The NOMA Book Club meets monthly to discuss fiction and nonfiction books related to art in NOMA’s collection and exhibitions. It is an informal group open to anyone on a month-to-month basis. You do not have to attend every meeting or read every book! In addition to monthly book discussions, the Book Club meets periodically for curatorial programs related to the book selections. Books are selected in advance and planned for the entire year according to the exhibition schedule. Participants are expected to procure their own copy of the selected titles. Meetings are held in person or via Zoom, determined at the beginning of each month. All meetings begin at 12 pm. For more information on the NOMA Book Club please contact NOMA’s Curator of Education, Tracy Kennan, at tkennan@noma.org or (504) 658-4113. MARCH Midnight Blue: A Novel by Simone van der Vlugt William Morrow Paperback, 2018, ISBN: 0062686860 Following the sudden death of her husband, 25-year old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as a housekeeper to the successful Van Nulandt merchant family. Amsterdam is a city at the peak of its powers: science and art are flourishing in the Golden Age and Dutch ships bring back exotic riches from the Far East. Madam Van Nulandt passes her time taking expensive painting lessons from a local master, Rembrandt van Rijn, and when Catrin takes up a brush to finish some of her mistress’s work, Rembrandt realizes the maid has genuine talent, and encourages her to continue. When a figure from her past threatens her new life, Catrin flees to the smaller city of Delft. There, her gift as a painter earns her a chance to earn a living painting pottery at a local workshop. Her talent revolutionizes the industry, but when tragedy strikes, Catrin must decide whether to defend her newfound independence, or return to the village that she’d fled. BOOK DISCUSSION with a short CURATORIAL PROGRAM led by Mel Buchanan, RosaMary Curator of Decorative Arts and Design | TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 12 pm