LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM
Photography show examines changing visions
Before, during and after tragic 2005 storms
NEW ORLEANS – Before During After, a collection of extraordinary images illustrating the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the vision and work of 12 Louisiana photographers, opens February 17 at the Louisiana State Museum’s Presbytere on Jackson Square.
Scheduled to run through August 31, the show compliments the Museum’s new $7.5 million permanent exhibition Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond, also at the Presbytere.
“Louisiana’s recovery from the 2005 storms has been marked by a spirit of creativity and resilience,” said Tony Lewis, Louisiana State Museum Curator of Visual Arts. “The artists represented in Before During After saw what happened here, captured it vividly, and were forever changed by the experience.”
Lewis served as co-curator with Diane Barber of DiverseWorks in Houston, where Before During After premiered last September.
Selected for the Presbytere show are 38 large-format photographic prints – in both color and black and white – paired with personal artist’s statements documenting changes in subject matter, media and technique before and after the storms.
Participating photographers include Eric Julian, Elizabeth Kleinveld, Rowan Metzner, David Rae Morris, Thomas Neff, Samuel Portera, Frank Relle, Jennifer Shaw, Mark Sindler, Zack Smith, Jonathan Traviesa, and Lori Waselchuk.
The exhibition is accompanied by a 124-page book of the same title (University of New Orleans Press, $24.95) featuring essays and commentary.
Sponsored by Royal Haskoning, the Dutch engineering firm with offices in New Orleans, Before During After opens with a reception Thursday, February 17, at 6:00 PM The event is free and open to the public.
The Presbytere is open daily (except Mondays and major holidays) from 10 AM to 4:30 PM. Admission is $6 for adults, children under 12 free.
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Founded in 1906 with a mission to collect, preserve, interpret and present the state’s rich history and diverse cultures, the Louisiana State Museum’s collection totals more than 450,000 artifacts and works of art. These provide an authentic experience of Louisiana to visitors from around the world while enhancing the quality of life for residents. The Museum is an agency of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, headed by Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne.
DIVERSEWORKS HOUSTON
DiverseWorks presents
Before (During) After: Louisiana Photographers Respond to Katrina
and Under-Standing Water
(August 9, 2010) DiverseWorks kicks off the 2010-2011 season with an exhibition and symposium that commemorate the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Before (During) After and the accompanying Under-standing Water provide a visual narrative of how one of the U.S.’s largest natural and manmade disasters transformed the lives of artists from Southeast Louisiana. Before (During) After specifically explores the changes in subject matter, media, and technique from the work created before the storm to after in an effort investigate how shared experience is individually captured, filtered and re-conveyed. Photographers participating in Before (During) After include: Eric Julian, Elizabeth Kleinveld, Rowan Metzner, David Rae Morris, Thomas Neff, Samuel Portera, Frank Relle, Jennifer Shaw, Mark J. Sindler, Zack Smith, Jonathan Traviesa, and Lori Waselchuck. This exhibition is a co-production of DiverseWorks and Louisiana State Museum. Under-Standing Water features sculptural installations by Rondell Crier, Jana Napoli and Rontherin Ratliff with a monumental photographic work by Jan Gilbert, Debra Howell and Krista Jurisich. The works connect viewers to the perceptions, experiences, and memories of six artists whose lives were impacted by the storm. Running concurrently in Flickerlounge, DiverseWorks in partnership with Aurora Picture Show presents Brent Joseph’s A Loud Color and YO-TVs Still Standing, two films that explore challenges faced by storm survivors as they attempt to rebuild their lives.
Exhibition dates for Before ( During) After & Under-Standing Water
Date: Friday, September 10-October 23, 1010
Opening Reception: Friday, September 10, 2010, 6-9pm
Location: DiverseWorks ArtSpace
1117 East Freeway
Houston, Texas 77002
Gallery Hours: Monday-Saturday, Noon to 6pm. Free admission and open to the public
Join DiverseWorks for a symposium to discuss the impact of Hurricane Katrina on some of the artists from Before (During) After along with scholars: Project director/photographer Elizabeth Kleinveld; Art historian/curator Tony Lewis, Folklorist/oral historian Carl Lindahl, and artist Jan Gilbert. The panel will be moderated by visual sociologist Tracy Xavia Karner and a question & answer session with selected photographers and installation artists will conclude the Symposium.
Symposium for Before (During) After
Date: Saturday, September 11, 2010, 1-4pm
Location: DiverseWorks ArtSpace
1117 East Freeway
Houston, Texas 77002
Ticket information: Free Admission and open to the public
Contact Information: Shawna Forney, PR & Marketing Manager, shawna@diverseworks.org
Diane Barber, Co-Director & Visual Arts Curator, diane@diverseworks.org DiverseWorks phone number: 713-223-8346
About DiverseWorks ArtSpace:
DiverseWorks is a non-profit art center in Houston, Texas dedicated to presenting new visual, performing, and literary art. DiverseWorks is a place where the process of creating art is valued and where artists can test new ideas in the public arena. By encouraging the investigation of current artistic, cultural and social issues, DiverseWorks builds, educates, and sustains audiences for contemporary art.