Big Sexy Neon
4.3(12)google
4.9(8)yelp
Contemporary ArtCraftHands-OnIndoorQuirky
Overview
Big Sexy Neon is a highly unique contemporary art gallery and professional neon glassblowing studio located in New Orleans' industrial arts sector. Founded by master neon artisans, this vibrant space functions as both a gallery displaying radiant, pop-culture inspired glowing artworks and an educational academy. Travelers can book private, hands-on glass fusing workshops where they learn the delicate, rare historical trade of bending glass tubes and charging them with noble gasses, providing an unforgettable artistic and technical experience.
Practical Info
Suggested DurationAbout 30-60 minutes
Best TimeThis is a contemporary neon art studio and gallery space run by local master neon artisans. The ideal time to visit is after dark, following 6:00 PM, when the entire showroom window and creative custom signs flash to life, offering an incredibly vibrant, cyberpunk-meets-classic-NOLA visual atmosphere for photos.
Getting ThereLocated in a trendy creative pocket within New Orleans. It is best to drive or use a rideshare directly to the studio entrance, as it sits outside the primary tourist transit corridors. For drivers, free parallel street parking spaces are highly accessible directly along the surrounding blocks.
Travel Tips
- This is a working professional neon art studio and custom glass-blowing workshop, not a public gallery with walk-in admission. To gain entry to the interior facility, you must register for one of their scheduled neon-making classes on their website.
- If attending a custom glass workshop, you will handle molten glass and live fires; combustible synthetic fiber clothing, shorts, skirts, and open-toe sandals are banned. You must wear 100% cotton long pants/sleeves and heavy enclosed canvas or leather sneakers.
Photo Tips
Photo Rules
- The working studio floor contains multi-thousand-degree glass furnaces, high-pressure gas setups, and fragile electrified neon tubing. For life safety and property protection, flash photography and unauthorized filming are strictly banned on the active production floor.
Reviews
Positive
- A spectacular neon art gallery and fabrication house, blending retro glow, pop art, and cyberpunk visual themes under an exceptionally creative layout.
- The master neon neonsmiths are incredibly humble, gladly walking drop-in art enthusiasts through the delicate tube-bending and gas-vacuum science.
- Charging no ticket cover, the gallery is packed with glowing signs featuring local witty puns, serving as an absolute photo paradise for social media.
- Set along the bohemian Marigny art block, it is surrounded by artisan spaces and boutique cafes, making access smooth and easy.
Heads up
- The dedicated public showroom footprint is remarkably micro-sized; if you are just passing through to browse, the tour finishes in under 10 minutes.
- Because it operates as a full-time custom metal and glass fabrication shop, official open-to-the-public windows can be erratic and unstable.
- The catalog consists entirely of live high-voltage, incredibly fragile custom glass, meaning families with running toddlers are tightly restricted.
- Minor electrical humming from transformers and typical factory welding gas odors are present, which may irk sensory-sensitive individuals over time.