Art & Design

At New Orleans exhibits commemorating the 10th anniversary of the hurricane, NPR's Neda Ulaby found three artists who said they wouldn't have become artists if it hadn't been for the storm.

The storm marked a turning point for the school. Now, instead of focusing on historic preservation, it encourages students to design spaces with and for New Orleans' low-income neighborhoods.

A Spanish billionaire had the painting on his yacht, but wanted to sell it in Europe. Spanish authorities intervened, calling the Picasso a "national treasure" that can't be sold abroad.

Navina Haidar, an Islamic art curator at the Met, says she isn't interested in ideology: "The only place where we allow ourselves any passion is in the artistic joy ... of something that's beautiful."

In 2008, the Brinton Museum was on life support. But an unlikely benefactor stepped in to save it, funding its revival as the home to a historic — and willingly given — collection of Crow artifacts.

As the 10th anniversary of the hurricane's landfall approaches, art museums across New Orleans focus on how the city sees itself today. In other words, no ruins and no people trapped on roofs.