New Orleans Museum of Art

Collection department services & acquisitions:the heart of noma is its fine Art collection. The Museum employs a professional curatorial staff whose function is to care for its collections; carry out research on the objects in the collection; organize special exhibitions on particular subjects or themes to present numerous and diverse opportunities for visitors to engage with works of Art; write scholarly interpretative articles, catalogues and books on Art subjects; recommend and oversee needed restoration and conservation treatment on objects in the collection; cultivate and advise private Art collectors and encourage donations; seek out and recommend objects for acquisition or deaccession by the museum.the Museum has developed an accession policy for acquiring works of Art either through purchase or by gift with a goal of continuing to augment its holdings in the areas of its strengths rather than inaugurating New areas.the Museum has focused its collecting activities in several specialized areas; by focusing on continuing to upgrade in these selected areas, the Museum has been able to assemble an important collection of both quality and depth.while Art purchases are essentially limited to the designated areas of specialization, the board and staff are always willing to consider New areas of collecting as opportunities arise, particularly through donations. The overriding criterion for purchase or acceptance of gifts is the quality of individual works of art.the eight areas of collection specialization are: european Art from the 16th through 21st centuries (particularly the works of the french school); the arts of the americas (pre-columbian, latin american, and american painting and sculpture); african and oceanic Art; asian Art (particularly chinese and japanese of the edo period 1615-1867); photography; decorative arts; graphics and sculpture.the director of the Museum, in consultation with the curatorial staff, recommends all purchases and gifts to the accessions committee of the board of trustees for their approval or disapproval. The full board then approves the recommendations of the accessions committee.

Education and learning division:the Museum's education and learning department focuses on in-house and outreach activities. Professional Museum staff train volunteer docents to give guided tours of the Museum and devise and implement educational programs such as lectures, symposiums, films, concerts, family festivals with specific themes, children's Art classes and docent lead school tours to compliment the special exhibitions and permanent collection. Outreach programs are focused teacher workshops and school curriculum based programs imbedded in designated public schools with the greatest needs.the education department provided services for approximately 10,000 people in the community in 2023.

Exhibition services:the Museum's exhibition program is two-fold: installation of the permanent collection and presentation of special temporary exhibitions. Selections from the permanent collection are installed by the curatorial staff in the galleries in an arrangement which will present opportunities for visitors to engage with the works of Art. A meaningful progression of periods and cultures will aid the Museum visitor in his/her appreciation and understanding of the artworks. When available, works on loan from other sources can effectively augment the installations and fill in gaps in the collection.to complement the permanent collection installations, the curatorial staff designs a program of special temporary exhibitions of various sizes presented throughout the year. These exhibitions originated by the staff or brought in from other national or international sources offer a wide variety of subjects, themes, stylistic modes, cultures, and artists.

Membership program: the New Orleans Museum of Art offers numerous packages that offer various levels of unique cultural programs and support of noma. These membership privileges include special previews of all exhibitions, a quarterly publication with advance notice of educational programs and special events, as well as articles on exhibitions, collections, artists, works of Art, and other related subjects as well as other privileges appropriate for the level of giving.