It consists of two main buildings: the Patrick F. Taylor Library built in 1889 and designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and the adjacent Stephen Goldring Hall (named after Stephen Goldring), a 47,000-square-foot, five-story glass and stone building built in 2003.

The collection consists of work by artists from or associated with fifteen southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia.

[2] It is based upon the founding donation of more than 600 works from New Orleans businessman Roger H. Ogden's private collection.

According to the Times, the artwork in the collection “range from folk art to shadowy paintings of bayous and back streets, from haunting old photographs to bright modern abstractions.”[1] The museum has permanent galleries and changing exhibitions throughout the year.

[5] The Ogden Museum was selected to receive a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of its Arts Innovation and Management Program.