TravelingMermaid

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:45:00 +0000

Twas the month before Christmas & no sign of snow
but N.O. doesn't care cuz the Saints are 11 & 0!!
Dinkins scored a touchdown, Sharper intercepted a pass,
and the Who Dat Nation cheered when Brady got sacked on his ass.
Sunday the Redskins, to Washington we will go
and when the Black and Gold get finished we'll be 12......& 0!
Go Brees, go Bush, go Harper and Ellis, our team's UNDEFEATED and others are jealous!

WHO DAT BABY!!!

¤WHODATº°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„SAINTSº¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤WHODATº°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„SAINTSº¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤WHODATº°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„SAINTSº¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤WHODATº°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„SAINTSº¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤WHODATº°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„SAINTSº¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨¨¨°º¤ø

BLACKANDGOLDSuPERBOWL!!!

Ten and Oh!

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:24:00 +0000

Guitar Lightenin' Lee!

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:48:00 +0000

is my newest addiction! These pics are from today's Mirliton Fest.

I have to tell y'all, I had a hard time sittin' still when this man and his band were playing. Ok, so I did a little wiggly-woo where I was sitting on the ground - I didn't want to embarrass my friends tooo much!

**Raised in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans over 60 years ago Lightnin' had music all around him. After learning from New Orleans blues great, Boogie Bill Webb, Lightnin went to Chicago to find his inspiration Jimmy Reed. When Jimmy Reed wasn't throwing Lightnin' out of his house and telling Lightnin' to go back to New Orleans he was showing Lightnin' his style of Delta Blues via electrified Chicago.

**After moving back to New Orleans Lightnin' played with and around such New Orleeans legends as Earl King, Fats Domino, Ernie K-Doe, Little Freddie King, and scores of other brilliant New Orleans musicians. Lightnin's ears were wide open to the sound around him and he soaked it up like a sponge. For years he listened, learned, and honed his playing and song writting skills in the best of company.

Not only is Lee an awesome musician and singer, he tells some damn good stories too.

If you like R&B you will LOVE Lightenin' Lee and his band. Go to his website for a listen, then go out and buy his newest CD, Going to Amsterdam ~ I did!

**Text from his website, www.guitarlighteninlee.com

All Hallow's

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:47:00 +0000

Artwork photographed in Ms Sallie Ann Glassman's Voodou Temple, New Orleans, May 2009.

(Click to enlarge.)

Being that Halloween is based in the Pagan tradition and All Saint's Day is based in Christianity, I'm not sure if Voodou recognizes either. This piece of art I photographed at Ms Sallie's was instantly my favoite piece there so I just decided this was a good day to share it. More photos of the Temple can be found on this post.

Happy All Hallow's.

Saints Got All Da Balls

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:04:00 +0000

Giant killers: Saints crush New York 48-27

Humid Beings For True

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:31:00 +0000

So I got home from work today, cracked open the computer to see that Blake's Humid Beings went live while I was out working in my small way toward the improvement of healthcare for New Orleanians. Congrats and it's about time!

Humid Beings promises that:
"The site we have built is equal parts Facebook, Youtube, Yelp, Huffington Post, City Search and NYTimes." and will "collectively create a living archive of the life we live in New Orleans."

The Mermaid likes this.....a lot and is honored to be a featured blog on HB!

Today was actually a low humidity day in New Orleans which I proclaim to be a good omen. However, in honor of Humid Beings (and because New Orleanians are, after all, the truest of humid beings in the physical sense) I am posting a pic of myself and two of my BFF's in all our glorious humidifying sweat at the Red Dress Run this year.

Here's to Humid Beings!

New NoLA Blog & New NoLA Google Group

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:08:00 +0000

A while back I started a group blog called NOLAFemmes but, in my busyness, haven’t taken time to “pimp” it. (I really don’t like the term “pimp”, even tho it seems to be the “cool” way of saying “share”.) It’s a group blog of women who live in/around New Orleans that I have read/followed and admired and invited to collaborate on the blog. The intention of the blog is to talk about women’s issues and/or New Orleans issues AND to promote positivity for our city. I really hope my out of town readers will check it out and participate via comments.

