Dapper Bruce Lafitte (b. 1972 New Orleans) is a self-trained artist who began making and showing work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to commemorate the then-decimated street culture of parades and marching bands of the city. He has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally, notably at the Prospect Biennial, New Orleans, and in solo exhibitions at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum, Biloxi, MS; M+B Gallery, Los Angeles; Vacant Gallery, Tokyo; and Atlanta Contemporary Arts Centre, Atlanta among others. His work is held in the permanent collections of the New Orleans Museum of Art, and has appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine and Victory Journal. In 2009, he was a recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation artist award and was a mentee by renowned curator and tastemaker Diego Cortez prior to his passing in 2021.

Works like Fat Tuesday in the Lafitte Projects and Canal and Carrollton Ave on a Saturday reveal an intimate knowledge of day-to-day life in the well-known housing developments. Fixated on wanting to show New Orleans for more than “murder and car jackings”, Lafitte focuses on the elements of his hometown that he believes are at its true core of his work. Capturing the blending of cultures, from Mardi Gras and marching bands, to football and BBQs, his drawings become a visual story of life in the projects, and a presentation of the artist's “true New Orleans” and the preservation of its culture.

Lafitte’s work is held in the permanent collections of the New Orleans Museum of Art, and has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine and Victory Journal. In 2009, he was a recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation artist award.