THE ICON: Staci Rosenberg

THE LEGACY: The Krewe of Muses, which has been a high-rolling, shoe-tossing success since its debut in 2001, sprang from the brain of Staci Rosenberg, a New Orleans lawyer who got the idea to start a new all-female Carnival krewe while watching the all-male Druids cavort in 2000.  When she got home, she started calling female friends and asking them, “If I started a krewe, would you be in it?” The response was huge. The result was a parade that has become a Mardi Gras must-see. But Rosenberg, backed by the krewe’s leadership team, has made certain that the krewe is more than just a bunch of fun-seeking females. Members are active in community organizations, especially those benefiting women and children, and in 2006 the krewe made a $50,000 donation to cover police overtime and ensure the city’s post-Katrina Carnival celebration would go on.

THE ARTIST: Gabriel Flores

THE INSPIRATION: “Clearly, there was a huge void. I think there was a demand from the beginning. We didn’t know, but we really did fill a niche.” — Staci Rosenberg, Muses’ founder and captain, in a 2013 Times-Picayune interview in which she explained the Krewe of Muses’ genesis and enduring popularity