New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans

The city of New Orleans has a rich cultural heritage and the New Orleans Museum of Art has made it their mission to preserve it. The museum has many exhibits that show examples of creativity from several artistic forms. The outside view of the museum is a study in architecture. They have many permanent exhibits on display for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Each month there are mid week exhibits that have the museum extending their normal hours. Exhibits that have been at the museum include Audubon and the photographer Annie Leibovitz. Presentations from Walt Disney Studios are also slated for late 2009. Louisiana residents are invited to see these exhibits for free.

The extensive collection is worth over 200 million dollars and represents in excess of 40,000 objects of art. There are many examples of French and American art. Edgar Degas had relatives in the city and he came to visit them in 1871. He stayed for approximately a year and in that time he painted a short distance from where the New Orleans Museum of Art is located. Picasso, Miro and other Masters from the School of Paris have their work displayed at NOMA. The museum continues to add to their African and Japanese art. Photography and glass are other forms of artistry at the museum.

There is eighteenth and nineteenth century furniture and artwork featured in several rooms of the museum. Mayan objects from Mexico and Central America along with sculptures from Cuzco in Peru are part of the Arts of the Americas collection.

Five acres of the museum are devoted to a sculpture garden. The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden has in excess of fifty sculptures for visitors to enjoy. They offer a cell phone tour that is free to anyone touring the sculpture garden. There are twenty sculptures that are explained on this tour. The Sculpture Garden is open from 10:00 am to 4:45 pm Wednesday through Sunday.

The sculptures represent different periods; nine have been completed before 1960. Twenty nine of the artists that have sculptures on display are still living. Some of the works have been created by Henry Moore, Antoine Bourdelle, Allison Saar and Jean-Michel Othoniel. Every month on the first Saturday persons can take Yoga in the Sculpture Garden class. It lasts for one hour and members of NOMA can register and pay five dollars to participate.

NOMA is committed to education and they hold many summer camps for children as young as four. The camps are presented by professional art teachers and professional artists. The participants have a chance to work with different mediums. Cost for the camp is one hundred dollars for members and $125 for non members.

New Orleans Museum of Art is open from Wednesday from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Thursday through Sunday the hours of operation are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The cost for adults is eight dollars. Senior citizens over 65 and students with ID's are seven dollars. Children ages 3 - 17 are four dollars and children under three are free.