A Guide to Art Galleries in New Orleans
Exploring the eclectic gallery scene, beyond Julia and Royal streets
While the Warehouse Arts District is the most organized and concentrated area to find art galleries, several New Orleans neighborhoods—particularly along Royal Street in the French Quarter and Magazine Street in the Garden District, contain multiple and varied galleries that make for enriching, if less-official, art walks. Beyond these popular pedestrian stretches, venture a bit further into the Bywater or Uptown for an even more unique cultural experience.
Warehouse Arts District
In the Warehouse District, beyond the local contemporary epicenters of the Ogden and the CAC, turn onto Julia Street to experience local contemporary art in smaller gallery venues, which often house works that are as impressive as the larger institutional collections.
Heading down Camp Street toward Julia Street from the CAC, right next door you’ll find Spillman Blackwell Fine Art, where gallerists Leslie-Claire Spillman and Amy Blackwell’s “artist-centered and community-accessible” space hosts shows by local, national, and international artists.
When you get to Julia Street, the first block to your left kicks off the highly-concentrated galleries of the ADNO. Gryder Gallery offers a space for contemporary experimentation by both well-established and emerging artists, particularly those whose work explores larger global and philosophical questions. Across the Street, The Degas Gallery emphasizes “fine contemporary paintings and drawings characterized by vibrant color and surface texture,” as a nod to its namesake. The Guess-McCall Gallery displays modern art ranging from New Orleans streetscapes to cheeky illustrations and abstracts. Across from that, New Orleans-born visual artist George Schmidt’s Gallery and Studio exhibits his locally-focused “anti-modernist” paintings and drawings. Gallery 600 Julia at the end of the block cycles in exhibitions by popular local artists in its front rooms and maintains a large and varied assortment of works by other artists across its walls, often stretching floor-to-ceiling.
Continuing down Julia in the direction of the river will put you at Ariodante Contemporary Crafts, which cycles in an eclectic variety of paintings, jewelry, sculpture, and “lagniappe” by local artists and craftspeople. Further down the block, Callan Contemporary emphasizes figurative and abstract sculpture and paintings by mid-career and emerging artists from America and across the world.
Once you pass Magazine Street, you’ll come to Ibis Contemporary Art Gallery, a newer gallery opened in 2021 that hosts solo and group exhibitions by both affiliate and guest artists—last year, solo exhibitions of Katrina Andry and Hannah Chalew’s works were featured among Ibis’s varied and elevated curations. Gallery co-owner Louis Marinaro’s Landscapes in Relief is currently on display alongside other exhibits, which sadly will be Ibis’s last, as the gallery has announced its closure in late June of this year.
Next door is longstanding contemporary art staple Arthur Roger Gallery, which opened in 1978 shortly after the CAC, just as the New Orleans art scene was gaining momentum. The gallery’s founder and namesake was instrumental in the early forming of the ADNO, and since the 1980s Arthur Roger Gallery has frequently participated in national and international art events like the Chicago International Art Exhibition (now called EXPO Chicago). Arthur Roger was also a catalyst for organizing the highly-successful Louisiana Arts Exposition at the 1984 World’s Fair. Throughout its history, Arthur Roger Gallery has hosted exhibitions by many of the Crescent City’s most influential pioneering contemporary artists, and continues to represent the estates of New Orleans legacy artists including George Durea, John T. Scott, Ida Kohlmeyer, and others. When the gallery made its fortieth anniversary in 2017, Roger donated his personal collection of contemporary art spanning from 1970 until today to the New Orleans Museum of Art, which was described by NOMA Director Susan Taylor as “transformative”. Arthur Roger Gallery continues to be an important home for contemporary art in the city, featuring exhibitions by important long-active locals like Douglas Bourgeois, as well as emerging artists and creative group shows.
“While New Orleans is a destination to see art from all over the US, our community is very supportive and nurturing of the art made here in New Orleans and Louisiana. We don't always follow the latest trends in art, we do our own thing down here and that's something that I've always loved about the art in New Orleans. There's a ton of great art coming out of this area, that doesn't always get noticed outside of the region.” —Christy Wood, LeMieux Galleries
Continuing towards the river will land you at the Ferrara Showman Gallery, co-owned by artist and activist Jonathan Ferrara and curator and art historian Matthew Weldon Showman, who describe their space as, “a commercial gallery with a public conscience.” Founded in 1998, this is also one of the more established galleries on Julia, with a commitment to showcasing pioneering local and international artists whose work is centered on a larger mission and message. Like Arthur Roger, the Ferrara Showman Gallery has garnered a reputation in the larger art world beyond New Orleans through collaborations and exhibitions with museums and art institutions across the country and world.
Further down near the end of the ADNO stretch is LeMieux Galleries, another long-standing staple that made its fortieth anniversary last year. From its inception, LeMieux has emphasized local and “third coast” artists, but since changing ownership in 2015 when gallery employees Christy Wood and Jordan Blanton purchased the gallery, LeMieux’s scope has widened to include artists from across the South and to place a greater focus on emerging artists.
[Read about the 40-year history of LeMieux Galleries in our 2023 Anniversary Issue.]
