Best Arts and Culture Places in Montz

"A massive stone edifice in City Park, the museum encompasses a huge collection of works primarily by American and French artists, as well as international pieces from Asia, Africa, and South America. Key items found in this important museum include a group of paintings by Edgar Degas, which the French Impressionist created while visiting New Orleans in the 1870s. Those are joined by pieces created by Picasso, Braque, Dufy, and Miro, as well as many other well-known artists."

"The city’s oldest art museum boasts over 40,000 artworks and objects from across the globe and the ages. But if you’re in town for Mardi Gras, make a point to see their current exhibition on 19th-century Swedish artist Bror Anders Wikstrom, who immigrated to NoLa in 1883 and helped shape the carnival experience into what it is today with his elaborate float designs. Afterwards, take a stroll through the museum’s enchanting five-acre sculpture park."

"The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is a Smithsonian affiliate with a permanent collection of more than 4,000 different pieces of art. The museum celebrates the culture of New Orleans and the south as a whole. There are beautiful photography collections on display which are a favorite."

"Behind the museum’s main building is a gated outdoor space in 11 acres of mature parkland enriched with more than 90 works of sculpture. The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden opened in 2003 and at the time of writing in 2019 had just doubled in size with an expansion that included 26 new works, mostly by 21st-century artists. On serpentine paths among pines, magnolias, camellias and live oaks draped with Spanish moss there are pieces by Henry Moore, Deborah Butterfield, Barbara Hepworth, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Robert Indiana, Gaston Lachaise and René Magritte, as well as contemporary sculptors like Katharina Fritsch, Hank Willis Thomas and Jeppe Hein."

"This five-acre sculpture garden is a park within City Park, and acts as an open-air annex to the wonderful New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA). 90 sculptures—mostly modern and abstract—are set among magnolias and live oaks, framed by bridges and reflecting pools, with world-renowned artists Henry Moore, Antoine Bourdelle, and Ossip Zadkine represented. The lake-set Virlane Tower by Kenneth Snelson is a favorite, as is the familiar Love, Red Blue sign by Robert Indiana, but it’s best to come without a map."

"The CAC complex in historic downtown is a cultural leader, bridging the gap between the visual and performing arts by combining exhibitions, concerts, dance and plays. Past interactive events, such as Leverage by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes, had patrons delightedly playing on what resembled a giant see-saw. Upcoming exhibitions include 30 Americans, showcasing the last three decades of art by the most influential African-American artists, and Julian Sands in A Celebration of Harold Pinter, where the actor will share and provide insight into Pinter's little-known poetry."

"Visit the spacious art galleries of the Contemporary Arts Center to see some world-class fine art in the up-and-coming warehouse district in downtown New Orleans. There are different artist residences happening and constantly rotating and changing exhibits. The museum is famous for the events that it hosts with different performances and lectures."

"Take in cutting-edge exhibits, featuring both local artists and the work of national and international talent, at this cornerstone of…"

"If you like arts and culture, you might enjoy a trip to the New Orleans Museum of Arts aka NOMA. Here you’ll find art work from famous artists like Picasso, Joan Miro, Georgia O’ Keffe, and also some local Louisiana artists. The art exhibition are divided into arts from different regions of the world. NOMA has a nice cafe, a cute garden to enjoy a picnic and a lake behind to kayak."

"Get your dose of nature at one of New Orleans’ two large parks.City Park is larger than Central Park in New York and is home to the New Orleans Museum of Art, as well as several gardens.Audubon Parkboasts the Audubon Zoo and is easily accessible by street car. Either way, both are excellent options for a relaxing afternoon."

"One of the pioneers of the contemporary scene on Julia Street, the Arthur Roger Gallery inhabits an architecturally award-winning space that is itself a work of art. Showing both emerging local artists and nationally lauded veterans, the gallery is an anchor of the New Orleans art scene. It expanded in 2008 to include Arthur Roger@434, dedicated to new media artist exhibits, such as digital projections and interactive video."

"Arthur Roger set up his gallery in 1978 and it has since become a relevant and influential establishment in New Orleans’ contemporary art scene. Celebrated art has hung on its walls, from David Hockney and Hans Hoffman to Dale Chihuly and Ida Kohlmeyer. In 1988, the gallery relocated to the current Julia Street space designed by urban designer Wellington Reiter – a must-visit culture hub for contemporary art lovers."

"In 1978 Arthur Roger opened his gallery at 3005 Magazine Street in New Orleans’ Garden District. A year earlier the Contemporary Arts Center had opened in downtown New Orleans. The artistic scene in the city was beginning to burgeon."

"When we think of French Quarter art galleries, a place like Le Jardin – that’s French for ‘The Jardin’ (ha ha) – often comes to mind. Effectively a narrow corridor that leads to a spacious dream of a Vieux Carre courtyard, all of the wall space in Le Jardin is crammed wall to groaning wall with the work of local artists. Much of the stuff you’ll see on display has a folk art-y feel; the bright colors, bold presentation, locally focused subject matter and the general haphazard, slightly chaotic atmosphere of the place makes for an art experience that feels quintessentially New Orleans."

"After voodoo (or vodou) came to New Orleans in the 1700s—first via West African slaves, then with Haitians after the Haitian Revolution—it entwined with the city’s identity. Which is why, since the 1970s, a French Quarter visit has been deemed incomplete without a stop at the tiny Historic Voodoo Museum. If it’s lore you seek, you’ll find it here."

