The floodwall that lines Tchoupitoulas Street is turning from grey concrete into a vivid, mile-long mural. When it’s finished, it will be the longest in the country. Spanning multiple neighborhoods, beginning near Felicity Street and expanding toward Louisiana Avenue, the Tchoupitoulas Flood Wall Mural Project will depict 300 years of New Orleans’ rich history and culture. The detailed paintings begin in the 1700s with illustrations of original Native American settlers and will continue through the present day, including imagery that documents the Covid-19 pandemic. Other sections painted on the mural so far illustrate Ursuline nuns, the slave trade, the Great Fires of 1788 and 1794, the Battle of New Orleans and Congo Square.
The mural is a project of the New Orleans International Muralists under the artistic direction of New Orleans born and raised artist Jamar Pierre.