Bead-mad Mardi Gras marching group is inspired by graffiti and street art (2024)

It’s the confluence of two great New Orleans artforms: Mardi Gras costumes and aerosol street art. The Dames de Perlage,one of those fabulous 21st-century, do-it-yourself Carnival walking clubs, are devoted to Carnival beadwork. And this year, they've turned their creativity to graffiti and murals.

The 40-some Dames plan to show off their elaborate beaded costumes in the Tucks parade on Saturday (Feb. 26) at noon on the Uptown route. Plus the crafty ladies will conduct a Lundi Gras bar crawl starting at the Acme Oyster House, 724 Iberville St., at 3 p.m.

The Dames are disciples of Carnival beading, from the glitter of bejeweled ball costumes to the gleam of Mardi Gras Indian mosaic patches.In fact, back when the Dames de Perlage ("Ladies of Beadwork") formed in 2012, they invited Black Indian Maskers to show them how to properly sew.

After that, they were off to the races, teaching newcomers the tricks of the trade.

This year, the 40-some members turned their attention to the street art that’s splashed across the New Orleans cityscape. From the transcendent graffiti of aerosol masters such as READ, Hugo Gyrl and Mr. Balloon Hands, to the marvelous muraling of Skela and BMike, to the iconic advertising signage on the popular Manchu Food Store, the Dames have it all.

So far, they’ve strutted in the Freret and King Arthur parades. Co-founder Christine Clouatre said she hopes this year’s street art costumes inspire New Orleans to go out and search for the real thing.

Artist Lana Guerra, whose street art pseudonym is Crude Things, said that someone from the Dames de Perlage "hit her up on Instagram" a year or two ago, to make her aware of plans to interpret her murals as bead mosaics.

"I said, 'Yeah, that would be cool,'" Guerra recalled, but then she forgot all about the project. When she finally saw the finished products (Crude Things murals were featured in two costumes), she said the result "was like mind blowing."

The incomprehensibly complicated beaded patches that adorn the women’s torsos and headdresses take a year to conceive and create. The exacting detail makes them difficult to see in the dark, so the Dames confine their appearances to daytime parades.

The day after Mardi Gras, beading begins again, according to the Dames' website. Each crafter creates a bead-covered bustier and headdress.

Past Perlage themes have included a tribute to Jazz Fest, a collection of landmarks that ain’t dere no more, Audubon Zoo animals and the “Fierce Women of Louisiana.”