KnowLA is a comprehensive, dynamic online reference guide to the history and culture of Louisiana. The encyclopedia is accessible to anyone with a web-enabled device, free of charge.
Madame John’s Legacy derives its national landmark status not only from its architectural significance but also from its real and fictional associations with the French Quarter’s French and Spanish colonial society. Continue »
Major, Shawne
Artist Shawne Major is known for her large, intensely colorful tapestries in which she uses found objects, seemingly at random, sewn together to create a unified whole. Continue »
Mandeville, Eulalie
Eulalie Mandeville was an entrepreneur of extraordinary business acumen who became one of New Orleans' wealthiest free women of color. Continue »
Mann, Thomas
Thomas Mann is an internationally recognized jewelry maker, sculptor, designer, and craft instructor who has lived and worked in New Orleans since 1987. Continue »
Allen and Georgie Manuel are a husband-wife team who make traditional costumes of the Cajun courir du Mardi Gras, the celebration of Carnival season in rural South Louisiana. Continue »
Mardi Gras Indians
Mardi Gras Indians have become recognizable symbols of New Orleans's unique local culture, yet remain closely tied to their specific communities and traditions. Continue »
Marsalis, Branford
Branford Marsalis and his family were recipients of the 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award, the nation's highest honor for jazz musicians. Continue »
Marsalis, Ellis
Modern jazz pianist and leading jazz educator Ellis Marsalis is probably best known as the father of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and saxophonist Branford Marsalis, both internationally acclaimed modern jazz artists. Continue »
Marsalis, Wynton
New Orleans-born trumpeter, composer, and jazz educator Wynton Marsalis is an accomplished musician, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, and internationally acclaimed cultural icon. Continue »
Masinter, Shirley Rabé
Artist Shirley Rabé Masinter has gained considerable attention for her rich oil and watercolor depictions of the gritty streets of Louisiana's inner-city neighborhoods, cemeteries, and landscapes. Continue »
Master P
An overview of Percy Miller, Master P, a New Orleans-based rapper and record producer. Continue »
Matassa, Cosimo
Italian-American businessman, studio owner, and recording engineer Cosimo Matassa is one of the seminal figures of popular recorded music. Continue »
McCrady, John
One of the best-known twentieth-century southern artists, John McCrady studied and worked in New Orleans, where he established an influential art school. Continue »
McEnery, John
In 1872 John McEnery was elected governor in one of the most controversial and bizarre elections in Louisiana history. Continue »
McEnery, Samuel D.
Democrat Samuel McEnery served as governor of Louisiana from 1881 until 1888. Continue »
McIlhenny, Margaret “Pokey”
Margeret “Pokey” McIlhenny was a New Orleans civic leader whose interests were politics, education, and public television. Continue »
McKeithen, John J.
John J. McKeithen, the 49th governor of Louisiana, served from 1964 to 1972. Continue »
McMain, Eleanor
Eleanor McMain was a settlement house worker and progressive reformer in early Twentieth Century New Orleans. Continue »
Meek, A.J.
An acclaimed scholar and photographer, A.J. Meek has been documenting life in Louisiana since 1977. Continue »
