Second Line in the Sky

Katy Casbarian - Project Visionary and Lead Collaborator

A native New Orleanian, Katy Casbarian leads the legendary Arnaud’s Restaurant with her mother Jane and brother Archie. Family-owned since 1918, the iconic Creole institution remains a French Quarter cornerstone, celebrating New Orleans’ spirit of hospitality and community while preserving its century-old legacy. Inspired by the city’s enduring spirit, she conceived Second Line in the Sky and brought together the creative team to realize the temporary memorial.

Studio West - Creative Direction and Project Lead

A woman-owned practice led by Jennie West and Jason Richards, Studio West is a New Orleans based team of architects, designers, and planners whose work spans hospitality, historic preservation, and civic-led design. Recognized for fostering collaboration and championing local artists, Studio West led the creative direction and technical coordination alongside each artist to realize the shared vision behind Second Line in the Sky. Recent projects include Karnofsky Tailor Shop, Saint-Germain, Poydras Hospitality Development, and Algiers Terminal. studiowest.design / @studio.west.design

Babette Beaullieu - Artist and Co-Creator

A New Orleans based mixed media artist, Babette Beaullieu has lived and worked in New Orleans as a sculptor/installation artist manipulating language, cultural objects, and space. She creates installations in nature, designs memorials and deals with transition/memory while creating a sense of ceremony in the arrangement/content of her artwork. Her works have been shown in galleries, museums, and private collections across the United States. Recently created public works for: THNOC-A Portage Bike Tour, Walter Anderson Museum- environmental sculpture on Horn Island and New Orleans Academy of Fine Art- Prayer Flags / Shrine.

Jan Gilbert - Artist

A native New Orleanian, interdisciplinary artist/curator who mines memory, loss, and transition. She has directed, produced, and participated as a core artist in a variety of exhibitions, collaborative public art projects, and site-specific interactions including THNOC’s Art of the City, CAC’s Tank Drama, Lakeview’s Sunset Bus Tour, and New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts Tale of Two Cities. Gilbert co-founded The VESTIGES Project artist and writer collective.

Margaret Crosby - Artist

A New Orleans–based mixed media artist, photographer and documentary filmmaker whose work celebrates the people, culture and wild beauty of coastal Louisiana. Through her work, Margaret tells stories shaped by the human connection to nature, community and heritage. She has shown her work in galleries, permanent and private collections internationally. She is the co-founder of the nonprofit Shrimp Aid and the Louisiana Shrimp Festival where she advocates for coastal heritage and supports Louisiana’s wild-caught seafood traditions.

Judy Cooper - Artist

Judy Cooper has lived and worked as a photographer/writer in New Orleans for many years. She has always enjoyed photographing her fellow New Orleanians whose colorful and quirky customs she admires.Since 2000, she has focused on the Social Aid and Pleasure clubs and their flamboyant and joyful street parades that crisscross the city on most Sunday afternoons. In 2023, The Historic New Orleans Collection published Dancing in the Streets by Cooper, a photographic and written history of the 100 year old cultural tradition.

Jamall Tate - Artist

Born and raised in New Orleans, Jamell Tate is a photographer dedicated to documenting the city’s Black cultural legacy. Since picking up a camera in 2017, his work has centered on Black Masking Indians and Second Line celebrations, honoring the traditions that shaped him. A proud product of the 9th Ward, Jamell builds genuine relationships within his community and is committed to “putting his friends on gallery walls all around the city—and, hopefully, around the world.”