Also, I’ve been involved in a new Google Group that was initiated last Friday for those who love New Orleans. You don’t have to live here, you don’t have to be a blogger….you just have to love New Orleans and be interested in what’s happening here. Please join us! Here is the link to join.

8.29.05

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:25:00 +0000

I wrote this in 2007 on the approach of the second anniversary of The Federal Flood aka Hurricane Katrina.

On this alter I offer up my sorrow for my city
My guilt for my survival
My frustration for my helplessness
And all the unspeakable emotions
that roil in my belly in the dark secret of night.

Please hear my cries.

On this alter I offer up the cries of the homeless
Of the lost for their lives
Of the forgotten for their disillusionment
Of the scorned for their undeserved shame.

Please hear their cries.

On this alter I offer up the tears of the rescuers
Who see still the desperate eyes of the struggling
And the empty eyes of the dead.

Please hear their cries.

This is the alter of my transformation
This is the alter of our truth

Left Behind: The Story of NoLA's Public Schools

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:27:00 +0000

DVDs Now Available of Left Behind: The Story of the New Orleans Public Schools

FINALLY! DVDs of Left Behind: The Story of the New Orleans Public Schools are now on sale! Click here to go to our website to buy the DVD. From there, choose the BUY DVD button that will take you to our storefront. Versions are available for individual and educational use.

What the Film is About

Left Behind is a 90-minute documentary that tells the story of three African-American high school seniors as they navigate through their final year of high school. Their final year in one of the poorest cities in the state; in a state ranked as the poorest in America; in one of the most violent cities, states and countries in the industrialized world.

The film, shot before, during and after Hurricane Katrina, shows how an uneducated impoverished population reacts under the stress. Our never-before-seen Katrina footage highlights our two-year-long documentary. We show reasons for the looting, rape, murder and mayhem -- the effects our man-made environment has on human behavior. We examine the core of our American values, the framework by which we live, and we show how our most vaunted beliefs and government policies have played a role in our nation's shame.

Interviews with Noam Chomsky, Jessie Jackson, Ice T, Congressmen William Jefferson and Maxine Waters, author Michael Eric Dyson, Jim Derleth (US AID Specialist in development and conflict resolution assigned to East and West Africa) and others accent our narrative.

Click here to go to our website to buy the DVD now!

Hail, Zombie

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:32:00 +0000

Congratulations to American Zombie, this year's recipient of the Ashley Award at Rising Tide 4.

The Zombie represents the gold standard of citizen journalism and is richly deserving of this award and of the gratitude of every New Orleanian who fights for justice in our city.

HAIL, ZOMBIE.

The Mighty Mississippi

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:50:00 +0000

The Mighty Mississippi, originally uploaded by TravelingMermaid.

1. On the Mississippi on a Sunday Eve, 2. the river at the butterfly 008 (2), 3. Across the Mississippi, 4. the river at the butterfly 005 (2), 5. The city from the river, 6. the river at the butterfly 002 (2)

I live about a block away from the Mississippi River and I never tire of taking photos. The River is like a woman....she changes her appearance day to day. Sometimes minute to minute as she ripples and rolls and sings the song of the ages. Her allure never fades.

Another reason to love New Orleans.

Part 3 Belongs to CrescentCityRay

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:07:00 +0000

Yesterday was the last installment of “Asylum After The Storm – Katrina’s Silent Disaster” in The Washington Times and the weakest, in my opinion. The focus was on New Orleans Adolescent Hospital (NOAH) and the "split" between Mayor C.Ray Nagin and Governor Bobby Jindal on it's imminent closure September 1 due to cuts in the state budget. A large portion was devoted to the opinions of Alan Levine, Louisiana's Secretary of Health and Hospitals who favors the closure. In the story he is quoted as saying:

"The metal bars and barbed-wire fences associated with older mental institutions like NOAH represent "not a system [but] a failure," said Alan Levine, secretary of Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals. "It's a dinosaur, a relic of what mental health systems looked like 20 years ago."

