A new public television documentary, Michalopoulos: The Art of Celebration, will bring the life and work of celebrated New Orleans artist James Michalopoulos to a national audience beginning June 30, 2026. The one-hour film will stream on PBS platforms including PBS.org and PBS Passport, and air on public television stations nationwide throughout the summer.

Produced by WLAE-TV and 6th Street Studios, the documentary traces Michalopoulos’ evolution from a self-taught street artist sketching on paper bags in 1979 to one of the most recognizable visual voices of New Orleans. Known for his fluid, expressive depictions of the city’s architecture, Michalopoulos has created a record seven posters for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, featuring icons such as Dr. John, Aaron Neville, and Fats Domino.

Beyond painting, the film highlights his broader cultural impact—from founding Celebration Distillation, the first rum distillery in the continental U.S. since Prohibition, to transforming a post-Katrina brewery into Orleana Artist Studios, now home to more than 100 local artists. Through archival footage and interviews with figures like Kermit Ruffins, Nina Compton, and Quint Davis, the documentary explores how Michalopoulos’ work reflects—and helps sustain—the city’s creative identity.

Directed and produced by Sean O’Malley, Michalopoulos: The Art of Celebration premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival in 2025 and arrives alongside the exhibition Michalopoulos: Mystical Expressionism at the Cabildo. More than a portrait of an artist, the film serves as both a tribute to New Orleans’ cultural richness and a warning about the fragility of the creative ecosystem that defines it.

Watch the trailer below.