Restoration Artware
Can art save a city? Prospect.2 New Orleans thinks it can.
Bruce Davenport, Jr.
New Orleans is better known for its down-home food and soulful music, but Prospect.2 New Orleans (through Jan. 29) is giving these enticements a run for their money, quickly becoming one of America’s leading contemporary art biennials. The locally infused biennial features paintings, sculptures and custom-made installations inspired by the city’s history and culture, as well as works by 26 contemporary international A-listers, and was originally designed to help the city revitalize itself after Katrina. “The art world wanted to play a positive, active role in the cultural rebuilding of New Orleans,” says Dan Cameron, founder and artistic director of Prospect New Orleans.
Seven local artists representing New Orleans’ vibrant arts community are featured at Prospect.2. We’ve tracked down three, all of whom share the Crescent City as their inspirational backdrop, but whose reputations in the art world stretch far beyond it.
Bruce Davenport, Jr.
Self-taught folk artist Bruce Davenport, Jr. describes himself as “a protector of culture.” He felt like New Orleans was losing part of its identity after Katrina, especially its African-American one, so he decided to document what he remembered, pre-floods. His series of seven large-scale pen drawings depict the Mardi Gras parades he saw as a child — Making My Grandparents Proud of Their Grandbaby (pictured) shows the Bacchus Parade on St. Charles Avenue. Each of his hand-colored drawings accurately depicts the parades, right down to the number of marchers and instruments (facts he garnered from the band directors), and handwritten notes like “Born in Charity. Grew up in the Lafitte” infuse his work with references to his New Orleans upbringing — all of which successfully bring pre-Katrina New Orleans back to life.
At the New Orleans Museum of Art, One Collins Diboll Cir, City Park; 504-658-4100; www.noma.org
Dawn DeDeaux
Dawn DeDeaux is a conceptual artist who plays with sound, video, light and space. Her multimedia installation, The Goddess Fortuna and Her Dunces In An Effort To Make Sense of It All Part 1 is inspired by John Kennedy Toole’s southern tome, A Confederacy of Dunces, which she chose because of its New Orleans roots. “It works well for the local community,” she says, “since it is so beloved here.” Opening Wednesday through Sunday at dusk, the staging ground for the mesmerizing interpretation is the historic Brulatour Mansion. Dressed as Goddess Fortuna, famous local bounce music artist Katey Red eerily dances over protagonist Ignatius J. Riley’s bed, as clergy and Klu Klux Klan-like mannequins representing the Confederacy of Dunces watch on — the sinister mood multiplied by the piece’s location.
At the Historic New Orleans Collection, Brulatour Mansion and Courtyard, 520 Royal St; 504-5234662; www.hnoc.org
George Dunbar
Abstract painter George Dunbar lives on Bayou Bonfouca, a swamp about 50 miles north of New Orleans.“My work is derivative of my environment. I overlook wetlands that change every month — the textures, the colors.” One of the founders of New Orleans’ contemporary art movement in the 1950s, Dunbar’s 21 paintings on display span his career but reflect his early days as an action painter, with lots of abstract, geometric shapes, broad brush strokes and muted colors (pictured: Red M, 1959). “The concept behind action painting is like calligraphy, where you take your whole arm and paint instead of just using your wrist,” says Dunbar. “You create an energy in the work, and refrain from editing it so you don’t lose that energy.”
At the Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St; 504-528-3805; www.cacno.org
Reader Comments
- Bruce Davenport Jr. work is brilliant
(Posted on 07 Dec 2011)
