Queens Rule!, an exhibit of images of Mardi Gras Indian Queens from 25 Indian organizations opens Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at the McKenna Museum of African American Art, 2003 Carondelet St.

The exhibit, presented in conjunction with the citywide PhotoNOLA festival, will run through March 14, 2015.

The Queens Rule! Exhibit will feature over 40 archival photographs, studio portraits, Queens’ ritual attire and other artwork inspired by Mardi Gras Indian Queens. The exhibit is curated by Herreast J. Harrison of the Guardians of the Flame Institute and designed by graduate students in the Museum Studies program at Southern University at New Orleans, which is led by Dr. Sara Hollis.

Opening night of the exhibit will include a short theatrical performance titled “Theatre of Place” featuring Tribal Queen Littdell Banister, Big Queen Laurita Dollis, Maroon Queen Cherice Harrison-Nelson, Barbara Lacen Keller and Dr. Roslyn Smith.

The performance will be directed by Gerald Stropnicky, co-founder of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble and the Network of Ensemble Theaters.

The Queens spend a full year designing and sewing a new tribal suit which is displayed in scheduled parades and for special events. The suits are tributes to ancestors, the spirit world, and African and Native American rituals.

The exhibition is presented by the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame and the Donald Harrison, Sr. Museum at the George and Leah McKenna Museum of African American Art.

The Queens Rule! exhibit will have panel presentations, music performances and other events scheduled from December 2014 through March 2015. Additional event information will be posted on the Museum website at www.mckennamuseum.com.