"Callan Contemporary stands out for its abstract and figurative paintings and sculptures. This Julia Street gallery is a well-lit space with a sophisticated atmosphere. You can drift through the open white rooms admiring a mixture of unexpected mediums, textures and colors."

"It’s also an excellent place to people watch and where a number of New Orleans’ historical landmarks like The St Louis Cathedral, The Cabildo, and The Presbytère are located (with Preservation Hall and The Historic New Orleans Collection nearby). Tons of artists, musicians, and fortune tellers hang out in Jackson Square and in the spirit of disclosure, I spent most of my time here people-watching and eating beignets. However, if you want to be a little more cultured than I was, visit one or several of the above-mentioned landmarks for even more NOLA history."

"Two current exhibits are “Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana,” which traces the celebration from its 19th-century origins to the current day emergence of parades and festivities that attracts millions of visitors each year. The “Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond” exhibit details the rescue, rebuilding, and renewal from the storm that devastated the city back on August 23, 2005."

"The Cabildo’s twin, facing Jackson Square on the north side of the cathedral, is from 1791 and held as one of the masterpieces of colonial Spanish architecture. Previously the domestic quarters, or presbytère, for the cathedral’s Capuchin monks had stood on this spot, which explains the name. This ornate building has come through a few different uses, and was a courthouse from 1834 to 1911."

"The Whitney plantation is the first American museum dedicated to slavery. It has records of memoirs from literate slaves and their experiences. The Whitney plantation focuses on the institution of slavery. The Laura plantation is a creole owned plantation whereby the family tell the history of the their generation."

"Other plantations in the area to consider are the Laura Plantation, the Houmas House Plantation, the Nottoway Plantation, and the Whitney Plantation, among others. The Whitney Plantation is newly renovated and has an exhibit that focuses on the children of slavery that is said to be deeply moving and emotional."

"Whitney Plantation, on the other hand, focuses on slavery and what life was like for the slaves living on the plantation. There are personal narratives and exhibits of the slaves who lived on the plantation which can certainly be more emotional but important history to understand nevertheless."

"The whole state of Louisiana is overflowing with culture – and the Historic New Orleans Collection paints a wide-reaching picture of its titular city’s. The “Collection” is a museum, first opened in 1966, that is dedicated to collecting a wide range of exhibits showcasing the culture, history, and artistic tastes of the region. The museum’s collected pieces were first owned by General Lewis Kemper Williams and Leila Hardy Moore Williams, who purchased the Merieult House that the Collection now lives in back in 1938."

"This collection will see it’s new home, designed by Waggoner and Ball, open in the fall of 2018. The design includes a restoration of 200-year-old Spanish Colonial structure, the Seignouret-Brulatour House, with an addition to provide gallery space. With a careful eye towards renovation and education, the team used conservators and archaeologists to simultaneously preserve and exhibit the treasured French Quarter building."

"Pictured above is Destrehan Plantation, one of the oldest plantations in the country. From slave labor to rumored pirate treasure, history is everywhere in New Orleans Plantation Country!. Destrehan Plantation, for example, was established in 1787, and remains the oldest plantation home in the South."

"Arcing around the east bank of the Mississippi opposite Algiers Point is a riverside park laid out in the 1980s and 90s on the site of former wharves and warehouses. Woldenberg Park fronts the French Quarter and is bordered to the south by the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and the Entergy Giant Screen Theater. During the French Quarter Festival in early April the main stages are put up in Woldenberg Park."

"For a day of exploring in the French Quarter, Woldenberg Park is an essential stop. Located right where the Quarter meets the mighty Mississippi, the park begins at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and runs along the water to St. Philip Street. Picnic spots, gazebos, and waterfront benches provide some of the city’s best views of the river."

"The Mississippi River is a very prominent part of New Orleans, so you have to get a picture along its banks. My favorite spot is just south of Jackson Square where you can get a nice shot of the Crescent City Connection Bridge in the background. This shot below was late in the day we arrived after a long flight."

"In the French Market District, Crescent Park is a linear park, 1.4 miles long beside the Mississippi. You can get there by crossing the levee and railway via the “rusty bridge”. On the water there’s a supreme view west to the French District and Central Business District, accompanied by lots of public art, a series of mixed-use pavilions, native landscaping and paths for cyclists and pedestrians."

"This waterfront park is our favorite spot in the city for taking in the Mississippi. Enter over the enormous arch at Piety and Chartres Streets, or at the steps at Marigny and N Peters Streets, and watch the fog blanket the nearby skyline. A promenade meanders past an angular metal-and-concrete conceptual "wharf" (placed next to the burned remains of the former commercial wharf)."

"This park was created in 2014, when a formerly derelict area of the city near the Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods was targeted for redevelopment. The park runs along the river; it is 1.4 miles long and is spread out over 20 acres. The main attraction in the park, apart from the pleasant green spaces, is the Piety Street Bridge."

"This newish gelato spot on Canal at Royal is a game changer for the lower French Quarter, an artisanal, organic chain founded in Paris in 2002. Amorino is located all over the globe, from Casa Blanca to Abu Dahbi, a Euro-style shop with flavors like caramel, chocolate and passionfruit, along with coffee, macarons and other treats."