“North Pole Nutrias” Holiday Happy Hour

Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street Tickets on sale November 9 $10 general admission Free for HNOC members Join HNOC for a special holiday film screening and happy hour featuring North Pole Nutrias, a 30-minute film written and created by New Orleans–based artist and puppeteer Miss Pussycat in 2002. The film, shot and directed by Rick Delaup, stars nutrias Dusty and Treasure with celebrity voicings by cartoonist Bunny Matthews as Dusty the Nutria, former Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee as the evil Virus, Chris Rose as Dog, Rio Hackford as Mr. Fiddle, and many more special guests! Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The film screening will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a Q&A featuring Miss Pussycat and Rick DeLaup. Light refreshments will be served after the program. Attendees are encouraged to wear holiday attire. This program is presented in conjunction with HNOC’s exhibition and book Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions, and is part of French Quarter Fridays featuring live music, happy hours, and engaging activities in HNOC’s French Quarter courtyard. New Orleans nutrias Dusty and Treasure win a trip to the North Pole—now a tourist destination built up as a Vegas-style village. They enjoy a complimentary suite in the famed Ice Cave hotel. The orange-toothed couple are even treated to a free musical extravaganza hosted by Santa Claus (played by Al Scramuzza). Is this dream vacation too good to be true? Dusty and Treasure discover the real reason they were called out to Santa’s winter wonderland. A nasty but musically inclined Virus (Harry Lee) has been destroying all the toys in Santa’s workshop. Can Dusty and Treasure help save Christmas? Shot and directed by Rick Delaup; edited by Tim Watson Run time: 30 minutes Filmmaker Rick Delaup shot and directed the Christmas classic North Pole Nutrias, as well as The Drum Buddy Show, collaborating with Quintron and Miss Pussycat. A New Orleans native, Delaup studied documentary filmmaking at Columbia College Chicago. Delaup’s documentary Ruthie the Duck Girl aired on WYES New Orleans, screened in various festivals, and this past April was screened at the Broad Theater, presented by the New Orleans Film Society. Delaup has spent decades researching and documenting the history of New Orleans burlesque, recording interviews with more than 40 former dancers, musicians, and comics who entertained during the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s. He is currently in post-production on a documentary about the iconic Hummingbird Hotel and Grill, which closed in 2002. Miss Pussycat began her career in art and puppetry as a child in the Southern Baptist Church of Antlers Oklahoma as part of the Christian Puppet Youth Ministry. She later moved to New Orleans and started a secret nightclub in her house, called Pussycat Caverns, which hosted bands and all types of performances in a unique and lively atmosphere. For over 30 years she has been busy presenting art, music, and puppet shows in rock clubs, libraries, basements, museums, and secret clubhouses all around the world. Miss Pussycat has enjoyed doing large-scale installations and exhibits of her puppets and their worlds at many exciting institutions, including the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, the Galveston Arts Center, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Contemporary Art Center of New Orleans, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. She was the featured artist for Gonerfest 16 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is a a twice-featured artist for the New Orleans art triennial Prospect. The magical collaboration that is Quintron and Miss Pussycat began at a Mardi Gras party in New Orleans. Their latest record, Crystal Crunchy, is out on Rhinestone Records, as is Miss Pussycat’s latest puppet record, The Skit Split. Enjoy live music, happy hours, and curated experiences in HNOC’s French Quarter courtyard. Become an HNOC member for as little as $45 and unlock free admission and one complimentary drink at all French Quarter Friday events, while enjoying all the great year-round benefits of HNOC membership. Explore the world of the legendary New Orleans artist and his iconic characters, Vic and Nat’ly. by Alison Fensterstock and Michael Tisserand Through unusual posters and interviews with two of Tipitina’s co-founders, we take a look back at the club's early years. Bunny Matthews’s signature characters distilled everything that fascinated him about New Orleans—the good, the bad, and the bizarre—and became enduring icons in the process. In a substantial new acquisition, the archive of a distinctly New Orleans cartoonist comes to HNOC. HNOC cataloger Emily Perkins picks her favorites from the Tipitina’s posters in the Michael P. Smith Collection. Subscribe to Our Newsletter