Visualizing Sound: Music, Memory, and Identity in New Orleans
In this talk, discover how visual artists have captured the vibrant musical traditions at the heart of the city.
The birthplace of jazz, brass band capital of the world, and home of the second line, the identity of New Orleans is inextricable from its music.
In this Shortcut Talk, presented in conjunction with New Orleans Musicians in Art: Selections from the Permanent Collection, learn how visual artists have interpreted the people, places, and traditions behind the city’s distinctive musical culture. Through close examination of artwork from HNOC’s holdings—including a number of portraits from the legendary Preservation Hall—explore the connections between art, music, and the history of the city.
Hear This Talk
Available beginning July 8, 2026
Offered daily at 2 p.m., Wednesday–Sunday*
Free and open to the public (no registration required)
Duration: Approximately 20 minutes
Location: Tricentennial Wing, 520 Royal Street
*This talk is offered on a rotating basis with other Shortcut Talks and may not always be available on a given day.
For groups of 10 or more, please contact tours@hnoc.org.
Learn More
Tours & Daily Programs
Get more out of your museum visit with a guided tour, Shortcut Talk, or daily program.
Shortcut Talks
Enjoy free, daily talks that explore Gulf South history and culture through the lens of our exhibitions.
Related Exhibitions
New Orleans Musicians in Art: Selections from the Permanent Collection
Explore works of art inspired by New Orleans music and musicians from HNOC’s holdings.
Related Stories
How Brass Bands Became a New Orleans Tradition
Brass bands developed in the mid-19th century by playing popular music of the day, and each generation of musicians has continued, incorporating elements of funk, bebop, and hip-hop along the way.
From the 19th Century to the Nine-Nine
How Juvenile and Gottschalk brought New Orleans music to the world, 150 years apart.
Related Collection Highlights
Uganda Roberts Tape Collection
The New Orleans percussionist's audio and video tape collection documents his decades-long career, his musical influences, landmark events in the city, and his family and daily life.
Leigh “Little Queenie” Harris Collection
A new collection documents the career of a “little” woman who made a big impact on New Orleans music.
Polo Silk Photographs
His party pics captured the New Orleans music scene when Cash Money Records and New Orleans rap were on the precipice of worldwide fame.
Related Virtual Exhibitions
New Orleans Medley: Sounds of the City
The music of New Orleans is the living product of dynamic cultural interactions played out over centuries in this diverse southern port city.
French Quarter Life: People and Places in the Vieux Carré
Artistic impressions of New Orleans’s most iconic neighborhood
Related Books
French Baroque Music of New Orleans
edited by Alfred E. Lemmon
with essays in English by Jennifer Gipson, Andrew Justice, Alfred E. Lemmon, and Mark McKnight, and in French by Jean Duron
Ernie K-Doe: The R&B Emperor of New Orleans
by Ben Sandmel
with a foreword by Peter Guralnick
