New monument will honor Oretha Castle Haley and New Orleans’ role in the Civil Rights Movement NEW ORLEANS, LA – Arts New Orleans and Civic Studio will commission New Orleans artist Marcus Brown to create permanent public art for the Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in Central City. Supported by the City of New Orleans Percent for Art Program and managed by Arts New Orleans, the artwork is expected to be installed in summer 2027. The Oretha Castle Haley Civil Rights Monument will place Oretha Castle Haley at the center of a permanent public artwork honoring her extraordinary legacy and New Orleans’ pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. Brown’s design features a procession of figures inspired by the marches, sit-ins, demonstrations, and community organizing that transformed the city and nation. “It has been nearly 40 years since my grandmother, Oretha Castle Haley’s passing and the subsequent renaming of part of Dryades Street in her honor. It is appropriate and timely to celebrate her life and contributions in this monumental way. This installation will further ensure that generations to come will not only know her name, but her life’s work and commitment to equity and justice. Thank you Arts New Orleans and Congratulations Marcus Brown!” – Blair Dottin-Haley on behalf of the Family of Oretha Castle Haley. In April 2026, Arts New Orleans issued a public call inviting artists and artists teams to submit their qualifications. Finalists developed concepts and participated in community engagement activities with Central City stakeholders. Marcus Brown was selected through a selection committee made up of Central City residents and stakeholders.
“I’m honored to have been selected by Arts New Orleans to create a permanent public artwork for the Oretha Castle Haley Cultural Corridor. The project will honor Oretha Castle Haley as one of New Orleans’ most important Civil Rights leaders while also telling the larger story of the New Orleans Civil Rights Movement and the everyday people whose organizing, marches, demonstrations, and sacrifices helped transform our city and our country. The monument will place a Black woman at the center of a major permanent Civil Rights memorial in New Orleans while creating a broader visual narrative about the contributions of New Orleanians to the movement.” – Marcus Brown The project grew from a collaboration among Central City-based partners supported by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town program. Arts New Orleans matched the grant with funding from the City of New Orleans Percent for Art Program to support the development of permanent public art along Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. Arts New Orleans and Civic Studio then led community engagement activities to identify the shared values and placemaking principles that would guide the project. This work was carried out in partnership with Ashé Cultural Arts Center, the Oretha Castle Haley Merchants & Business Association, and the Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB), and various City of New Orleans departments, including Parks & Parkways and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy. Additional stakeholders include the Historic District Landmarks Commission, Louisiana Landmarks Society and New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO).
MARCUS BROWN
A native of New Orleans, Marcus Brown is a sculptor, painter, inventor, musician, and educator whose interdisciplinary practice explores history, technology, sound, and public space. Brown holds an M.Ed. from Portland State University and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. His work has been exhibited and presented nationally and internationally, including projects in New York City, Berlin, Germany, and Kraków, Poland, as well as at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art. His ongoing Slavery Trails project uses augmented reality and site-specific public art to examine the history and legacy of slavery in public spaces.
ABOUT ARTS NEW ORLEANS
Arts Council of New Orleans, dba Arts New Orleans is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1975 and designated as the official arts agency for the City of New Orleans. The organization supports public art and artists, creating work that inspires, connects, and enriches the community through creative expression. ABOUT CIVIC STUDIO
Civic Studio is a worker cooperative based in Central City, New Orleans, that develops complex, multi-disciplinary, creative projects. We co-create bold ideas and solutions through storytelling, art, design, and community-based planning with diverse partners across sectors and issue areas. We are a place for learning and mentorship, civic dialogue, creative exploration, and co-creation. MEDIA CONTACT
Jordan Marketing Director, Arts New Orleans: jordan@artsneworleans.org