Gallery Arlo Mary Bonney
time to being a character in a movie as she peddled through the street dodging potholes and taking in the scenery . She continues the movie role now by streetcar to get to her position with the gallery on Exchange Alley . From the word on the street , she is spending a lot of time impressing clients . Helping with curation , shipping , client issues , and over all gallery operations , Julie feels her decision to leave a rewarding career running an art program in NOLA hospital systems to pursue something different within the art world was a good one . What makes Julie so special is that she appreciates what Royal Street and the French Quarter have to offer . She looks past the not-so-attractive parts to focus on and appreciate the history of the city and the part she is playing in further developing that .
Actors are versatile performers , and so are the members of our all-star cast . Take Nikki McCoy , for example . After many years at FiFi Mahoney ’ s making people look like stars , she created a persona that quickly became a central reason visitors returned . With a smashingly colorful style , a beautiful rasp to her voice and a laugh that immediately invites a good day , McCoy gathered her clients , friends , family , and reputation to guide her to chasing her dream amid a global pandemic . Leaving FiFi ’ s , McCoy landed her dream shop at 713 Toulouse St . Gimme was born , and the next chapter of McCoy ’ s life began . Flashy , over-thetop fashion meets Barbie everything . Think pink , think pinker , and then add leopard print and you have McCoy and her shop pretty much in a nutshell . With the first Barbie photo booth in the quarter , the only one , actually , her little shop is fast on its way to becoming a mecca for folks looking for the unconventional and the gloriously weird . McCoy suggests that everyone take the time to stroll down Royal Street at dusk . The energy of the Street stops , and it becomes a place like no other in the world .
When you take that stroll , be sure to stop by Arlo gallery and meet Mary Boone . Her role on Royal is a unique one . Lovingly labeled as a radio show , her gallery serves as a nonstop revolving door of people visiting , sharing leftovers , and therapy sessions . Wine consumption is also a big part of what happens in her two large yellow chairs in the center of her gallery . The artwork speaks to her energy and her whimsy , and she credits the fact that Royal Street is a walking neighborhood with creating the time and opportunity for people to genuinely greet each other and spend time getting to know one another . That is rare in this world , and it is what makes the French Quarter such an incredibly special place .
" Think pink , think pinker , and then add leopard print and you have McCoy and her shop pretty much in a nutshell ."
If you like music , you are in excellent company with our next All-Star . Emilie Rhys , famed music and musician portraitist , runs her roots very deep in the art world of the French Quarter and New Orleans . Emilie is known for , and frequently seen , creating artwork in real-time at music venues and festivals throughout the city . As the musicians create the sound , Emilie creates art the moment that the sound was made . I like to think of her as a human camera , but better . She takes moments that are destined to live in our brains as memories and makes them art . Loose looping lines develop into whimsical likenesses of musicians during live
22 | The French Quarterly