It doesn’t take long

when touring around

New Iberia to discover the city’s affection for

murals. The colorful creations can be found on the

sides of historic structures,

on brick or concrete walls,

and even on a few modern

buildings. The murals not

only add beauty and interest to New Iberia, but they

also underscore its support

and appreciation for the art

community and the creative

culture prevalent throughout

the area.

Each mural has a backstory: an origin that hints at the

collaborative spirit found in

the very foundation of New

Iberia, itself. The Super Shell

Spruce Up mural, for example, started with a desire

among the city’s residents to

tidy up a vacant gas station

at the corner of North Lewis

and Main Street – while at

the same time preserving

its history. Josh and Tiffani

Pellerin, along with local artist Paul Schexnayder, asked

permission from the building’s owner to transform the

abandoned building into

a welcome sign, of sorts:

to cover its blank concrete

wall with a mural that would

capture the essence of their

corner of Acadiana.

Amid the pandemic, the

community came together,

agreeing on a design, power

washing the building, and

donating funds and supplies

for the job. The result

is a work of art that

tells a story – Tabasco,

sugar cane, sugar

mills, gumbo, crabs,

Shadows-on-the-Teche,

and a happy alligator

are only a few of the

images contained in

this lively scene. Now,

the once downtrodden

building that seemed to

say nothing at all, now

beckons visitors to the

Queen City and invites

them to relish in her

splendor.

Down Hopkins Street,

just south of St. Peter,

the House of Rudolph

mural depicts the joie

de vivre and diversity of

the city’s residents. In

tribute to the late Rudy

Plomboy, the “Wise

Man of Hopkins Street”

and owner of the House

of Rudolph (a lively

venue where music,

dancing and poetry

were always on tap),

non-profit Envison da

Berry commissioned

artist Jimmy Rink and

wife Carolyn to paint

the mural as part of its

local art and civic engagement initiative.

Jimmy Rink is responsible for another

one of the city’s most

treasured works: the

Bouligny Plaza History

of New Iberia mural.

Rink (with the help of

Girl Scouts, who came

on weekends to help)

transformed a blank

brick wall in the Steamboat Pavilion into a

veritable snapshot of

New Iberia history and

firsts, cleverly using

structural elements

(like windows) to tell

the story.

If you’re driving along

New Iberia’s E St. Peter

Street, you’ll likely spot

a windowless concreteblock building splashed

with a huge crawfish

painting on one side

and a brightly-colored

Cajun mural on the

other. Inside is a dining

spot housing the best

overstuffed seafood

poboys in town – along

with thick, perfectlyseasoned fries. This is

the home of Bon Creole, owned since 1995

by Randall Montegut,

and that’s the instantly

recognizable Bon Creole mural.

Artist Colette Bernard

was looking for a way

to make life brighter

for everyone during the

pandemic shutdown,

so she decided to

bring her talent to New

Iberia, transforming a

blank wall on Bridge

Street into a signature

scene of smiling faces.

“Give me some sugar…

I’m your neighbor!”

it beckons in French,

making the Colette Bernard Faces mural one

of this area’s favorites.

For a taste of some

edgier artwork, head

down W Main Street to

the Old Charles Boldt

Paper Mill, where local graffiti artists are

invited periodically to

repaint the surfaces of

the structure. Today the abandoned property

is alive with vibrant

colors and rich scenes,

all thanks to forwardthinking owner Greg

Mouton and a group of

talented artists.