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. January is a great time to visit a museum and check out the art at Prospect.6. Check out the highlighted exhibits below and search our calendar to find even more art in New Orleans. 

Jeannette Ehlers, We’re magic. We’re real #3 (These Walls), 2023. Performance accompanied by Eve Tagny and Sophia Gaspard, as part of MOMENTA 2023. Photo credit: Mike Patten. Image courtesy of the artist.
Jeannette Ehlers, We’re magic. We’re real #3 (These Walls), 2023. Performance accompanied by Eve Tagny and Sophia Gaspard, as part of MOMENTA 2023. Photo credit: Mike Patten. Image courtesy of the artist.
Ultimate Guide to Prospect.6

Prospect.6  

Prospect is a citywide contemporary art triennial and the first exhibition of its kind in the US with a decade-long history. Every three years, they bring new art to an old city by inviting artists from all over the world to create projects in a wide variety of venues spread throughout New Orleans. ‘Prospect.6 the future is present, the harbinger is home’ is brought to life through exhibit openings, mural unveilings, family and community programming, performance art, galas, parties, and more.   

Some of the highlights of Prospect are on view in exhibits at various museums, such as the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans African American Museum, Contemporary Arts Center, and The Historic New Orleans Collection. Other installations are at outdoor locations, such as the sculpture perched atop Harmony Circle. There’s also an installation at the abandoned Ford Motor Plant in Arabi. Prospect.6 is on view from November 2, 2024 - February 2, 2025.  

“Crud Joy: From Waste to Wonder”
Photo courtesy of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art
“Crud Joy: From Waste to Wonder”

“Crud Joy: From Waste to Wonder” 

Ogden Museum’s Youth Climate Action Project (led by Ogden Museum Education Intern Kennedy Timmons and Ogden Museum Teen Interns) uses the City of New Orleans Climate Action Plan as a catalyst for the initiative. This project consists of a collaborative art installation between Milagros Collective, Ogden Museum Interns and the community. Through the workshop, interns got to experiment with paper pulp, learn about microplastics, and make environmentally conscious art. The result of the workshops is a colorful bunch of “Crud Buddies,” with every “Buddy” having a wonderful story to tell. See this exhibit from December 13, 2024 – February 23, 2025. 

"Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration"
Image courtesy of The Historic New Orleans Collection
"Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration"

"Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration"   

Louisiana’s present-day distinction as the world’s incarceration capital is rooted in three centuries of history. Throughout this history, people in power have used systems of enslavement and incarceration to hold others captive for punishment, control, and exploitation. Black Louisianians have suffered disproportionately under these systems. Through historical objects, textual interpretation, multimedia, and data visualization, the Historic New Orleans Collection's newest exhibit, Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration, investigates these throughlines and arrives at an irrefutable truth: that the institutions of slavery and mass incarceration are historically linked. See it at The Historic New Orleans Collection from July 19, 2024, through January 19, 2025.   

JAMNOLA 

The last day to experience the original JAMNOLA on Royal Street will be Monday, January 6. This interactive, photo-worthy museum will then move to Frenchmen Street with a target opening date in late January. Keep an ear to the ground for opening day!