What We Fund
Evenings with Enrique
For those looking for an evening filled with music, art & magic.
FREE for Louisiana residents, Evenings with Enrique is a live music, food, and art experience that happens every Wednesday in April and October from 5–8 p.m. in the New Orleans Botanical Garden. In addition to music that will speak to your soul, you’ll also try dishes created by acclaimed local chefs while strolling through the garden’s 2,000 lush plants and blooming flowers collected from around the world.
Evenings with Enrique, which began in 2016, pays homage to renowned artist Enrique Alférez, who has over 20 sculptures featured in The Helis Foundation Enrique Alférez Sculpture Garden, an 8,000 sq. ft. park set within sweeping footpaths surrounded by flourishing tropical flowers and shrubs.
October 2024 Music Lineup:
Wednesday, October 2 - Geovane Santos 7tet, Brazil
Wednesday, October 9 - Julio & Cesar 4tet - Guatemala
Wednesday, October 16 - Vivaz - 5tet - Bolivia
Wednesday, October 23 - Patrice Fisher & Arpa - 6tet with guests from Puerto Rico & more*
Wednesday, October 30 - Papo & Son Mandao - Cuban trio
*Details for DOTD: Local artist Hugo Montero will unveil his Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar at the Botanical Garden Conservatory on Wednesday, October 23. The altar will remain on display through Sunday, November 3. Thanks to The Helis Foundation, Louisiana residents can enjoy free admission to the Botanical Garden from October 23 to November 3 to view the Día de los Muertos altar.
About the Artist
Enrique Alférez, a Mexican-American artist who lived in New Orleans for almost 70 years, is an iconic artist whose work is intertwined with the built environment of New Orleans. Alférez was active during the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and his sculptures can be seen throughout New Orleans, including Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition, and New Orleans City Park.
If you’re a fan of Alférez’s work, you can also purchase the book Enrique Alférez: Sculptor by Katie Bowler Young from the Oscar J. Tolmas Center at the entrance to the Botanical Garden. Published by The Historic New Orleans Collection in 2021, the book chronicles the life of the preeminent artist and was made possible with support from The Helis Foundation and members of The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 2019 Bienville Circle and Laussat Society.
