Andrea Mistretta (b. 1957) American, 1996 Mardi Gras New Orleans Poster. The official artwork from the "Queen of the Mardi Gras Poster." 

Overall: 34 X 26 in. 

Sight: 31 5/8 X 23 1/2 in. 

#3835 . 

Andrea Mistretta was born in Waldwick, New Jersey in 1957. From the age of three she showed an interest in the arts, drawing and working with her parents in their small screen print shop into her teen years. After high school the self-taught artist studied Historic Period Dress at the Traphagen School of Design in New York City, exploring fashion illustration and graphic design after graduating in 1977. She opened her own studio in 1979, and her designs won her awards from Society of Illustrators, The Art Directors Club, and the prestigious Vargas Award. While working with a community access television studio at Bergen Community College in 1982 she met Perry Quaranta, a photographer and videographer, and the two were married the following year. After seeking a remedy for depression brought on by seasonal affective disorder, she discovered the effects that vibrant, colorful, exciting images have on dopamine levels in the human brain. Seeking an outlet to experiment with this knowledge led her to the unique environment of New Orleans, Louisiana, and she began to create highly stylized posters and scenes based on Mardi Gras and the lifestyle and atmosphere of the city in 1984. The following year a friend happened to take one of her paintings into the Royal Street gallery of Margarita Bergen, a New Orleans socialite who immediately sought out Mistretta and developed a working relationship, making prints of her work. Since then her work has become synonymous with the festival season in "the Big Easy," with annual posters selling out as soon as they are available and highly sought by collectors.  Mayor Sidney John Barthelemy bestowed honorary New Orleans citizenship on her in 1990, which she still considers one of the highest honors she has ever received. The success of her work led her to become an activist for the protection of artists’ rights, as well as philanthropic endeavors as an environmental activist, supporting the rebuilding effort after Hurricane Katrina, donating portions of all her poster sales to the city's Habitat for Humanity chapter, and founding the Friends of White’s Pond environmental clean-up organization. Today Mistretta continues to make the signature art that has been the foundation of the most successful licensing program in Mardi Gras’ history, with products encompassing not only posters but tee shirts, silk apparel, jigsaw puzzles, wine bottles, coffee mugs, music CDs, and much more.