I found this particularly puzzling since I worked on the NOAH campus for several years and I've never noticed "barbed-wire fences" anywhere. The same is true for metal bars.....the only metal bars are the gates at the four entrances. Wrought iron gates are common in New Orleans. I wonder if Mr. Levine has actually toured the campus at all. I'm not saying the buildings are in pristine condition - they certainly are not. But interior painting was going on inside the main building as recently as May.

So, I've read the entire series and viewed the accompanying videos and find, in all, an adequate coverage of the state of mental health facilities here. Honestly, I thought the videos had more impact than the written word and I hope readers took the time to view them.

I had a comment on my first post about this series from Judyb cautioning that the comments on the story were heartless. As I told her, I stopped reading comments in the aftermath of Katrina when so many were so vicious. But, for some reason, today I did read the comments. Yes, they were pretty awful but comment six from CrescentCityRay just broke my heart and it was worth slogging through the previous five comments. I just hope his words and his experience with post-Katrina mental illness shamed those other commenters. But I doubt it.

This post is dedicated to CrescentCityRay. Here is his comment:

I am one of the crazy people from a flooded area in New Orleans. We rebuilt our home - above the Katrina flood line. The kids are back in school and seem ok. Over 60% of our neighbors are back. Things are looking up. Nevertheless, I cry uncontrollably nearly every day. While I have been fortunate (up until recently) to have work since the levee failures, the crying and stuff has made it a lot harder to be productive in my work and I don't think co-workers want to be around people like me. I think of suicide daily too. Yes, I am getting talk therapy as well as medications that make me cry less at the expense of my motivation and attention. Call me names if you must, but I am doing the best I can. Why are we feeling so crazy? There are a number of reasons: 1. People claim our disaster, in New Orleans, was a natural disaster, when in fact our outfall canal floodwalls fell down long before even being overtopped by floodwaters because of stupid engineering mistakes made in the floodwall foundation designs by US Army Corps of Engineers' engineers as reported in all three levee failure investigation reports. But, many people choose to blame us flood victims for these floodwall failures and that really hurts my feelings. 2. People everywhere call us bad names, claim we are responsible for our losses, and do not begin to acknowledge the extent of our destruction (140 square miles of deep urban flooding by salt water that sat for weeks). 3. The Engineers that did this to us are in charge of rebuilding our flood protection and and we fear they are purposely designing unreliable structures again. 4. Most of our local politicians are worthless. Our future does sometimes seem hopeless. 5. Politicians and much of the general public made our disaster nothing more than another partisan issue. The previous and current administrations have made unkept promises. Many of us feel very disillusioned about our governments at every level. 6. The pain is not just mine. While we lost everything we ever had and have suffered and struggled to get home, the same thing happened to my neighbors, relatives and nearly everyone I ever knew. I haven't been able to help relatives as I would like because of my over abundance of problems and lack of resources. I look around at my missing elderly neighbors and get really angry at how our elderly and disabled have been and are being left to die without any help from anyone. 7. Of course, the initial Katrina response was a nightmare, but only a small part of the ongoing pain felt in New Orleans. I wish the evil posters that seem to wish we were dead would stop their hostility. I don't want to be crazy and cry everyday. I am ashamed of my mental illness. Believe me, it is very humiliating. I want to work and support my family and continue to help rebuild my community. My doctors say I must reduce my stress - yea right. Vindication might help.

The Washington Times Series on Mental Health in New Orleans

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:31:00 +0000

The Washington Times published the first in a series of articles yesterday entitled "Asylum After The Storm - Katrina's Silent Disaster" and I just finished watching several videos on their interactive website entitiled "Post Katrina Mental Health Woes". In the videos we hear NOPD Crisis Unit Sgt. Ben Glaudi and Unit Administrator Cecile Tebo speak about the struggle of finding placement for the mentally ill in the city post-Katrina, we hear from EMG director, Jullette Saussy speak about the impact of Charity Hospital's continued closure and the impending closure of New Orleans Adolescent Hospital targeted for September 1. Representatives from Unity of Greater New Orleans, an advocacy organization for the mentally ill homeless, talk about still finding the handicapped and elderly living in Katrina ravaged structures with no electricity or running water. Jorether Jones, the mother of an 18 year old, talks about her problems getting help for her son's mental issues and that he has had to be hospitalized in Shreveport due to lack of beds in the city.

