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ruin-and-revival
Curator's Note:

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, creativity thrived and helped to heal a community crushed by disaster.  Now, five years later, artistic works across New Orleans grow where structures crumbled and lives were washed away.  

 

Tour New Orleans with Craft in America and view the sculptures of artist Thomas Mann, who created Storm Cycle, a series documenting the city that was left behind.  Travel with Tavis Smiley to the Musicians' Village, a post-Katrina rebuilding project that will be a home for music-makers.  Watch artist Jana Napoli talk about her work A Wailing Wall, a feature from Louisiana PBS affiliate LPB.

Providing support for PBS Arts

Exhibition Playlist

Slideshow: Details of the Storm Cycle

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comments | Filed under: visual art Craft in America - Check Local Listings

  • The brooch includes a photo of the angel statue Tom found in the ruins.

  • This pieces shows why parts of the city flood, others stay high & dry.

  • The Paquins lived in a tiny FEMA trailer while rebuilding their home.

  • A topside view of "Flux," Tom's boat, destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

  • Brad Pitt established "Make it Right" to help rebuild the 9th Ward.

  • "Wall Street" the dog was fed for months by animal rescue volunteers.

  • Marvin Brown grabbed his dog & ran, racing the wall of rushing water.

  • Paul Guerra often drove his truck 16 hrs/day, helping stranded people.

  • Fractured power lines left a major American city completely dark.

  • Artist Chris Cressione & his amazing refrigerator magnet-covered car.

  • This pin is off the cofferdam used to repair the 17th St. Canal breach.

  • This piece is based on the float that carries REX, King of Mardis Gras.

  • Markings indicate the date, who inspected, and if bodies were found.

  • The seahorse is the logo of Gulf Line boatyards, destroyed by Katrina.

  • The battered roofs of New Orleans homes: defense or barrier to escape?
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Thomas Mann is a New Orleans artist and jeweler famous for his “Techno-Romantic” designs. Feeling an emotional urgency to understand and respond to the devastation in his hometown, he created a series of wall panels & jewelry pieces to document his beloved city after Hurricane Katrina.

Each panel tells a different story referencing shattered walls, abandoned pets, rescue boats landing on roofs and ghostly presences. He spent weeks traversing the city, taking photographs and gathering items he then used to create the series entitled Storm Cycle: An Artist’s Response to Hurricane Katrina.

The images in the slideshow are details of the following works:

1. Angel

2. We Live in a Bowl

3. FEMA Trailer

4. Flux

5. Make it Right

6. Markings No. 4 - Wall Street

7. Escaping the Flood

8. Local Hero

9. Power Down

10. Local Artist

11. Flood Wall

12. Empty

13. Markings No. 3 - X

14. Gulfline

15. Lift Off

See more of Thomas Mann's Storm Cycle images and video at Craft in America's Virtual Exhibition.

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