If We Had Our Way — Experiencing Joy in the Lives of Women and Girls is a powerful collaborative effort from Douglas Redd and Jeffrey Cook that pays tribute to the many abducted Nigerian women and girls who never made it home. More a celebration of life, Redd and Cook are masterful in their medium. Their exhibit runs from now until the end of the month at Ashé Cultural Arts Center with hours Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

Two wonderful exhibits — one also featured in Prospect.3 — are delighting photography fans at the McKenna Museum. The first is a sweeping exhibit of Carrie Mae Weems' photography, which touches on hot button issues like race and gender in empathetic ways that invite patrons to take a deeper look at their fellow man. Weems' works will be on display from now until January 25th. The second exhibit is expertly curated by Herreast J. Harrison of the Donald Harrison, Sr. Museum and explores the Mardi Gras Indian Queens of New Orleans in festive and artful photographs. Dubbed Queens Rule!, the exhibit runs from now until March 14th. the McKenna Museum's hours for both exhibits are Thursday through Saturday from 11am to 4pm and Tuesdays and Wednesdays by appointment.

Photographer Akasha Rabut turns her camera towards Edna Karr, a school with a stellar marching band and masterful majorettes. Rabut's exhibit shows the intricate details of practicing, performing, and marching in gorgeous color photos. Also on display is James Osborne IV: Danger Shelter Opportunity:The Coastal Fortifications of Nineteenth Century Louisiana which showcases the blighted, ailing masonry fortifications from the Civil War that have been abandoned for decades. Both exhibits run from now until the end of the month at Algiers Regional Library with hours running Monday through Thursday from 10am to 7pm as well as Saturday from 10am to 5pm.

Natasha Sanchez's 21st Century Photographs makes her expertly tinted gelatin prints widely available to the public in the form of 4x6 reproductions. The images are poignant shots of Louisiana, with a special focus on New Orleans. Sanchez's exhibit is ongoing and can be viewed daily from 8am to 3pm.

The photography aspects of this Prospect.3 exhibit shine until December 15th, though Chateau Curioso puts their hours at Friday and Saturdays from noon to 4pm. According to PhotoNOLA's website, this is the last weekend to see collage photo works from Stacy Greene, Jill Stoll and Maria Levitsky.

Between now and March 4th, photographer L.J. Goldstein opens his Treme studio "occasionally and by appointment" for the masses. His Sacred Areas exhibition explores the holy lands of the Middle East with the cultural and spiritual significance of New Orleans using black and white film prints and digital photos for contrast.