Best Arts and Culture Places in Storyville

"The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is Smithsonian-affiliated and, as its name suggests, celebrates the culture and aesthetic of Southern artists. The permanent collection showcases more than 4,000 pieces from 15 states; in fact, with works dating back to 1733, the institution boasts the most comprehensive collection of Southern art in the world. Exhibits feature paintings, photography, sculpture, and handicrafts, and place historical works alongside contemporary artists working in the South."

"Having opened in 1911, the New Orleans Museum of Art is the city’s oldest fine art institution. Back then, it had just a few art pieces but has since grown to house over 40,000 objects with a notable collection of French and American art. The museum is also home to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, with over 90 sculptures on display in the 11-acre landscaped garden."

"When the NOMA opened in 1911, it only held nine pieces of art. Today, its permanent collection is composed of more than 40,000 objects, with a particularly strong representation of American and French art. Highlights include works by Matisse, Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Pollock, O’Keeffe and Degas, who lived in New Orleans from 1871 to 1872."

"The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is technically a part of the New Orleans Museum of Art, but it’s one of those places to visit that deserves its very own part of this listing since many come by just to visit the garden on its own. Right near the main NOMA building, an 11-acre expanse of garden stretches out, decorated with over 90 different sculptures. The gardens first opened in 2003 and have grown in size ever since it made its home in the rear of the Louisiana museum."

"Located directly adjacent to the New Orleans Museum of Art, the five-acre park provides a delightful instance for exploring the picturesque landscape of live oaks, Spanish moss, and lagoons. The 64 sculptures are, of course, another strong reason to venture to the garden. Location: 1 Collins Diboll CirArchitect: Lee Ledbetter Architects, Sawyer/Berson Architecture And Landscape ArchitectureDate: 2003Contact: https://noma.org/sculpture-garden"

"The NOMA Sculpture Garden is another great part of City Park. It is a a free portion of the NOMA Museum and, as with everything in City Park, is surprisingly large, with a ton of sculptures placed among beautiful trees and small ponds. There are plenty of fun statues that make for great Instagram shots."

"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."

"The CAC (900 Camp Street; 504-528-3805) has been in the heart of the Warehouse District since 1976. It is the place to find new and exciting expression in the medium of painting, theater, music, performance art, dance, photography, video, sculpture and more in New Orleans. Love is in the air at the NOMA Sculpture Garden in City Park."

"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."

"Gracing the main entrance to City Park since 1911, this traditional fine-arts museum draws from classic Greek architecture, with several…"

"M Contemporary is located in a picturesque red-brick townhouse, known as The Thirteen Sisters, built on Julia Street in the 1830s. Inside the windows are lined with pretty green shutters, while the artworks on show are as mesmerizing as the building itself. The gallery is a curation of both emerging and established artists from across the US, united by their use of rich complex color and distinctive points of view."

"The 6,600-square-foot arts facility hosts theater and dance performances, drumming and dance classes, storytelling, music and other events highlighting the city’s African-American performing arts community. It’s also home to New Orleans Youth Open Mic performances and an art gallery. View this post on Instagram"

"For some reason, Frenchmen Street remains an undiscovered gold mine to most first-time tourists, and even for many of the seasoned visitors; the Frenchmen Art Market is one of the gems of the city. If you are traveling with family or simply strive for more depth than the bars and nightclubs can provide, take a stroll under the lights illuminating the fantastic displays. This weekly nighttime market truly personifies the ambiance of this magnificent city."

"Explore locally made jewelry, crafts, gifts and artwork under a twinkling canopy of lights as you walk hand-in-hand with your honey at the Frenchmen Art Market. Located at 619 Frenchmen Street, this charming outdoor craft fair opens only at night and is nestled between some of the most popular nightclubs in the area. After you’re done shopping, pop over to The Spotted Cat Music Club for live jazz music in an intimate setting."

"Featuring handmade goods and artwork made entirely by local artists. Browse art, find gifts and meet local artisans. Take a break from the clubs to hangout in one of the outdoor living rooms and take in the ambience of the market and the fun of Frenchmen Street!"

"It’s not the most quintessential New Orleans-related activity, but the New Orleans Glassworks & Printing Studio is a great place to stop by if you’re into artisan-related hobbies. The studio specializes in creating unique works of art with glass, metal, and prints. They offer free demonstrations daily, or sign up for one of their mini-workshops or courses."

"The best kind of gift is usually one that is made with love – and this extends to both gifts to others and to yourself. And what is a souvenir but a gift of love from your travels?. So if you’re in Louisiana, consider heading on down to the New Orleans Glassworks & Printmaking Studio to personally craft a souvenir of your own!"

"– What is more fun than seeing an experienced glassblower making amazing designs?. At New Orleans GlassWords and Printmaking Studio, you can watch the masters at work. You might even end up buying something from their tax-free studio."

"Before the Civil War, New Orleans was home to the largest and wealthiest population of free people of color (abbreviated to F.P.C. by the museum) in the South. To understand their journey, heritage, and achievements, schedule an hour-long tour of Treme’s Le Musée de F.P.C.—the only museum of its kind in the United States. The detailed lesson, both profoundly sobering and inspirational, begins with the founding of New Orleans in 1718 and continues to the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision, a case that started in New Orleans and that resulted in national segregation."

"Free People of Color (f.p.c.) is the term used to describe Blacks who were born free or freed before the Civil War. The presence of f.p.c. in New Orleans is recorded back to 1722 and New Orleans was home to one of the largest populations of f.p.c. Le Musée de f.p.c. honors those artists, artisans, entrepreneurs, educators, physicians, journalists, business owners and professionals who made New Orleans what it is today. This beautiful house displays artwork and history of f.p.c. in New Orleans and honors the contributions they made to the City."

"The Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum was created to celebrate this neighborhood. So much was lost here during Hurricane Katrina and very few residents have been able to return to their homes even years later. The museum features oral histories from key community members to help keep the stories alive."

"Lower Ninth Ward, naturallyThis neighborhood of New Orleans, East and across the Industrial Canal from the hipster-inflected Bywater, is most notable in the media for two things. Firstly, it was one of the hardest hit by Katrina flooding, and is still one of the last to fully recover."

"Located on the corner of North Rampart Street, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is the oldest house of worship in New Orleans. Originally named the Mortuary Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua, the place of worship was built in 1826 to serve as a burial church for the victims of yellow fever. The current name of the church was received in 1918."

"A few blocks from the French Quarter, St. Augustine has been the gravity center of the Tremé neighborhood since the 1840s. New Orleans’ large and vibrant community of free people of color was involved in the church from its beginnings. Often called “Creoles of color,” these property owners, artisans, businesspeople and professionals were several generations removed from slavery and sometimes were slave owners themselves."

"Over in Mid-City, Blue Dot Donuts features a wide assortment of freshly made glazed, filled, cake, buttermilk and specialty doughnuts. The shop at 4301 Canal St. has earned four stars out of 181 reviews on Yelp. Look for raspberry doughnuts topped with powdered sugar, chocolate iced with coconut, Bavarian cream and an assortment of doughnut holes."

"The selection of baked goods includes plain, chocolate-glazed, jelly-filled and creatively flavored donuts, as well as donut holes, eclairs, apple fritters and bacon-maple long johns."

"Pralines are also another dessert that New Orleans is known for. They come in a bunch of flavors, but vanilla and chocolate are the basics. Pralines are a sugary confection with nuts on top that melt in your mouth."