Northrup Show

Here are some images showing the Northrup King Gallery where our Senior Show was displayed. It was fun but I'm glad to have it all over now. I plan to take the next few days to recuperate and then it's time to get back to work and start looking for freelance work.

The Final End

I think this week marks the true end to my trip. Which sounds odd since I've been back for weeks. But I finally rolled my empty suitcase out of the laundry room and I finally got the voice recordings ready to upload, be sure to look back at past posts to listen to interviews with locals affected by the storm.

Also a couple days ago I got a call from Nora, one of the ladies I interviewed, she called to let me know the house were we met her was knocked down recently, secretly at night. This was the house she talks about in her interviews as a symbol to her of the typical New Orleans. I guess having this house disappear is just one more sign that the old New Orleans is gone.

It's going to take a lot of time and help to build up the New Orleans. It's very much in our hands what the New Orleans will be like.

Recovered Images

These are the images Jon recovered from the corrupted CF card. As well as an interview with Nora who tells me about her thoughts on a destoryed house that we were taking pictures of.

St. Roch Pictures

Here are images from the shoot on 3.29.08.

We spent the morning touring the swamp and watched the tour guide feed a crocodile marsh-mellows (I have to wonder if that is legal).

The afternoon was spent shooting the tree planting in the St. Roch neighborhood.

this is a slash of pictures from the whole day.






I can't remember her name but this lady was with a group cleaning up the area, the sidewalk she's standing on will be used for a national call to artists that will bring in life to the neighborhood.

Traffic Zone Opening

The opening tonight went very well I think, it was a great turn out. I think a couple of the girls might have even sold some work.

I was exciting seeing my work up of the wall, I'm even more excited for our graduation show then I was before.

The show runs until the 25th at Traffic Zone Center the Visual Art. #250 3rd Ave N, Minneapolis

Feel free to visit.

The lighter side

It was nice to see that much of New Orleans held onto its heritage after the storm. A few historic homes made it through relevantly unscathed, and others great measures have been taken to bring back its protectoral integrity.

I was fascinating walking through the warehouse full of what to most people looks absolute junk but to the people of "Rebuild New Orleans Together" this was virtual gold mine. Even after everything these odd and ends of someone’s home had been thrown they still maintained more color in their withered pain then I've seen in most Minnesota suburban neighborhood.

No Place Like Home

Hello all,

So I finally landed in Minneapolis last night, 24 hours after I was originally scheduled to land, I was really hoping the snow would be gone by the time I got back, instead I was met with a blizzard. Well I guess I wouldn't have it any other way, it a true Minnesota welcome home.

I was a very long and horrible two days of cancellations, delays, and yet another hotel room. Long story short never ever fly American Airlines.

However the story did have a good ending. Jon proposed to me in the airport last night. Instantly everything that happened the last 30 some hours melted away.

I promise I'll get more picture up soon and hopefully some recorded interviews I took as well. I leave tomorrow for Vegas and will be gone for another week so it might take some time, be patient with me and you will be rewarded :)

-Beth

Mean Streak

It's almost time to go home and I am super excited to see everyone. We just got back from the lower 9th Ward. Our shoot got called on a count of rain. I could've kept working but apparently some people think they're prone to melt : )

I've had a pretty mean streak of bad luck. Yesterday four of us went out for another casual shoot nothing planned we just went out to a spot that Rich wanted to see. There we found a house that has been untouched (as far as we can tell) since the storm. A lady named Nora was there showing her sister and family the same house. I started interviewing her and in the middle of it my ipod died. So I moved onto taking pictures of her and her kids and then this house. The hardest part was a little boy’s room. His bed, his clothes, his toys, all tossed on top of each other. Next to it was the parents room and there I found a rusted metal picture frame with the little boys picture still in it. Judging from the water lines I believe the water came up about 10 or so feet on this house. It is located less then a block from one of the leave breaks.

The sucky part came at dinner. I pulled out my camera to show Caitlin some of the photos only to find out that my card corrupted and all the images are probably gone. I'm taking the card home to Jon; hopefully he can work some of his magic and bring a couple of the images back. It sucks because I previewed the images on the back of the camera, so I can see them in my head, and I know they were some of my favorites from this trip. But now I can't get them from my head to paper.

To add insult to injury my ipod died again today in the middle of another interview. And so I couldn't use it later when a local man was telling us his experience to trying to help his and three other families escape the 9th Ward.

Sign.... such is life.

I did get some good stuff today that I'm working on right now. So, I'll talk to you all later. I should be home tomorrow sometime after 5ish. If the sun comes back out we might make one more trip to the 9th ward tomorrow bright and early.

Ipod trouble

I really do have more information on stories, names, etc. but my ipod is tweaking out today for some reason so I'll have to come back to that later.

Ms. Gibbs

We went to see some of the working being done by "Rebuild New Orleans". Basically they are a group that is reclaiming and restoring many of the older homes that historic value to them. The keep as much of the old home (wood work, doors window) as possible in attempt to preserve New Orleans rich architecture heritage.

We also met a couple of locals who are going to or just moved into their new home. These two people had both been through so much hell, and yet they had such positive attitudes, and they thanked God for everyday. they were some of the warmest people I've every met. Ms. Gibbs had just moved back into her new home yesterday. She was rescued by a boat from her perch on top of her kitchen sink (she will be turned 80 something next week). After my photo shoot with her I went to shake her hand and she pulled me into a big hug and said I love, which she said to everyone. after that I stepped outside and had to take a moment to regain my composure. How, how can things like this happen to people like that? How can they being so compassionate towards those of us who have never lost anything when they have lost everything. Of all the things I've seen this short little woman has touched me the most.

Mrs. Gibbs tells us about how after being recued she went to live with her son who then died a month later. She lost four sons, a husband and mother with in three years. For a woman who's seen so much grief she has such an up beat attitude.

Sydney is still living in a trailer in the yard behind his house. During the flood he escaped to his cousins house who lives next door, they then had to be rescued from his cousins attic.

This is from the warehouse where they keep part of old buildings, they clean them up and resell them to contractors.

The recording is of the kids from Hillel who gave up their spring break to come help build houses.

John works for Rebuild New Orleans Together. He was the one nice effect to show us around different work sites today.