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. August is a special month for art lovers, with Museum Month offering access to dozens of museums for the price of one membership. Check out the highlighted exhibits below and search our calendar to find even more art in New Orleans.

Museum Month 

Purchase one membership and get access to all participating museums for the month of August. Museum Month 2025 includes 28 museums such as The Backstreet Cultural Museum, New Orleans African American Museum, The Cabildo, and more. Find the details for Museum Month here and enjoy staying cool this summer in NOLA. See what's on view at a few of the participating museums below, but be sure to check out all participants with just one museum membership this month!

Museum Month Picks

Browse Museum Month picks for art lovers, history buffs, families, and more here.

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"Louisiana Contemporary 2026" Farah Billah, "The Table, with Friends," 2026, Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, Collection of the artist
Image courtesy of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art
"Louisiana Contemporary"

“Louisiana Contemporary”

“Louisiana Contemporary,” presented by The Helis Foundation, is the Ogden Museum of Southern Art's annual juried exhibition featuring work by contemporary artists from across the state. Featuring 50 works by 45 artists, the 2026 edition was selected by juror Sarah Jones, who is the Lulu C. and Anthony W. Wang Head of Live Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Louisiana Contemporary" is on view from August 1, 2026 to February 14, 2027. 

"The Dream is the Truth"

"The Dream is the Truth" showcases a unique survey of artists whose practices fall within and across the categories of Vernacular Art, which broadly includes self-taught and Visionary Art, all drawn from Ogden Museum Collection. The exhibition features paintings, drawings, and bricolage sculptures created within a grassroots Southern tradition of artmaking beyond academic or conventional art institutions. These artists deeply engage recurring themes of spirituality, memory, sense of place and community, often transforming found or repurposed materials through strikingly original expression and a strong sense of artistic purpose. See this exhibit at the Ogden Museum through January 10, 2027.

"Holocaust Survivors in a New Land: The New Americans Social Club of New Orleans"

“Holocaust Survivors in a New Land” examines the lives of those who suffered under the Nazi regime and found refuge in the American South. Local Jewish communities helped these immigrants find new homes and provided support socially and religiously. The exhibition also points a special focus on the formation and impact of the New Americans Social Club of New Orleans, a group of Jewish immigrants who created a tight-knit community in their new home. Visit the exhibition through December 31, 2026 at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.