Canal Street signs get artistic makeover to draw families back downtown
CEO of Celebrate Canal Sandra Herman says that art comes with a purpose.
Mike McDaniel WWL Louisiana (WWL)
Some well-known signs on Canal Street businesses have been temporarily transformed into works of art.
“New Orleans loves its critters,” said founder and CEO of Celebrate Canal Sandra Herman. “So, every display has critters in it.”
Herman says that art comes with a purpose.
“Bringing families back to Canal Street. We want them to feel comfortable with coming here again,” said Herman.
Herman’s organization is a citizen-led coalition dedicated to revitalizing Canal Street’s history, culture, and economy. She says months of planning led to this first-ever art-driven initiative.
“Canal Street has definitely come a long way. It was the jewel, and it is again the jewel of New Orleans,” said General Manager of Rubenstein’s, Kenny Rubenstein.
Rubenstein’s 101-year-old family business has seen a lot of changes on Canal Street. He says their artwork went up about a week and a half ago.
“Immediately after we had a number of people stopping and kind of stepping back and doing that kind of arch back, looking at it and then asking questions,” said Rubenstein.
If you pay attention, you might even find the popular New Orleans runaway dog, Scrim. The art, all done by local artists, will be a highlight of a children’s scavenger hunt this weekend. It’s a way to get families to Canal Street, have a little fun, and learn something along the way.