Nous!, a cultural center featuring a French-language bookstore, gallery, and more, recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 602 Toulouse St. in the French Quarter of New Orleans, La. NOLA.com reported that Scott Tilton and Rudy Bazenet, co-founders of the nonprofit New Orleans Foundation for Francophone Cultures, have "been bringing French back to the French Quarter. This month, the couple behind the nonprofit, known as Nous, celebrated a newly renovated space in that historic district. With a Champagne toast, of course."
In a recent Facebook post, Nous! wrote: "It's open, y'all! Scott and Chaoui were chased down (again) to give a tour of our new cultural center at 602 Toulouse Street--and we had to share that with y'all. We love our gallery, bookstore, and studio. Enjoy the tour, y'all."
The new headquarters features a bookstore offering French classics, books by Louisiana authors, and art exhibition catalogues from Paris and Quebec. There is a studio and a sunny exhibition space. For Tilton and Bazenet, "the new gallery space is a symbol for its expanding ambitions that include exhibitions, community collections and, in partnership with other French organizations, French classes," NOLA.com noted.
"It's a little hub that's starting to reemerge," said Tilton, adding that the new storefront has attracted families, tourists, and people who work nearby. "People are walking in and actually speaking French to us." They are also asking questions about Louisiana French and Creole. "So it's really cool to be able to have examples of contemporary publications that they can just crack open and, if they speak French, they can see the difference immediately."
Bazenet, who designed the space, is already planning additional bookshelves.