‘Art for All’ program offers free entry to New Orleans African American Museum

By Brynnan Smith
Contributing Writer

Louisiana residents can now attend the New Orleans African American Museum on a designated “free day” beginning Saturday, Feb. 15, in honor of Black History Month.

The museum, located in the historic neighborhood of Tremé, is welcoming visitors to the museum every third Saturday of the month, free-of-charge, through a partnership with The Helis Foundation and its Art for All Initiative.

“Art is for everyone. The Helis Foundation is committed to making art accessible to all Louisiana residents,” said Anna Corin Koehl, a spokesperson on behalf of the Helis Foundation.

The foundation has pushed to make Louisiana’s cultural institutions accessible to all Louisiana residents for the past 70 years, Koehl added. Its recent work with the New Orleans African American Museum represents this ongoing mission to make art available to the general public, while also making an investment in the Black arts and culture curated at the museum.

“The importance of the New Orleans African American Museum [is] not only preserving that culture and that history and that art, but curating it and elevating it,” said Royce Duplessis, a Louisiana state senator.

Duplessis traces his roots in Tremé several generations back when his great grandfather settled in the neighborhood. Duplessis said the museum holds a unique importance, because of the history and culture of Tremé, which is a deep part of the fabric of the museum. Not only are African-American artists from New Orleans exhibited, the museum also highlights the forgotten and often overlooked people of Tremé and their contributions to the culture and art of the city.

Currently on view at the museum is “Maroon Queen Cherice Harrison-Nelson: A Narrative of Black Women’s Labor, Power, and Presence,” which chronicles the life and work of Cherice Harrison-Nelson, former queen of the Guardians of the Flame, as an anchor and steward of the Black masking tradition. “Maroon Queen” is on view until August 31.

Preservation and elevation of Tremé’s culture are central to the work of the museum, which is located near the St. Augustine Church, one of the oldest African-American Catholic parishes in the nation, the Backstreet Cultural Museum and the Petit Jazz Museum, and surrounded by examples of creole architecture.

“Our museum offers immersive experiences that ensure every visitor leaves enriched,” said Gia Hamilton, the museum’s executive director and chief curator, in a statement.

Louisiana residents can gain free entry to the museum on the third Saturday of the month by simply giving their Louisiana ZIP codes to the front desk when entering.

The New Orleans African American Museum is not the only local cultural institution offering Louisiana residents free entry on designated days.

Art for All also allows free entry for residents with Louisiana ZIP codes to the Contemporary Arts Center on Sundays; the New Orleans Botanical Garden and the New Orleans Museum of Art on Wednesdays; the Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Thursdays; and the Louisiana Children’s Museum on the second Sunday of every other month.

“Art has the power to transform communities, instill pride and amplify diverse voices,” Koehl said.

For more information about the New Orleans African American Museum, or to learn more about current or upcoming exhibitions, visit www.noaam.org.

This article originally published in the February 17, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.