Mardi Gras has over time produced an abundance of material culture which holds in it and through it a history of New Orleans, for Mardi Gras is one representation of New Orleans' culture. To understand the culture of Mardi Gras one must have some knowledge of its history and development, the theories behind the ideas of Carnival and the carnivalesque, and the environment in which the event takes place. The material culture is presently housed in various archives and exhibits throughout the city. The need has therefore arisen for an institute to house this material culture for public exhibition, preservation, and scholarly analysis. It is the taking of a popular cultural event and interpreting it into the built form.