Press Release

NEW ORLEANS - Heriard-Cimino Gallery presents Audra Kohout in her new series, What Little Girls Are Made Of, box assemblages, bell jars and sculptural pieces. This exhibition will be on view from April 5th through April 29, 2008. A reception to meet the artist will be held on Saturday, April 5th from 6 until 8 p.m. The public is invited. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 until 5, or by appointment.

Kohout continues her journey into the psyche to further explore the complexities of childhood experiences through the associations of her characters in her conceived nursery rhymes and fairytales. Kohout incorporates material and subjects that continue to mystify. These characters possess a mischievous and playful nature, occupied in music, games, and love. They appear to inhabit an underlying echo of tenuousness in overcoming fears and expectations. Her subjects possess a sense of the provocative.

Kohout’s world is unique, and she knows her materials well. She can delve into the depths of her world, and talk about the underlying themes, suggestions, and messages while creating pieces that resonate with a mystifying elegance and poetry.

Audra Kohout has established a large body of collectors both locally and nationally. The artist has been awarded numerous grants throughout the years from the Louisiana Division of the Arts. She also received the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant in 2006. The Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans presented The Ghost of Cornell, where Kohout’s box assemblages were exhibited with the works of Joseph Cornell. She was chosen for the Texas National exhibition in Austin, and continues to be invited to present her work in exhibitions throughout the country.