NEW ORLEANS — Jonn E. Hankins has been appointed to the board of regents for the Louisiana Architecture Foundation, a statewide nonprofit established in 1996 to link the public and Louisiana’s architectural profession. The statewide organization is about to release a new feature documentary called “Ancestral Artistry,” which focuses on the Africans and Creoles of color who contributed to Louisiana’s building trades and architecture.
A co-founder of the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild, Hankins previously held the positions of executive director of the New Orleans African American Museum, development director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Foundation, and principal development officer for corporate and community affairs at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
Hankins has been an advocate for the revival of the traditional building trades for over two decades since he directed NOMA’s “Raised to the Trade: Creole Building Arts of New Orleans,” an award-winning exhibition and oral history research project. He has previously served on the boards of the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, the Louisiana Landmarks Society, and the Louisiana Folklife Commission. Hankins earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism/advertising and Master of Business Administration.
