Review: JAMNOLA

Zoom out. What’s this place all about?
Joy, art, and music are the ingredients in this locally sourced jam, a “Crescent City-themed cultural experience.” Located in converted warehouse space in the Marigny neighborhood, this 5,500 square foot artistic adventure playground was an instant hit when it opened in the summer of 2020. Thanks to its social media-friendly nature, word spread among locals.

What will we find here?
JAM is a series of experiential rooms, each a collaboration between a group of local artists. Guests are guided through the rooms by “storytellers,” who help interpret the installations and give some local context to those who need it. Paintings, installations, and sculptures—most of them with an interactive element—celebrate the history, music, food, and culture of New Orleans. There are carnival float-sized busts of musicians, life-sized crawfish pots to jump into, and virtual reality booths that put guests in artistic control of the art being created. It’s a sensory playground and a joyous one at that.

The twelve exhibits are collaborative installations and are permanent but could be visited multiple times without them seeming tired. Although the guides move your group along to each room, there’s plenty of time to explore, take photos and ask questions. You can touch and interact with most of the exhibits and it feels liberating.

What did you make of the crowd?
The visitor groups are a real demographic mix. The art is incredibly accessible and much of it is almost an extension of the creations that you would see on floats around Mardi Gras. It’s very family-friendly, and kids will love climbing into things and trying on various costumes. There’s no right or wrong way to experience the exhibits, and so the place has real universal appeal.

On the practical tip, how were the facilities?
The twelve rooms are easy to navigate, especially with the guides on hand, and the tour lasted around an hour, with time at the end to linger in the final space and see the gift shop. There were plenty of spots to take a seat, some of them attached to or part of the installations, and people with mobility issues would find it fairly easy going.

Any guided tours worth trying?
All visits are on timed tickets and are part of a guided group, and so the tour comes baked into the entrance price.

Gift shop: obligatory, inspiring—or skip it?
The gift store had some postcards and prints of the installations, and a wide range of books and more. All of the stock was themed around New Orleans artists, musicians and chefs, and other local people of artistic note.

Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged?
As the tour is guided, you really see everything en route, although of course within each room you can move around independently and choose to spend more time with whatever takes your fancy. You can’t visit without jumping into the crawfish pot or taking a selfie next to a human-sized crawfish on a bench, and the virtual reality photo booth is an impressive, state-of-the-art exhibit.