Newcomb Art Museum named Louisiana’s best arts institution

The Newcomb Art Museum has hosted a wide range of innovative exhibitions — from offering a glimpse into the ancient traditions of Aboriginal women artists from Australia to showcasing a 16-foot-tall sculpture forged by Brooklyn-based artist KAWS in the Glazer Newcomb Pottery Garden. For its vivid vision, the museum was named by the American Art Awards as the 2017 Best Gallery Or Museum in Louisiana.

The esteemed American Art Awards board annually honors one museum per state. The Newcomb Art Museum was also featured among the board’s picks for the 25 best galleries and museums in the nation.

Located in the Woldenberg Art Center on the Tulane University uptown campus, the museum regularly hosts exhibitions accompanied by educational programming such as lectures, film series and performances.

“This award affirms the museum's mission of presenting original exhibitions that foster the creative exchange of ideas around innovative art and design."

— Monica Ramirez-Montagut, director of the Newcomb Art Museum

"There are several factors that make Newcomb the state's best arts institution," said museum director Monica Ramirez-Montagut. "For one, we are the only museum to harness the expertise and resources of Tulane in developing exhibitions. Add to that our commitment to recognizing the contributions of women to the fields of art and design and our stewardship of the country’s largest collection of Newcomb arts and crafts, and it becomes apparent how singular our institution is."

“This award affirms the museum's mission of presenting original exhibitions that foster the creative exchange of ideas around innovative art and design while also recognizing our staff's significant efforts to provide meaningful, enriching and transformative experiences to both on and off-campus constituencies," she added.

On Wednesday, April 26, the museum will debut its new exhibition called “Beyond the Canvas: Contemporary Art from Puerto Rico."

Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Puerto Ricans gaining U.S. citizenship, the show will feature the work of five artists who create three-dimensionality out of otherwise flat canvases by ripping, folding and warping the material. The exhibition will include works from Zilia Sánchez, Julio Suárez, Arnaldo Roche Rabell, Pedro Vélez and Elsa María Meléndez.