Four years after the storm, the suicide rate has tripled and, if it continues on this trend, will double the national average by the end of this year. Cecile Tebo states the suicides are getting more violent (bridge jumpings and electrical cord hangings) and are increasingly being committed by people with no prior histories of mental illness. I daresay there aren't many of us who don't know someone personally who committed suicide since the storm.

What can we do?
Go read this story and watch the videos. Support Save Charity Hospital.com. Call and email your legislators to fight to keep NOAH open. Let your voice be heard.

~~~

Today, part 2 of the Washington Times series on mental health in New Orleans: Mental illness tidal wave swamps New Orleans

Altogether since 2006, reports show 101 suicides and 726 suicide attempts in a population that has ranged between 200,000 and 300,000. In the first five months of 2009 alone, 24 suicides and 82 attempts were reported - roughly double the national average.

They are "the walking wounded - untreated, they jump off bridges, they hang themselves, and they shoot themselves in the head,"said Dr. Stephens, who has noted a spike in mental illness in his own office since the storm - including two suicides and other psychotic breakdowns.

"What we have is PTSD on steroids," the doctor said.

(Cross-posted from casa de Charlotte della luna.)

Seen On The Streets of New Orleans

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:07:00 +0000

Addendum: My photo's have shown up on a blog in Farsi. Any advice on how to translate it is greatly appreciated. Link

HB 780: The Little People VS Goliath

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Last week the Senate Education Committee deep-sixed House Bill 780 which would require that LSU produce a legitimate business plan to pay for the proposed $1.2 billion LSU Academic Medical Center in lower mid-city.

It's just common sense to have a sound financial plan in place to pay for a project whether it's a dog house or The Taj Mahal. Most especially before you kick out people who have worked and lived for years on the designated property. How would you like it if the government told you to move out of your family home/business and you had NO CHOICE, without even the assurance the project would actually be completed. Read Save Charity.com's post today to hear what some lower mid-city property owners have to say. Whether you are for or against the proposed LSU Medical Complex, as a property owner and American citizen, you must see the sense in this bill. Please email or telephone your state senator and demand HB 780 be revived and passed before the end of the legislative session. Here is a direct link to the list of LA state senators with links to email any or all of them. Please take 5 minutes and let your voice be heard.

(Cross posted from Casa de Charlotte Della Luna.)

Valentine's New Blog

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Head ups, New Orleans!

One of my favorite local poets, Valentine Pierce, has begun a personal blog Poet Sense and Sensibilities. I've written here about her since I first discovered her poetry back in 2007 with the publishing of her book Geometry of the Heart. Here is a sample of her work and one of my favorite poems of hers:

Rivers of My Soul
by Valentine Pierce

My soul has grown deep like the rivers, he said:
Euphrates, Congo, Nile, Mississippi.
I close my eyes, repeat the words
over and over and over.

I know these waters;
my spirit has lingered in these waters.
my soul understands
even though the only river I’ve ever known
is the muddy Mississippi.

I loved my first love there and remember
the world pausing in the sweet joy of it;
shared my secret dreams with a friend
as we sat on the jagged rocks of it’s banks;
cried my life’s sorrow on it’s shoulders
as the sun rose and danced on tugboat waves;
got lost in the saxophone solos and guitar strings
of sidewalk musicians at twilight.

The muddy Mississippi —
It’s bittersweet rememberances
will linger in my soul for all eternity
and my soul, too, will grow deep like the rivers.

(Published with the author’s permission.)

Valentine participated on a writers panel at Rising Tide 2 in 2007 that discussed how their experience of Hurricane Katrina had affected their work. Maitri wrote her impressions of the writers panel here. (Speaking of Rising Tide, click here for information about this years' conference coming in August.)

I hope you'll visit Valentine and give her your support in the newest work from her heart.

Valentine and me at Rising Tide 2

(Cross-posted from Casa de Charlotte Della Luna.)

Sir Lattimore Brown's Excellent Adventure

