The women of the Krewe of Muses are hoping the weather will be kind on Thursday when their parade rolls, but ahead of that, they offered a sneak peek Tuesday at their brand new signature float.
It is called the "Goddessey" float. The name is a mix of goddess and Odyssey, which is one of Homer's epic Greek poems. It's also where the krewe got its name and inspiration, since Homer called on the Muses to help tell his now famous tale.
A section of the float's design depicts the birthplace of the nine muses. It also features 23-karat gold leaf, 130 peach lanterns on the tree of knowledge and the gold Pegasus at the front has a wing span of 25 feet. Throw in some LED technology and this float represents a tremendous amount of work and planning.
"This actually took almost three years," said Muses captain Staci Rosenberg. "We met and met and met, to try and come up with the most unusual and brilliant float ever. It's an asymmetrical thing that is not commonly done."
The float, constructed by Kern Studios, will be the first float in the parade. It features 23-karat gold leaf and a glowing, color-changing frieze. It depicts the muses and their defining attributes in silhouette.
The float design was a collaboration between krewe member Susan Gisleson and Kern Studios' artist Skip Stander.
"Like Odysseus' boat, the Goddessey is a vessel - a vehicle, which is both a means of exploration and pursuit, and a method of transport between the real-world streets of New Orleans and the mythical land that is Mardi Gras," said Gisleson.