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. March 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.

“MAROON QUEEN Cherice Harrison-Nelson”

Black Masking Indian culture or “maroon heritage,” the term preferred by Maroon Queen Cherice Harrison-Nelson, has lived on since the late 18th century, recalling the overlap of indigenous and enslaved African peoples in maroon communities in rural Louisiana. Maroon Queen honors the living legacy of Cherice Harrison-Nelson of the Guardians of the Flame as an anchor in stewarding this tradition. See the exhibit at the New Orleans African American Museum from February 1 to August 31, 2024.

"Tina Girouard: SIGN-IN" 

Opening at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art on March 16, "Tina Girouard: SIGN-IN" is the first comprehensive posthumous retrospective for Louisiana-born artist Tina Girouard (b. 1946 – d. 2020). The exhibit showcases over forty years of the artist’s practice and is on view until July 7, 2024.

"NOCCA PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE" 

The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts — better known as NOCCA — is one of America’s leading arts high schools. Founded in 1973, NOCCA is partially a product of 1960s politics like the passing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts (both in 1965). However, its existence is more properly due to the perseverance of local artists and educators who believed that NOCCA was needed to help preserve and promote New Orleans’ unique culture. A 50th Anniversary Exhibition, "NOCCA PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE" includes works from Ogden Museum’s permanent collection; the private collection of the Museum’s founder, Roger Ogden; works purchased by the NOCCA Foundation, NOCCA’s nonprofit partner; and pieces by current and past NOCCA faculty. See it on view at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art from March 9 to April 21, 2024.

“Rebellious Spirits: Prohibition and Resistance in the South” 

“Rebellious Spirits: Prohibition and Resistance in the South” explores the unique methods in which the South, in particular New Orleans, dealt with the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which banned alcohol in the United States. Catch the exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art from March 1, 2024, to January 5, 2025.

Art in Bloom 

The New Orleans Museum of Art's annual "Art in Bloom" highlights the unique floral designs of garden clubs, floral designers, and creative talents from New Orleans and beyond. This year's exhibition, presented by First Horizon, is titled "Blooms on the Bayou." Visit from March 13-17 to see the exhibit.

“Bourbon Street Black by Eric Waters” 

Known for capturing the vibrant and energetic scenes of the Second Line and the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians, photographer Eric Waters documents the essence of New Orleans in his pictures. See the exhibit at the New Orleans Jazz Museum starting on February 29.

“Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art” 

The traveling exhibition “Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art,” curated by the American Folk Art Museum, showcases more than 80 intriguing and captivating objects, ranging from grave markers and serpent-headed staffs to embroidered textiles and ceremonial regalia. See the exhibit from February 16 to May 10 at The Historic New Orleans Collection.