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We are building a permanent home for Louisiana’s musical legacy, ensuring it’s preserved for generations to come.

 

Now, you can help.

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MUSIC BRINGS US TOGETHER

With Acadiana’s Cajun and Creole French music at the core, the Louisiana Music Museum will immerse visitors in an exploration of musical traditions from all around the state - blues, jazz, rockabilly, gospel, Louisiana French, R&B, bounce & funk to name a few.

The Building

The Museum will be located in the historic 1890 Lafayette Hardware Store in the heart of Downtown, Lafayette.

The Building

The Lafayette Hardware Store stands as one of the city’s oldest surviving commercial buildings and a rare example of a two-story frame Italianate structure once common across Louisiana.

The Building

Remarkably intact, it retains its original pressed metal ornamentation, historic storefront and wood interior, offering window into late nineteenth-century downtown life.

The Building

The building was purchased by Acadiana Center for the Arts in 2022, initiating the vision for the Louisiana Music Museum.

The Building

A modern annex will be built onto the back of the existing building, providing accessible entry, visitor amenities, and space for programming, blending the old with the new for future generations.

Experience

The Louisiana Music Museum is dedicated to creating a world-class experience for all visitors. Through interactive exhibitions and engaging programming, such as listening stations and dance demonstrations, the Museum strives to transport its guests into the heart and soul of Louisiana's musical essence.

Engage

By creating a lively experience of the people, places, and impact of music in Louisiana, the Museum will serve as a hub for our community to continually engage with our state’s living music culture.

Cultivate

The Louisiana Music Museum will cultivate opportunities for local music culture bearers in order to preserve musical traditions and styles for generations to come.

Educate

The museum will serve as a bridge between generations, passing down the key histories of Louisiana's music through lived experiences to students and young people ensure that our legacy continues to thrive.

Preserve

The museum will collaborate with the existing network of museums, archives, and libraries to identify artifacts and archives related to Louisiana’s music heritage. The museum will borrow collections for rotating exhibitions and may, in some instances, serve as a repository for at-risk artifacts and archives before finding them a permanent home.

Support this Project

With more than $5 million raised toward a $10 million campaign, the museum has now passed the 50% funding mark. Now you can help us build what’s next to preserve our state’s culture for generations to come.

Learn More

Acadiana Center for the Arts

& the Louisiana Music Museum

Samuel Oliver
Executive Director

Acadiana Center for the Arts

Jane Vidrine
Director

Louisiana Music Museum

Fawn Hernandez
Deputy Director

Acadiana Center for the Arts

Museum Design Team

Moliere Chappuis Architects

Lafayette-based firm leading overall design and construction

Thomaz Regatos Design

Internationally recognized studio leading architectural design

Felt Design

Multidisciplinary creative group leading exhibition design