Magazine Street
While less concentrated and organized than the ADNO, galleries of various size and scope dot most of the length of Magazine Street. Among them, beginning on the Uptown side is the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, which frequently hosts exhibitions by its students and faculty, as well as well-established local artists. There is also the airy, Louisiana-themed gallery of artist Casey Langteau; the solo gallery of environment-focused painter Billy Solitario; the Firehouse Loft’s speakeasy-style contemporary exhibition space; and the Carol Robinson Gallery, established in 1980 to showcase works by national and regional artists.
Galleries on Magazine get more frequent continuing toward downtown. Neal Auction House is worth noting for its ever-changing collection of historic art and antiques; abstract art and jewelry-focused ESOM Art is just past that; then there’s the Alex Beard Studio containing the local artist’s often Louisiana-focused abstracts. The Kevin Gillentine Gallery displays an assortment of local art and offers framing services; and the Zana Brown Studio Gallery features ethereal, organically-textured paintings and sculptures. Past that, the Sulllivan Gallery exhibits local as well as regional and national artists; and the Cole Pratt Gallery’s light-filled space showcases works by artists from across the South, ranging from paintings to ceramics. Just down the street from those is Metairie abstract sculptor and painter Julie Silvers’ gallery; then the ambitious Sidewalk Side Studio, which features an ever-rotating display of works by up-and-coming talent. And Gallery Huracan features large-scale colorful paintings and watercolors by local artist and educator Kathleen Trapolin,.
Jumping out on a stretch of the street that mostly features restaurants, shops, and bars is the Terrance Osborne Gallery, showcasing the brightly-colored, New Orleans-centric paintings and prints of its beloved namesake. A few blocks further, the Anton Haardt Gallery focuses on “Southern Folk and Outsider Art;” while Megan Barnes Art Gallery features Barnes’ reverse glass and mixed media paintings. Further downtown on Jackson Street, Gallery B. Fos includes the vibrant, New Orleans-inspired pop art paintings of local artist Becky Fos. Around the corner on Jackson, you’ll find the funky art studio of iconic French-New Orleans sign painter/folk artist Simon.
Galleries on and surrounding Magazine thin out nearing the interstate, but you’ll find contemporary painter and textile artist Amanda Talley’s studio; then near the overpass, TEN NINETEEN—an innovative space that aims to encourage “culture shifts” by featuring exhibitions in conversation with other events like performances, public dialogues, and more.
Approaching the intersection of Magazine and Julia in the Warehouse Arts District, gallery presences ramp up again. Octavia Art Gallery offers a sleek space showing contemporary fine art by local and international artists, and is worth a stroll down the block if you’re already pursuing the galleries on Julia Street.
“The persistence and effectiveness of the collective gallery model [in New Orleans] is a huge source of differentiation from any other place I've experienced.” —Tarah Douglas, Communications/Storytelling Manager at Prospect New Orleans
Royal Street
Similarly to Magazine or Julia Streets, Royal Street in the French Quarter offers a veritable treasure trove of smaller art galleries. Windsor Fine Art spans both traditional and modern works; and continuing toward the Marigny from there you’ll be met with a steady stream of galleries—some dedicated to the work or studio of one particular artist, many featuring a variety of artists and works, and displaying styles ranging from colorful abstracts to plein air streetscapes. M.S. Rau and its adjacent gallery boasts an impressive collection of fine art paintings including those by masters like Renoir and Rockwell.
Rodrigue Studios shortly down from that behind St. Louis Cathedral is a wonderful space to see many original “Blue Dog” paintings. Frank Relle’s gallery, with his striking, limited-edition nature photographs break up the plethora of paintings; then the dark, figurative works by Iranian-New Orleans painter David Harouni can be seen at Harouni Gallery. Mortal Machine Gallery next door turns its curatorial eye to “low brow,” pop, and surreal art; the expressive paintings and pen-and-ink drawings depicting the city’s jazz and live music by Emilie Rhys are in the next block at Scene by Rhys Fine Art.
Other Galleries
While Royal, Magazine, and Julia streets boast the most galleries per block, art galleries dot the whole larger landscape of the city, if you know where to look.
Where Y’Art Works in the Marigny neighborhood hosts a collective of local artists, and also serves as a consulting agency to connect them with local individuals and organizations seeking commissions.
On the first floor of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ Turner Hall, the Helis Foundation John Scott Center displays fifty-one sculptures, paintings, and other mixed-media works by influential New Orleans artist and educator John Scott, and offers a community gathering space for dialogues and programming about the arts and humanities.
More than a gallery and absolutely worth a visit is Brandon “BMike” Odums’ StudioBE, a massive former warehouse in the Bywater housing large murals and art installations by Odums and other local artists, primarily focused on depicting the Black experience in New Orleans.
Around a block off of Royal Street in the French Quarter is A Gallery for Fine Photography, which opened in 1973 and has housed an impressive collection of historical and contemporary photographs, starting with its first solo exhibition: a 1975 retrospective of photographs by Ansel Adams. It continues to host regular exhibitions by respected photographers from New Orleans and elsewhere.
In the Tremé neighborhood, the new Other Plans Gallery hosts a variety of local contemporary artists—it currently features the nature-focused works of Ron Bechet and Hannah Chalew in an exhibition titled You Can’t Hide the Sun.
Another smaller and underrated area to pursue art is Oak Street—there you’ll find Frenchy’s gallery of colorful figurative live music pieces, as well as the New Orleans Photo Alliance, which houses photography exhibitions and educational programs.