New Orleans Jazz Museum Director Greg Lambousy was presented with the French Order of the Arts and Letters by Nathalie Beras, consul general of France, at the Résidence de France in New Orleans, during a private ceremony among colleagues, friends and family.

A graduate of the University of New Orleans with a masters in American History, Lambousy has worked for 30 years at the Louisiana State Museum.

The Order of Arts and Letters award recognizes Lambousy’s outstanding achievements in the promotion and the enhancement of French culture and history in New Orleans with such notable exhibitions as Jazz en Route to France 1917-1918.

In addition to hosting several French interns at the museum, Lambousy continues to foster deep connections with his counterparts throughout France—namely in Vienne, Nice, and Juan-les-Pins—and supports the Villa Albertine, a joint initiative with the French embassy in the U.S. that offers a flexible framework for French creatives to realize an exploratory residency in Louisiana.

The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (French for Order of the Arts and the Letters) was officially established on May 2, 1957, by the Minister of Culture. Its purpose is the recognition of significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields.