Muses Honors Cultural Bearers
This year we are honored to have an inspiring group of women riding with us. These women are the heroines of our community. They are Muses to the Muses. They are our Culture Bearers.
Givonna Joseph
Founder and Artistic Director of the award-winning OperaCréole. Ms. Joseph is committed to the culture of New Orleans, the city of her birth. This is most evident in her research on 19th-century classical music of New Orleans’s Free People of Color. The national lecturer also teaches a class for Loyola’s College of Music and Media called Opera, Classical Music, and Race and private voice lessons. Givonna is also an Arts Integration Specialist, working with organizations such as Young Audiences, Make Music NOLA, and The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music
Stella Chase Reese
President of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant Corporation and the Edgar and Leah Chase Foundation. She is the daughter of the legendary restauranteurs and prominent leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, Edgar “Dookie” Chase, Jr. and Leah Chase. Ms. Reese was also named an honorary Imagineer with Walt Disney because of her work with the Tiana’s Adventure Bayou project. She continues to work as a consultant with Disney to continue to bring Princess Tiana’s story to life as the character was inspired by her mother.
Linda Green
New Orleans native and culinary icon known as the “Yakamein Lady.” Ms. Linda is internationally known as the winner of the Food Network’s Chopped Pride of New Orleans and has been featured on internationally syndicated TV shows including Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel show No Reservations. Ms. Linda has been featured in numerous publications such as CNN, BBC, Travel Channel, The New York Times, Huffington Post, Thrillist, Times-Picayune, ZAGAT Magazine, WHERE Y’AT Magazine, Gambit Magazine, etc. Rolling Stone Magazine featured Ms. Linda’s Ya-Ka-Mein as the “Best Food on the Fest Grounds” for the 2014 Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Katrina Andry
Native New Orleanian who continues to live and work in her hometown. Katrina received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and Master’s of Fine Arts in Printmaking, from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Katrina is widely acknowledged to have reached mastery in woodcutting printmaking, the September 2012 issue of Art in Print magazine listed Andry as one of the top 50 printmakers. Andry’s work has been exhibited in Prospect 5 New Orleans Triennial, and has additionally been exhibited at the Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA; the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana State University Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA.
Monique Lorden
New Orleans-born, award-winning published author and versatile artist whose creative work inspires, educates, and empowers communities on social justice, cultural heritage, and personal empowerment. Monique Lorden uses her voice to educate and rally for change. She is the creator of the 1985 Love Campaign. The 1985 Love Campaign is a heart-driven initiative determined to rebuild and restore communities with love. Her works have been featured in numerous exhibitions, publications, and events.
DJ Soul Sister
Internationally known DJ artist, vinyl collector, and veteran WWOZ FM volunteer show host of her 25+ year-running Soul Power show, which features 1970s through mid-1980s funk, disco, and soulful rarities from her personal collection of thousands of records. As a performance DJ, she was the first to win New Orleans’ Big Easy Entertainment Award for “Best DJ.” She has performed with everyone from Questlove to George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.
She also teaches a History of Urban Music course for the College of Music and Media at Loyola University New Orleans and serves professionally as curator of the Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz, a division of Tulane University Special Collections.
Queen Tahj
New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian, has participated in this rich cultural tradition since 2009. Queen Tahj is currently a member of the Golden Eagles Tribe. She is passionate about educating others on the art of sewing and beading a suit, speaking about the BlackMasking Indian culture and traditions, mentoring the youth interested in masking, as well as any cultural-related events.
Queen Tahj has the amazing distinction of being the first artist ever to handcraft both the Super Bowl logo and theme art for Super Bowl LIX. A graduate of Tulane University with honors in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology (concentration in Cybersecurity).
Doreen Ketchens
aka “Lady Louie, Miss Satchmo & The Female Louis Armstrong” world-renowned clarinetist! You can find her concert halls, music festivals, U.S. embassies, and decades of her weekly performances in the Royal Street Performing Arts Zone in the French Quarter. Ketchens has performed for four U.S. presidents – Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter – and was described by Nola.com in 2012 as a cultural ambassador of New Orleans.