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. February is a great time to visit a museum. Check out the highlighted exhibits below and search our calendar to find even more art in New Orleans. 

“Unthinkable Imagination: A Creative Response to the Juvenile Justice Crisis” 

The Newcomb Art Museum’s spring exhibition asks the questions what could a Louisiana without youth prisons be? Centering the voices and experiences of more than 20 system-impacted youth participants, the exhibition utilizes paintings, illustrations, photographs, performance, sculpture, sound, collage, and a mural to explore the topic. This exhibit runs from January 21 to June 10, 2023. 

“Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club” 

A new exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art, “Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club” explores the connection between African American artist Jacob Lawrence and his contemporaries based in West Africa through the Nigerian publication “Black Orpheus.” The exhibition features over 125 objects, including Lawrence’s little-known 1964–65 Nigeria series, works by the artists featured in “Black Orpheus,” archival images, videos, and letters. The exhibit is on view from February 10 to May 7, 2023. 

Knowing Who We Are: A 20th Anniversary Exhibition  

Knowing Who We Are tells the story of the South through the permanent collection of Ogden Museum of Southern Art. This exhibition reconsiders the development of visual arts in the American South from the 19th century to the present. The first installment of the multi-year exhibit kicks off January 28, 2023, with Knowing Who We Are: The Contemporary Dialogue. This selection of works from Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s permanent collection considers the many ways artists throughout the region explore concepts of process, place, and identity through diverse media and practices. Situated on the fifth floor, this collection contains works of art – from the late-20th century to now – that contribute to the complex dialogue in which contemporary Southern artists are engaged with their region and with the rest of the world. 

"Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition" 

The Historic New Orleans Collection brings the world heritage site to life with a 360-degree augmented reality immersion into the 850-year history of Notre-Dame Cathedral and its ongoing restoration in the aftermath of the tragic fire of April 15, 2019. This visually stunning experience joins other interactive technology on display at The Historic New Orleans Collection’s state-of-the-art new exhibition center at 520 Royal Street in the French Quarter. Visitors will navigate Notre-Dame de Paris through the ages by using a HistoPad™, an augmented reality touch-screen tablet developed by Histovery. The handheld device transports visitors back in time through its immersive, interactive reconstructions available in more than 10 languages. Catch the exhibit from November 15 to March 19, 2023.