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. Check out the highlighted exhibits below, and search our calendar to find even more art in New Orleans.

“Fashioning America” Grit to Glamour”

Opening at the New Orleans Museum of Art on July 21, “Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour” is all about American fashion from cowboy boots and bathing suits to Hollywood gowns and streetwear. Highlighting experimental art-garments, ready-to-wear classics, and iconic red carpet fashion moments, “Fashioning America” demonstrates the widespread impact of media and celebrity culture through fashion. This bilingual Spanish–English presentation includes more than 100 objects—from a rare 19th-century denim frock coat to a zero-waste wedding dress and Savage X Fenty lingerie—and amplifies the voices of Native American, Black, and immigrant designers who are often left out of dominant narratives of American fashion history. The exhibit closes on November 26, 2023. 

“The Go Broke for Spirit: Legacy in Portraits”

Opening June 30 at The National WWII Museum, “The Go for Broke Spirit: Legacy in Portraits” exhibit explores the service, patriotism, and legacy of the second-generation Japanese American WWII veterans who persevered in the face of prejudice and risked their lives to advance the Allied effort through a selection of powerful portraits, artifacts, and oral histories. The National WWII Museum is also offering 50 percent off tickets for Louisiana residents every day in July.

Backstreet Cultural Museum

The Backstreet Cultural Museum is home to collections of costumes, artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, films, and other materials important to New Orleans’ African American culture. Permanent exhibits range from the suits of Mardi Gras Indians to photographs of second lines and jazz funerals. The museum just celebrated one year in their new location, making this month the perfect time to visit.