Griffin Questionnaire with Meryl Poster
NOMA Magazine Spring 2026
Inspired by the popular Proust Questionnaire and 19th-century European parlor games, the Griffin Questionnaire poses a set of questions to gain insight into different figures' creative practices. Beginning last year, producer and filmmaker Meryl Poster collaborated with NOMA on the Producers Choice Film Series-screenings of modern classics followed by conversations with actors, screenwriters, and others.
When was your first time visiting NOMA?
I moved to New Orleans in September 2022. I had friends visiting soon after, and I took them to the sculpture garden. It was my first time, too! I was blown away by the collection and have come back many times since.
What makes a great work of art?
I truly believe [that] just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, art is in the eye of the beholder. It's whatever speaks to you for whatever reason. I feel that way about movies, as well.
Do you have a favorite work of art?
Yes, I do. When I was a little girl, my mother used to take us to the Met [the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York] all the time and I loved a painting by Renoir called Madame [Georges/ Charpentier and Her Children. I even have a postcard of the painting that I will look at on occasion.
What color best describes you today?
Orange-cheerful and bold.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Raising my children to be successful adults.
How do you stay creative?
I watch a lot of movies and TV shows, and I still read magazines. I go to the theatre. When I was living in New York City, I would stroll through the department store, Bergdorf Goodman. The clothes, the design-it all inspired me. You can see creativity in so many different places that isn't restricted to a traditional setting.
What music do you listen to while you're working?
I've recently discovered [the genre] Yacht Rock. I love it! It pairs really well with working. I also enjoy listening to Broadway musicals, like Les Misérables, Next to Normal, Dreamgirls, Oliver, Guys and Dolls, Dear Evan Hansen, and Hamilton.
What are you reading right now?
I started a book club at the Garden District Book Shop, and the book that we're reading now is Kevin McNally's biography I Regret Almost Everything.
One of my favorite books is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.
Frankweiler [by E.L. Konigsburg]. It's a brother and sister who get stuck, I guess, but they stay overnight at the Met. And it's meant so much to me that I actually thought about making it into a movie. I kind of played with that for a little while.
When I was first married and when my kids were little, we lived two blocks from the Met. I lived on 86th between Fifth and Madison. I would take my kids there in the morning, if they'd wake up early, and get them out of the house.
They've always embraced going to museums. They don't find it to be a drag or homework or anything. You make it a fun thing [when they're young]. Now, they go to the museum on their own.
Who are your heroes in real life or fiction?
My dad. He instilled in me the value of family. He taught me to always do the right thing regardless of what others do. He always told me how proud he was of me, and how much he respected my work ethic (which was inspired by him!). He was selfless, laid back, and solid.
Where do you find belonging?
I find belonging wherever my family is. It's not about the place.
If not, New Orleans, where?
Florence, Italy. I lived there for a semester in college and loved every minute of it. The architecture, the food, the stylish people everywhere, Italians are warm and fun. The Italian way of life definitely works for me.
