As a sculptor, Benny Anderson makes Mardi Gras floats come to life
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Benny Anderson, posing with one of his figureheads at left, is a New Orleans sculptor. His work is also seen at right. Photos: Courtesy of Benny Anderson
Mardi Gras might seem like a relatively short affair, but for some New Orleanians, it's happening all year long.
- As a sculptor for float creator Royal Artists, Benny Anderson is one of those people.
Driving the news: Anderson creates the figureheads you see at the front of parade floats, crafting out of paper maché the larger-than-life works of art that delight crowds as they rumble down the route.
- We caught up with Anderson, who primarily worked this past year on Proteus floats, during a quick break in the final mad dash to Mardi Gras.
We're sharing that Q&A, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Where he went to school: With two journalists for parents, Anderson's early years were spent primarily overseas before the family landed in the Washington, D.C., area.
- By college, he knew he wanted to pursue art, so he attended the Rhode Island School of Design.
- Then, an internship with the Royal Artists connected his love of sculpture with performance art.
- "It felt like Mardi Gras and float-making was kind of the perfect job to combine everything," he says.
On the beauty of working in the Mardi Gras industry: "There's a lot of anxiety for artists about being taken seriously for your art, and it's nice being able to do a job where you say you do sculpture and it's an important part of the culture."
The art he makes for himself: "I love making masks. … I try to do it as often as I can."
Why he hopes for good weather: "We're working in a warehouse, so this past summer when it was so hot for the entirety of New Orleans, it can get really hot to sculpt.
- "And we're working with glues, paints, adhesives. … It can impact how much work you get done in a day. If it's too hot, things dry too quickly. If it's too humid, it won't stick."
The parade he won't miss seeing: "Muses. It's iconic. I love their throws so much. I love their sculpts so much.
- "The siren float at the end is one of the most beautiful ones I've ever seen. And Muses has a really wonderful energy."
A skill he wants to show off more: "I love any occasion where I can get something to move and put things on wires, like swinging legs, moving jaw or eyes, so they move with the sway of the float."
His drink order: "I don't drink!
- "But I love a Shirley Temple and I order one whenever I'm out with my parents for the sake of tradition."
Go deeper: See the 2024 Mardi Gras parade schedule.