The Louis Armstrong House Museum is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Tuesday Oct. 15 with a bash that begins on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. with a program that includes a special performance by The Hot Sardines, and Creole creations based on Louis’s own recipes prepared by The Cooking Channel’s Tamara Reynolds and her company, Van Alst Kitchen
The museum, which has welcomed 100,000 visitors since opening its doors to the public as a historic house in 2003, will also unveil Louis Armstrong’s life mask, which has recently been restored and will be on display for the first time in the museum’s history.
David Reese, the museum’s curator, said, “Life and death masks constitute a distinct subset of sculpture. They have been crafted for many centuries, utilizing a variety of processes and materials (such as wax or plaster), but all are modeled from the real surfaces of individual faces, either before or just after death. These masks are often commissioned to immortalize famous people. Life or death masks of Tutankhamen, Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Ludwig Von Beethoven and John Keats are among the most prominent examples of this genre. They include deep wrinkles, crooked noses, double chins, or other imperfect features that a sculptor might not usually include in shaping the bust of an individual.
The life mask of Louis Armstrong, made in the 1950s, captures broad scars on his lips, heavy bags under his eyes, and deep creases on his forehead. Viewing this plaster portrait is almost like seeing Louis’s real face, and it reveals his character as no other image can.”
The Louis Armstrong House Museum’s Anniversary Bash will be held in the Armstrong garden at 34-56 107th St., Queens. Tickets are $30, $45 and $100, include beer and wine, and must be purchased in advance. $45 tickets include a limited-edition commemorative print of Louis Armstrong and $100 tickets include the print plus one-year museum membership.
For more information go to LouisArmstrongHouse.org or call Louis Armstrong House Museum at (718) 478-8274.
