David A. Kerstein, a soft-spoken lawyer, oil-company executive and philanthropist, does whatever he can to make all kinds of art accessible to any and all people, and to preserve the New Orleans institutions that make that possible.
As the leader of the Helis Foundation, the New Orleans-based philanthropy, he helped WWOZ-FM find a new home, installed public sculptures along Poydras Street, established admission-free days at museums for Louisiana residents and created a sculpture garden in City Park to showcase the works of the Mexican-born New Orleans artist Enrique Alférez.
This year, the foundation is also a major supporter of the Louisiana artists who have been selected to participate in the Venice Biennale, which will showcase the state’s artistic talent at one of the world’s foremost cultural exhibitions.
Arthur Roger, a New Orleans gallery owner who has collaborated frequently with Kerstein on art projects, said that Kerstein isn’t someone who seeks attention for his work. But he always gets the work done…