The Historic New Orleans Collection’s new exhibition will explore the complex legacy of New Orleans artist Bunny Matthews

Written By Alicia Vial

“Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions”opens Sept. 18, accompanied by a new biographical monograph  

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NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) will debut the limited-time exhibition “Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions,” the first-ever retrospective of the artist’s work. Opening Friday, Sept. 18, the free exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the world of Will Bunn “Bunny” Matthews III, examining his extensive career as a cartoonist, music journalist and keen observer of New Orleans culture.

Matthews was always in pursuit of authenticity. As a writer, he penned incendiary, entertaining music reviews and poetic observations on local culture. As a cartoonist, he skillfully caricatured the dialects and characters of New Orleans. The exhibition will explore the world of Matthews and his iconic characters, Vic and Nat’ly—crystallizations of “Yat” stereotypes who took The Times-Picayune by storm in 1982. It will also highlight Bunny’s many obsessions—music, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest—and delve into the controversy surrounding the artist throughout his career. 

“For nearly four decades, cartoonist and music writer Bunny Matthews shared his fascination and strong opinions about New Orleans life and culture,” said HNOC Chief Curator Jason Wiese. “This exhibition provides a visual and auditory exploration of Bunny’s work as he celebrated and poked fun at New Orleans music, food, accents, and customs, holding up a mirror that reflected both the good and not-so-good aspects of our complicated city.”

As stewards of the world’s largest collection of materials related to the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South, HNOC has collected Matthews’ work since 1979. Following the artist’s death in 2021, HNOC acquired the Bunny Matthews Archive, an 800-plus-item collection of his original drawings, correspondence, and ephemera.

Complementing the exhibition is the HNOC publication “Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions,” the first biography and monograph of the artist. Written by music and culture writer Alison Fensterstock and comics historian Michael Tisserand, the book captures Matthews in all his messy glory, with galleries of the artist’s work punctuating the narrative. Together, the book and exhibition will provide a sketch of the city in the latter half of the 20th century and the dawn of the 21st through Matthews’ unique perspective. Preorders begin Aug. 1 at shophnoc.com. The book will launch alongside the exhibition’s opening in September.

To celebrate the debut of this exciting new exhibition and book, HNOC will host Bunny Day Saturday, Sept. 19. The day-long celebration will include an author talk and book signing hosted by music journalist Jordan Scott, a lecture on the iconic Yat accent and a Vic and Nat’ly costume contest hosted by Peggy Scott Laborde, along with plenty of lagniappe. Bunny Day is free and open to the public.

“Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions” is made possible thanks to the generous support of HNOC’s Bienville Circle. The exhibition is free to the public and will remain on view from Sept. 18 through May 9, 2027. For more information or to plan your upcoming visit, go to hnoc.org.   

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‍About the Historic New Orleans Collection:
Home to the world's largest collection of materials related to the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South, the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) is a nonprofit institution dedicated to preserving the region's distinctive heritage. Established in 1966 through the Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation, HNOC functions as a free museum, research center and publisher, spread across  14 historic buildings in the heart of the French Quarter. For more information, visit www.hnoc.org.                                           ‍ ‍

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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