7 New Orleans Artists You Need to Follow in 2021
New Orleans is such a vibrant, cultural city. It’s one of the main reasons why I decided to put down roots here. We’re so lucky to have art everywhere we look in New Orleans – and I don’t just mean the pops of color on almost every house. You can find pockets of art galleries in every corner of the city, from St. Claude to the Quarter to Uptown to the Warehouse Arts District. Whether you’re strolling from gallery to gallery or scrolling your Instagram feed, these are the 7 New Orleans artists you need to follow in 2021,
1. Alex Beard | New Orleans Artists to Follow
Alex Beard is probably best known for his whimsical, nature-inspired paintings. His birds, especially his pelican and peacock series, as well as his gestural ink birds, are the perfect pop of color to add to any room. And his kids prints, which depict fun New Orleans scenes and animal musicians, are great for any child’s room. However, I actually prefer his audience series. of colorful abstract faces. I have a print of one of them hanging above my bed, and it brings a smile to my face every time I see it.
If you’re looking for a great gift, the Alex Beard studio sells puzzles and notebooks featuring Beard’s vibrant prints. There is also a collection of children’s books written and beautifully illustrated by the artist.
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Devin DeWulf | New Orleans Artists to Follow
I love the folk art of Devin DeWulf. You can see it all over my neighborhood, in local restaurants, even on the cans of a local brewery. I love the Saints endzone pose commission of his that’s hanging by my guest bathroom.
But Devin isn’t just a fantastic folk artist; he’s a great community activist and leader. Devin is the founder of the Krewe of Red Beans, which each year puts on one of my favorite parades of Mardi Gras season – the Red Beans Parade on Lundi Gras.
When COVID first hit, Devin organized Feed the Front Line, an initiative that raised funds to pay out of work musicians to deliver meals bought from struggling restaurants to doctors and nurses working tirelessly in local hospitals.
Feed the Front Line put over one million dollars back into the New Orleans economy before it ended; Devin now leads Feed the Second Line, delivering groceries to the culture bearers of New Orleans.
3. Hill Ggin | New Orleans Artists to Follow
Hill Ggin is one of my favorite young artists. I first saw her work last summer at NOCCA, a creative arts high school near my house, and immediately fell in love with her portraits. Hill has an incredible ability of making her subjects pop off the canvas. Each portrait feels like someone I might know and someone I could have just passed on the street. I love the detail she puts into her backgrounds, and the narrative that each of her paintings conveys. Those elements, combined with her skill as a painter, give her portrait subjects real personality and depth.
4. Brandan “BMike” Odums | New Orleans Artists to Follow
It’s just about impossible to take a walk around my Bywater/Upper 9th Ward neighborhood and not see one of BMike’s amazing murals. BMike’s studio, Studio B, sits about 15 minutes from my house along the tracks on Press Street. A couple years ago, a gorgeous painting of a young girl with outstretched hands appeared, gracing an entire almost-block wide side of a building. Then, this year, a mural dedicated to the class of 2020 went up, honoring graduates whose ceremonies were canceled or moved virtually due to COVID.
5. Max Seckel | New Orleans Artists to Follow
The first time I saw Max Seckel’s work, I couldn’t believe it. I felt like I lived in one of his paintings. New Orleans is beautiful, but the presence of people liters the city, both figuratively and literally. Max Seckel takes subject matter that might otherwise be thought of as ugly – boarded up houses, discarded tires, swampy puddles with scrap wood floating in them – and makes gorgeous paintings that perfectly capture the colorful chaos that is New Orleans.
6. pottspurls | New Orleans Artists to Follow
One of the most unique pieces of New Orleans art I own has to be a crocheted hand grenade (the drink!) by pottspurls. Otherwise anonymous, pottspurls is an extremely talented fiber, knitting, and crochet artist.
This is definitely a New Orleans artist you need to follow on instagram. The feed is a visual playground filled with whimsical open-air Guerrilla art installations.
pottsspurls artwork often gives a nod to New Orleans unique culture or lends a hand to cover the occasional abandoned phone booth or to fill one of the cites many potholes.
If you’re very lucky, you may come across one of her artworks as you wander the city. Some of the art spotted includes knit pom poms, alligators, Super Mario pipes, and even a Roderique-inspired Blue Dog. peeping up from a pothole I haven’t been fortunate enough, to stumble across one yet but I keep hoping..
7. Joshua Wingerter | New Orleans Artists to Follow
COVID-19 has meant the cancellation of so many great events that take place in New Orleans each year. Right around the end of April, when we were all missing Jazz Fest and starting to get pretty stir crazy, graffiti artist Joshua Wingerter created an open air art gallery on Frenchmen Street. Due to regulations, all bars and restaurants in the city were closed, and Joshua had the great idea to paint all the plywood used to board up the businesses along Frenchmen. He then auctioned off pieces from his COVID-series and raised alost $50,000 for charity. The “Spreading the Love” painting I bought is a great, positive image to look at every day.
If you are planning a trip to New Orleans or you find yourself looking for your new favorite piece of art to purchase, consider checking out these seven artists.
