospection, but by sustained inquiry.

For nearly five decades the Center has introduced bold, vital, and joyful voices alongside established practitioners. It is not simply a place to view art. It is a catalyst for the humanities, a stage for experimentation, and an ongoing proposition for what contemporary art can be.

In the building

Our partners on site

Mr. Wolf Espresso + Books

Ground floor lobby. Members receive 15% off food and beverage.

Common Era

Second floor.

The Shop

Third and fourth floors.

Who we are

Meet the team

Executive staff
Raelle Myrick-Hodges
Executive Director
Damaris Calliet
Finance Manager
dcalliet@cacno.org
Joshua Casimier
Patron Services Manager
jcasimier@cacno.org
Administrative staff
Wendy Washington
Executive Initiatives Associate
wwashington@cacno.org
Maurice Isom
Facilities Manager
misom@cacno.org
Hunter Francisco
Creative Initiatives Associate
hfrancisco@cacno.org
Steve Gilliland
Technical Director/ Production Manager
sgilliland@cacno.org
LB
Venue Design and Consultation
Front of House
Kim Adams
Mia Bailey
Loren Brown
Jose Castro
Myranda Cook
Alice Lapeyre
Emily Merritt
Marco Saah
Journey Sanders
Irvin Washington
Board of directors
Mary LaChappelle
Co-Chair
Athena Stanford
Co-Chair
Stew Krane
Vice-Chair
Julie Connelly-Nicoll
Secretary
Shelby E. Russ Jr.
Treasurer
Amber Albarado
Bryan Bailey
David Baker
Katie Baudouin
Valerie Besthoff
Shannon Blady
Jana Brady
Ana Castro
Kyle P. Digby
Jonathan Fawer
Mike Ince
Emmeline Johnston
Alma Lorena Luna
Jaclyn Majewski-Woollam
Delfeayo Marsalis
Gina Monette
Arthel Neville
Imbrie Packard
Jared Pellerin
Michael Schneider
Sharron Silvers
Francesca Vega
Get involved

Foster the Future at the CACNO

To work with, play within, or invest in the CACNO is to keep this a place of possibility, imagination, and shared purpose.

Become a Member
50
Years of Contemporary Art in New Orleans
1,000+
Artists presented since 1976
900 Camp St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
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