2024 French Quarter Festival Poster

For the official 2024 French Quarter Festival poster, local artist Monica Rose Kelly created an original watercolor painting with ornate hand-lettering that is influenced by the decorative styles found throughout the French Quarter. She chose to honor women musicians, specifically the musical mothers of New Orleans, who not only work tirelessly to raise the children of our city but moonlight as culture-bearers. Women have not been often represented in New Orleans festival posters or murals, which is why she has chosen to depict them in many of her recent works. In addition to renderings of the ironwork found throughout the Quarter’s many balconies, Monica incorporated a design from the top spire of the St. Louis Cathedral’s steeple in the background. This alternative representation of the beloved landmark is a nod to the African blacksmiths that designed many of the architectural details in the French Quarter. The tropical botanicals found in the Quarter’s hidden courtyards are painted