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:19:00 +0000

Anyone who reads this blog knows I'm a huge fan of Red Kelly's blog, The "'B" Side, which "is dedicated to the poor, neglected "B" sides of all these 45s I have." His special interest (and mine) is old skool blues, R&B and Funk with a liberal sprinkling of New Orleans-based musicians mixed in. The vinyls he transferrs onto his site is from his own collection, many of which are unobtainable now.

It had been a while since I visited Red due to my (ahem!) busy social schedule so I went over the other day and bam! did he ever have a dynamite post. What a story! It's all about 80-something Lattimore Brown living in obscurity in Biloxi, MS until Red found him. The story is a remarkable tale about Red & Lattimore's journey from a room by a soup kitchen to performing at The Banks Street Bar during Jazz Fest and The Ponderosa Stomp.

The video's and photo's in this story are awesome. If you're a fan of this genre, especially the music of New Orleans, you MUST read and listen to this post.

Link Here.

Kids Carry On Indian Tradition

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:58:00 +0000

I went to Super Sunday yesterday on Bayou St. John with some friends and had a most awesome experience from watching and listening to the Indians chant beneath the oaks to second lining with Rebirth Brass Band all the way down Orleans Avenue. Yeah, I hung! I took some amazing photos and a little video that can be found on my Super Sunday 2009 Flickr set.
Here I'm posting some of the photo's I took of the kids that costumed and paraded so beautifully, continuing a long cultural tradition in their families.
For the history behind the Indians of New Orleans, go here.

Holt Cemetery: Neglect of the Deceased Poor

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:30:00 +0000

I literally just finished watching Bill Capo's Action Report on WWL-TV about the disgraceful conditions in Holt Cemetery. A friend and I went to Holt back in March and were appalled at the condition of the city-owned cemetery. The only name we knew it by was Potter's Field, a universal name for cemeteries everywhere that interr the poor. Located on City Park Avenue kind of behind and to the side of Delgado Community College, it's a wild, unkempt field of weeds, fallen headstones and even bones of the interred lying in plain site on top of the ground. Something I noted and commented on to my friend was the amount of war veterans buried there and I thought, what a shame. Men and women who served our country in such a disrespectful condition brought tears to my eyes. And not only veterans, but everyday people who lived their lives in New Orleans and, because of their poor circumstances, rest in such a sad, neglected place.

A cursory google search turned up that Buddy Bolden, considered by some as the father of jazz,is buried there - his grave long since unmarked and forgotten. Jessie Holt, another jazz singer, is buried there with a hand-made marker marking his grave.

I found this Endangered Cemetery Report about Holt from 2001. Obviously not only has nothing changed, it may be in even worse condition.

Bill Capo's report isn't yet online so I can't link to it but, according to the city, they are in the process of cleaning up Holt. It was noted a local volunteer group had been cleaning it and the other 16, I believe, city cemeteries once or twice a month. What a daunting job that must be if all are in such dire condition.

I thought of posting about this when I took the following photographs but, somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It really made an impression on me - I thought about for weeks how sad and disrespectful it all was.

Bill's report tonight gave me a good shove to write this post and publish my photographs. Once his report is online, I'll add it here.

Link to WWL video.

Here is a blog post dated July 2007 with photos about the conditon of Holt Cemetery. The only difference from then to now is the Fema trailers are gone, the standing water is gone and the weeds are higher.

The Dreaded E-word

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:37:00 +0000

Anyone who has never been forced to evacuate their home cannot imagine what a logistical and emotional nightmare it can be.

The possibility of evacutation is a way of life in New Orleans, it's true. Tonight I heard the E-word on the local news for the first time this year and so the hurricane hype has begun. Ok, maybe that's not fair - after all there is a certain level of responsibility to residents who live in Hurricane Alley. Maybe it's just my dread of another hurricane season that makes me so sensitive to any mention of hurricanes and evacuations before June 1. I mean, can they not at least wait until June 1 to begin the hurricane media orgy? *sigh*

