"Rise Up!" Special Event

New Orleans photojournalist Donn Young gives a presentation on how Hurricane Katrina has affected the artists and musicians of New Orleans.

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006, 3-5pm
The Nave Gallery, Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, 155 Powderhouse Blvd., Somerville, MA
Free and open to the public
For more info., visit www.artsomerville.org

About Donn Young
Donn Young, a lauded, veteran photojournalist whose photos have appeared in Time, Newsweek and the New York Times, will give a presentation on how Hurricane Katrina has affected the city's artists, its arts scene and its cultural heritage. Young, a UMASS Amherst graduate who has worked as a freelance photographer for the Boston Globe and the Boston Phoenix, speaks from first-hand experience as the hurricane ravaged his studio. For nearly four weeks the libraray of photography he built over 35 years--over a million images--lay beneath ten feet of water. The Archive Records Management Association of America and Louisiana State University has deemed his work "historically significant" and has launched an ambitious project to salvage and restore the collection. Young is now visually documenting the ravaged spaces of many New Orleans artists and musicians. He will present this work, past work, speak of his own experience during and after Hurricane Katrina, discuss the LSU restoration project, and share perceptions on the future of New Orleans' arts landscape. Some of the images in the presentation may be graphic.

A dozen of Young's photographs will be on sale as part of the "Rise Up!" exhibit, including "Madonna of Desire" (above), images of Mardi Gras Indians, and a series of portraits of New Orleans jazz greats like Jimmy Prevost and Danny Barker. These black and white photographs are reproductions of original prints. Because many of Young's images were damaged by Hurricane Katrina, there are some scratches and watermarks on some works. Instead of maring the photographs, however, these imperfections imbue the images with a rich, new layer of meaning. These photographs, like so many of New Orleans' artists, have weathered the storm. They allude to tragedy, but also convey hope, determination and beauty.

About the "Rise Up!" Exhibit, Feb. 2-March 3, 2006
"Rise Up!" celebrates the rich cultural legacy of New Orleans, as interpreted by over a dozen artists--from Somerville local artists like Hilary Scott and Karen Aqua to Donn Young, a veteran New Orleans photographer whose work hangs in the New Orleans Museum of Art. In addition to Young's powerful, poignant black and white images of New Orleans Jazz greats and other photo essays, Berlin-based photographer Bill Kouwenhoven's moody, mysterious color landscapes of New Orleans will also be on display. "Rise Up!" also includes a wonderfully strange, voodoo-inspired, eight-foot totem by Somerville sculptor Wayne Viens as well as shrines by A.E. Ryan, Susanne Bartz and V Van Sant. Other artists in the show are Joey Pesce, Alice Grossman, Sandra Salamony, Josh Yeager and political cartoonist Scott Getchell. And finally, New Orleans rising art star Lorna Williams, a 19-year-old School of the Museum of Fine Arts student, will showcase a work created especially for the show.

"Rise Up!" will also include a diverse collection of New Orleans-themed postcard art, created by local, national and international artists and craftsters. Jewelry, crafts and mini shrines donated for the event will also be on sale. Collectively, this exhibit aims to capture the unique, resiliant and soulful spirit of New Orleans. It also reflects the solidarity of artists working together for a cause and the vibrant community spirit of Somerville.

"Rise Up!" Schedule of Events
Feb 2 to March 3: Exhibit dates
Thur, Feb 2, 6-8pm: Shrine decorating event
Fri, Feb 3, 6-9pm: Opening reception; music by Shaun Wolf Wortis and Gato Malo; beaded necklace making with Spark Craft Studio
Sat, Feb 4, 3-5pm: New Orleans Photojournalist Donn Young discusses Katrina, its aftermath
and rebuilding New Orleans' arts landscape
Tues, Feb 28, 6-8pm: Mardi Gras Pancake Feast; acoustic music by Eric Goodrich
Thurs, March 2, 6-9pm: Closing celebration with Revolutionary Snake Ensemble plus New Orleans
Delta Blues musician Jeremy Lyons
For more information about all these events, images and detailed directions to the Nave Gallery, visit http://artsomerville.org. Or call the Somerville Arts Council at 617/625-6600, x2985.
This event is sponsored by Stanhope Framers.

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