For an insider’s journey through New Orleans, look no further than Cassandra Snyder. A 30-year resident and founder of Soul of NOLA, Cassandra has her finger on the pulse of what makes her city the thrumming, artistic hub that’s inspired countless creatives. For four years, she produced The Goodnight Show, New Orleans’ late-night talk show, working closely with some of the city's best musical talent, authors, filmmakers, and activists. On Atlas Obscura’s Shifting Tides: Art in New Orleans, Cassandra takes travelers to see the places and meet the people that have turned NOLA into a creative capital—three of which she highlights here.

New Orleans is a hotbed for creativity. Perhaps it’s living below sea level or the fact that every spring, locals pour their imaginations into costuming for Mardi Gras. Whatever the reason, the creative muses are alive and well in the Crescent City. For Shifting Tides: Art in New Orleans, I put a lot of thought into which creative souls I wanted travelers to meet. The following is a small introduction to the five-day adventure through NOLA’s vibrant artistic landscape.

Studio BE

Brandan “BMike” Odums is the founder of Studio BE—a 35,000 square foot converted warehouse in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. Studio BE is a place for activism, conceived after Brandan organized dozens of graffiti artists to paint murals of black civil rights leaders and activists on a massive housing project slated for demolition. He called this project “Exhibit Be,” and over three months, more than 30,000 people came to experience the arresting street art exhibition. When “Exhibit Be” ended, Brandon was offered an abandoned warehouse for use as a permanent art installation, which now is home to Studio BE.

Brandan works mostly with spray paint. The bright-colored murals are massive and genuinely inspiring. Depicting historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Odums’ work embraces the political energy of a generation of African American activists who came up in the time of the nation’s first black president. Brandan is a graduate of NOCCA, The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, which is just around the corner. 

The Music Box Village

Further downriver is The Music Box Village, a whimsical space filled with artist-made “musical houses” (think interactive architectural instruments). Each instrument draws inspiration from the unique musical and architectural culture of New Orleans. It’s an ever-evolving place, and new instruments are often in the works. Performances, residencies, and events take place at The Music Box Village, but all visitors are encouraged to use the space as a playground. The mission of the artist-driven organization is to inspire wonder, connect communities, and foster experimental public artwork. On our visit, we’ll meet with a founding artist.  

Gina Phillips

The Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood is home to artist Gina Phillips. We’ll meet Gina and learn about her unique process, which features the layering of fabric to create a collage or a mosaic effect. Gina uses a communal gathering process to source her fabrics: Neighbors, friends, and family donate discarded materials to her artistic process, which makes her art genuinely local. Her sewn works hover between two and three dimensions, depicting playful, colorful portraits of neighbors and fellow musicians. Gina’s art has been displayed in many galleries and museums and is featured prominently in the permanent collection at the Odgen Museum of Southern Art.

These experiences only scratch the surface of New Orleans’s creative heart, but they are among my favorites. By meeting artists one-on-one, my goal is to give travelers a deeper understanding of the local arts community and to show them why the city of New Orleans is a creative muse to so many.