Evacuation stories abound here - everyone has a horrific experience to share.

My evacuation for Katrina was a rushed experience because she came upon us so quickly. I remember on Friday not having a care in the world and on Saturday my whole world changed. I was lucky because I evacuated with the hubs and my mother-in-law in the wee hours of Sunday morning. We were practically the only vehicle on the inter-state even though it was already in contra-flow. The prep for the trip was a whirl-wind of boarding up the house for about 4 hours while the dogs barked and howled (animals are intuitive like that) and my mother-in-law asked the same questions over and over. It was unnerving. We evaced with the two of us, my handi-capped mother-in-law, 2 dogs and 1 cat in a Monte Carlo. Yeah. Very little room left for clothes and valuables. We had to leave our other cats behind simply because we didn't have room and that means putting out copious amounts of dry food and water and litter pans. And hoping they would survive. Not fun.

For Gustav last year it was a different yet even more difficult story. We had installed hurricane windows and shutters on the house so the board up was easier. But this time we had both the mother-in-law and the father-in-law living with us. And I had a hubs who refused to leave because of our Katrina experience with being banned from returning to our home. This time it was myself and the two elderly people on a 10 hour trip that normally takes 6. This time it was bumper to bumper traffic and the worry of how I would handle the possibility of assisting my passengers should they need a pit stop. The drive to my parents home was exhausting and emotionally draining. My husband was left behind and I had no idea if he would be alive after the hurricane passed. I will forever be in debt to my parents for taking us in, finding a sitter for my in-laws and supporting me.

My hubs and I have discussed preliminary plans in case of evacuation again this year. Mother-in-law is in a nursing home now, but father-in-law still lives with us. We have come up with two scenarios:
1. I evacuate with mother-in-law to wherever the nursing home has designated. Dad stays home with hubs.
2. I evacutate with dad, mom goes wherever nursing home has designated and hubs stays home.

Either way, hubs is staying put.
Either way I am leaving with one of them.

After the painful experience of Katrina, most New Orleanians have a plan. I just hope we don't have to implement it this year.

The St. Joan of Arc Project

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:58:00 +0000

St. Joan of Arc etching at St. Roch Cemetery
Photographed by me.

The St. Joan of Arc Parade rolled at Mardi Gras for the first time this Twelfth Night, January 6, 2009 and now has expanded into the multifaceted non-profit Joan of Arc Project.

Amy A. Kirk-Duvoisin founded the parade and project with the vision of putting "the French back in the French Quarter and the artistry back into Mardi Gras" with the traditional Mardi Gras walking parade, emphasizing the creation of handmade costumes and throws. The second annual St. Joan of Arc Parade will roll again on Twelfth Night 2010.

The Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc's French heritage and artistic events throughout the year can be found at The St. Joan of Arc Project. Yay! More reasons to party!

BENEFIT FOR KELLY ISRAEL'S ART HOUSE

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Thu, 14 May 2009 23:05:00 +0000

NOOMOON is hosting an Art Auction & BBQ at the Coumpound
823 St Roch Ave, New Orleans, 70117
Saturday, May 16, noon - 8pm

To raise money to keep the Art House from being repo'd from the bank.

Bring food to pass, drink to refresh, and art to share.

After party at the Skull Club following.

Sponsored by

NOLARising.com
NOOMOON.net
Skull-club.com
FUNROCKN.com
Miller High Life

NoLA Rising Art Auction

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:46:00 +0000

The prep for the NoLA Rising silent auction this week-end begins *today*. I'm doing my little bit here to call for volunteers to help hang art and various other prep activities Wednesday and Thursday from 9 am to 5 pm. This is a good opportunity to check out the art and decide which pieces you want to bid on!
Volunteers are also needed for the event itself which runs this Friday and Saturday, April 24 th & 25th, from 9am to 5pm at the Old U.S. Mint. We need volunteers to help with the Silent Auction, to tend the bar, run the merchandise table and help with the information booth.

