With so much to do in New Orleans, many forget that the city’s art scene is just as vibrant as the food and music. April is a great time to visit a museum, with multiple new openings within the month. Take a break from busy festival season and check out the highlighted exhibits below.

“briefly” 

From March 28 – May 11, 2025, check out this new exhibit at Sibyl Gallery from artist Sadie Sheldon. Through mixed media, Sheldon’s world folds and unfolds, a suitcase of salvaged things—found objects, fabric, plastic, paper, thin metals—stitched together in restless configurations that never fully settle. 

"New African Masquerades"
Hervé Youmbi, Tso Scream Mask and Tso Scream Leopard Mask at the Nka’a Kossié society succession ceremony at Fondati Chieftaincy, Saturday, December 3, 2022. Photo by Hervé Youmbi. Courtesy of the artist and Axis Gallery, New York, New York, and West Orange, New Jersey.
“New African Masquerades”

“New African Masquerades” 

This new exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art spotlights the work of four contemporary West African artists. This unique presentation features masquerade ensembles created by Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, Sheku "Goldenfinger" Fofanah, David Sanou, and Hervé Youmbi, offering visitors an unprecedented look into contemporary West African masquerade traditions. See it from April 4 – August 10, 2025. 

Children with Mardi Gras souvenirs, New Orleans East; 1985; photograph; by Mark J. Sindler; HNOC, acquisition made possible by the Laussat Society, MSS 1074.1.517.1
Children with Mardi Gras souvenirs, New Orleans East; 1985; photograph; by Mark J. Sindler; HNOC, acquisition made possible by the Laussat Society, MSS 1074.1.517.1
“Making it Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans”

“Making it Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans” 

In this new exhibit at The Historic New Orleans Collection, elders of the Vietnamese community describe their journey to a new country 50 years ago. This exhibit, marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, features photographs, oral histories, and family heirlooms. See it from April 4 – October 5, 2025. 

“Bienvenue Lafayette” 

Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s Visit to Louisiana comes this new exhibit at The Cabildo. The exhibition will feature artifacts, documents, and works of art from local and national collections, offering visitors insight into Lafayette's legacy as a champion of liberty, democracy, and the abolition of slavery. “Bienvenue Lafayette” runs from Thursday, April 10, 2025, through Sunday, January 18, 2026.