New Orleans boasts a mix of many cultures and multiple races. The neighborhoods of the city are chock full of artists of all persuasions who draw from the city's unique heritage—and their own cultural legacies—to produce intensely personal artistic manifests. But many locals and certainly most visitors never get to experience the rich cultural gumbo of talent that flows from New Orleans neighborhoods.

The Contemporary Arts Center, the city's bulwark of new and avant-garde arts of all ki...