A three hour commitment would be fantastic but we'll be happy to accept any amount of time you can give.

The goal of the fund-raiser/auction is to raise money to fund a major mural arts program that's to be kicked off in the Lower Ninth Ward and eventually spread to other areas of the city. Read here about NoLA Rising's meeting recently with regional levee commissioners to discuss the possibility of 65 local artists painting shotgun houses on an Industrial Canal floodwall as a tribute to those who died when the levees breached and to help rejuvenate the Lower 9th Ward. (Over the protestations of the dreaded Fred Radke.)

Many in the city have rallied around NoLA Rising and Rex's battle with Mr. Radke's destruction of public art in the name of "Operation Clean Sweep". Support for NR's work in the community has been gratifying and wonderful. Please continue your support by volunteering at the auction, attending the auction and going home with a one-of-a-kind piece of art that is not only great to look at, but really means something to you and this city we love so much.

(Images in the post are actual artworks in the auction. - The first one is mine, mine, mine!! Which means I'm bidding on it.)

SAVE CHARITY HOSPITAL.COM

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:58:00 +0000

If you look to my sidebar on the right you'll see I've added a link to Save Charity Hospital.com which is the brainchild of E. from We Could Be Famous fame. Thank God for energetic, enterprising and community-minded young people! (And old.)

This is a short post because I don't want you reading my opinion (but you can read a bit of it in my archives) -- I want you to go to Save Charity Hospital.com and read the very thorough information E. has compiled in this excellent site. Whether you support reopening Charity or support the building of a new medical complex which will destroy an historic neighborhood or if you have no opinion at all, go read. Be informed. Form an opinion. Participate in shaping the future of our city. It's your right and your privilege.

charlotte.ash7@gmail.com (Charlotte) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:32:00 +0000

Studio at Colton to host the first ever Mardi Gras Indian Fashion Show and "Art for Our Sake" Photo exhibition on Easter Sunday

WHAT:

Studio at Colton is proud to host the first must-see Mardi Gras Indian Fashion Show and photo exhibition this weekend on Easter Sunday. The two-part Easter Sunday event, presented by New Orleans Circle of Chiefs, will begin at 2 p.m. with a viewing of “Art for Our Sake,” a photo exhibition on view in a space located off of the Studio at Colton Gallery (on the Spain Street side of the school). The Mardi Gras Indian Fashion Show will begin at 4 p.m. and will feature seven categories to be judged by six Chiefs from a selection of New Orleans tribes. Featured suits will include those of youth participants (0-17 years old), Spy Boys, Flag Boys, Gang Flags, Wild Men, Queens, Chiefs and Big Chiefs.

“Art for Our Sake” is a one of a kind, collaborative photo exhibition featuring photos of suited Mardi Gras Indians of various tribes and tribe roles. The collection of more than 50 photos features a range of portraits of several individual, often photographed but rarely credited Indians in their breathtaking, handcrafted suits from a span of years past. Each photo featured in the show was provided by the pictured Chief, Spy Boy, Flag Boy, Wild Man or Queen and has been marked with the Indian’s name, tribe, tribe position and the year the photo was taken. All photos will be for sale and proceeds will go directly to the Indian pictured and/or his or her tribe.

WHEN:
Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009
“Art for Our Sake” photo exhibition preview
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Mardi Gras Indian Fashion Show
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Studio at Colton
2300 St. Claude Avenue
New Orleans, La. 70117

WHO:
The “Art for Our Sake” photo exhibition and Mardi Gras Indian Fashion Show were supported by grants from the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. Additional support was provided by Creative Alliance of New Orleans (CANO) and Sweet Home New Orleans.

Partners include Circle of Chiefs Membership, CANO and Studio at Colton, WWOZ and DJ Bob French, the Guardians Institute (book distribution), Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame and National Performance Network, Metro Disposal, Clarence Dalcour and DAL Construction and New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council.