Art and nature in harmony
NOMA is committed to the health and safety of our community. Please see safety guidelines below.
Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.
Open seven days a week
Summer Hours (April–September) 10 am–6 pm | Winter Hours (October–March) 10 am–5 pm
Wheelchairs may be used throughout our barrier-free property and are available upon request.
Image: Elyn Zimmerman’s Mississippi Meanders bridge is illuminated at dusk.
The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden occupies approximately eleven acres in City Park adjacent to the museum. Atypical of most sculpture gardens, this garden is located within a mature existing landscape of pines, magnolias, and live oaks surrounding two lagoons. The garden design creates outdoor viewing spaces within this picturesque landscape. Originally conceived in 2003, the Sculpture Garden doubled in size in 2019 and has grown to include more than 90 sculptures. READ MORE
Sydney and Walda Besthoff are the namesake visionary founders behind a world-renowned sculpture garden for New Orleans.
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Architects, landscape architects, lighting designers, and arborists were among the contractors who made it all possible.
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See highlights of the Sculpture Garden in a virtual tour produced in partnership with the Google Arts & Culture Initiative.
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You can play a role in the historic expansion of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden by making a gift to support the project.
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Relive the excitement of the grand opening of the Besthoff Sculpture Garden expansion in May 2019.
WATCH
Bronze
Pablo Casals’s Obelisk, a towering accumulation of welded bronze cellos, dominates the waters of a lagoon in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Standing over twenty feet tall, the Obelisk, built in homage to the world-renowned Spanish-Puerto Rican cellist and human rights activist Pablo Casals, is an imposing example of monumental sculpture by French-born artist Arman.
The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art offers detailed entries on 64 artworks in the original 2003 garden, as well as a bibliography and overview of the garden’s founding. 192 pages, hardcover. Edited by Miranda Lash. $49.95
🀄️🏆️🏛️ MAHJ AT THE MUSEUM | SEPTEMBER 27 - 28 🏛️🏆️🀄️
The NOMA Volunteer Committee invites you to Mahj at the Museum, a mahjong tournament benefiting the New Orleans Museum of Art. The event features social and tournament play for players of all experience levels, lunch, cocktails, and more!
Please join us for our full schedule of events, listed below:
☀️ Welcome Reception | Sunday, 9/27, 12:30 – 2 pm
Meet and mingle with other players ahead of Monday’s tournament. Mimosas and light bites will be served.
🀄️ Mahjong Open Play & Tournament, Directed by Mandeville Mahj | Monday, 9/28, 8 am – 5 pm
Admission open, coffee served | 8 am
Social play | 9:00 – 11:30 am
Lunch | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Tournament play | 1 - 4 pm
Reception | 4 pm
Winners announced | 4:45 pm
📝 Prizes will be available for the top three winners of the tournament. The tournament will follow National Mah Jongg League, Inc. rules, and players are encouraged to bring their 2026 cards.
🔗 Visit noma.org/mahj or the link in our bio to purchase tickets and view additional information. Tickets must be purchased online.
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Looking for your next summer read? Readers ages 13 to 18 can cross some major titles off of their TBR with NOMA`s Teen Book Club!
🔗 Register at the link in our bio for our next meeting dates:
🌞 Friday, 6/12, from 1 to 2 PM | "Felix Ever After" by Kacen Callender
🏝️ Friday, 7/24, from 1 to 2 PM | "Shadowshaper" by Daniel Jose Older
😎 Friday, 8/7, from 1 to 2 PM | "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde (featured on the Louisiana English Arts required reading list!)
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GIVEAWAY CLOSED:
✨️🎊 NOMA + CAFÉ NOMA INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY 🎊✨️
We can’t wait for NOMA at Night: Celebrate "Robert Gordy" next Friday, 6/5, from 6 to 9 PM!
To celebrate, we’re collaborating with Café NOMA on an Instagram giveaway. One winner will receive the following:
🎟️ TWO free tickets to NOMA at Night: Celebrating "Robert Gordy"
🍽️ A coupon for TWO free entrees from Café NOMA, redeemable at the event only
To enter the giveaway, follow these steps:
1️⃣ Follow @neworleansmuseumofart and @cafenoma on Instagram
2️⃣ Like this post on Instagram
3️⃣ Leave a comment and tag someone you’d love to go to NOMA at Night with!
This giveaway will close next Wednesday, 6/3, at 12 PM. Winners will be contacted by NOMA via Instagram DM that day. (Don’t forget to check your message request inbox!)
🔗 Learn more about next Friday’s NOMA at Night at the link in our bio
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📸, slide 1: @wayanbarre
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There’s something in the air at the Besthoff Sculpture Garden…it must finally be Gemini season ♊️👯🌬️
Those born under the sign of Gemini are known for their quick intellect and even quicker wit. Ruled by the planet Mercury, Geminis can keep any conversation (whether with a close confidante or a complete stranger) flowing with fresh ideas and words for days.
While their dual nature (represented by the symbol of the twins Castor and Pollux) makes them one of the most misunderstood signs of the Western zodiac, their ability to adapt to new situations is a sign of their versatility and willingness to meet others wherever they’re at. Ever-curious, charming, and communicative, you’ll know a Gemini by their ability to make you laugh, think more deeply, and ruffle your feathers all in one sentence.
Know a Gemini who could use a walk in nature to cool some of their chaotic energy? Bring them over to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden at @neworleansmuseumofart this season.
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George Rodrigue, “We Stand Together,” 2005. Steel, aluminum, chrome and polychrome, acrylic paint. 96 x 55 x 53 3/4 in (243.84 x 139.7 x 136.53 cm). Gift in memory of Mignon McClanahan Wolfe, 2007.23 (📸: @matangeles)
Jaume Plensa, “Overflow,” 2005. Stainless steel, 88 x 96 x 100 in (223.52 x 243.84 x 254 cm). Museum purchase, Sydney and Walda Besthoff Fund, 2008.133 (📸: @mylifevoyage)
Coosje van Bruggen and Claes Oldenburg, “Corridor Pin, Blue,” 1999. Stainless steel and aluminum with blue acrylic polyurethane enamel, ed. 3/3, 255 x 256 x 16 in. (647.7 x 650.2298 x 40.64 cm). Museum purchase, Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation Fund. 2004.118 (📸: @christinefu)
Rona Pondick, “Monkeys,” 1998-2001. Stainless steel, 41 1/4 x 66 x 85 1/2 in (104.78 x 167.64 x 217.17 cm). Gift of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation, 2003.84
Arman, “Pablo Casals’ Obelisk,” 1983. Bronze, 240 x 84 x 60 in (609.6 x 213.36 x 152.4 cm). Gift of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation. 2000.200 (📸: @all_hale_art)
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Looking for alternatives to a pool party this Memorial Day?
NOMA is open with special hours today, Monday, May 25, 10 am–3 pm.
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📷: @elisabetheaves
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Happy International Museum Day 🩵🏛️🌎️ @neworleansmuseumofart is proud to be a space for connection, creativity, and lifelong learning through the arts.
🔗 Check out upcoming events and programs at the museum at the link in our bio.
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📸: @sheshoots_, River Viguerie-Luna
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We’re making continual changes to bring all of our engaging digital offerings to the forefront of our website. We invite you to keep coming back for new content and exciting updates!
Discover artworks, collections, and stories in a digital format from NOMA like never before.
