The Opelousas Museum announced a creative community initiative to celebrate the distinct spirit and stories of Opelousas’ neighborhoods. The Where We Live: Opelousas Neighborhoods Project plans to document and showcase the city’s neighborhoods. Through photographs taken by residents, the Opelousas Museum aims to capture the everyday beauty, history, and identity of places like The Hill, the Oil Mill, Brickyard, and beyond, according to a spokesperson for the museum.
Photo submissions will be accepted from August 1, 2025, to November 15, 2025. Selected photos will be featured in the Where We Live: Opelousas Neighborhoods exhibit.
The museum invites youth and adults to take pictures, using their phones and cameras, of the area where they live. The photos can be of anything: friends on a porch, a corner store, or a game of basketball in someone’s driveway. The project will magnify the voices of residents through the unique images they choose to share.
All residents of Opelousas within the city limits are invited to participate. The Opelousas Museum will also host free community photography classes in September to learn techniques such as shooting from different angles, using black and white versus color, and editing.
“People are very proud of where they come from,“ said Museum Director Patrice Melnick. "They’re proud of their neighborhoods. It’s a part of their identity. They have memories and a lot of associations, a lot of time that has to do with family and community. And so, it’s exciting to hear those stories and to share them. And maybe it’ll create a stronger sense of community between us.”
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