"My paintings are questions." ~ Rose Frantzen
About Me
Marla is a self-taught, Louisiana based artist. Her recent series explores the nuances of carnival culture in New Orleans within hierarchical structures and the way in which individuals briefly engage for festivities in collective union, only to disperse and reassume life within socially constructed identities and circumscribed roles. She explores imagery that subverts traditional roles held by women in ancient civilizations during times of harvest and celebration within the context of women’s social status in modern society. She questions the interplay between the imagined past of ancient history and the expression of reimagined identities in modern life. She works with a broad range of media, including drawings, paintings, and assemblage.
CV here: mchirdonart
More recently, Marla was a visiting artist in St. Mary Parish, both lecturing and teaching introductory watercolor workshops at the Alex P. Allain Memorial Library. She also served as a judge for the 2024 Poetry Out Loud state finals competition for the state of Louisiana. She was commissioned to create visual art for a 2023 poetry showcase event funded by the Acadiana Center for the Arts. She volunteered for a mural art project in the 6th ward of the historic, Treme neighborhood and she curated an art exhibition featuring a local, New Orleans artist as part of cultural programming for the defunct Renaissance Project in the Lower 9th Ward. Marla was part of a creative writing collective from 2012-2015 and she participated in poetry readings at cultural institutions in New Orleans. In 2013, she was a Decentralized Arts Funding (now Louisiana Project Grants) grant panelist for the Arts Council of New Orleans (now Arts New Orleans).
