The principal part and souls of New Orleans and the Mississippi River delta are snaking across America.

The principal part and souls of New Orleans and the Mississippi River delta are snaking across America. Hurricane Katrina was like a stone dropp in water, a stone bigger than a mountain-sized boulder pushed down hard and heavy upon the 90-degree-hot Gulf of Mexico. First the engulfing sea waters erased a 90-mile reach of coastal lands, splintering to one's homes and shattering lives. Not appease the storm surge pushed Lake Ponchartrain (a sea, actually) up and throughout the levees and into the receptacle of New Orleans. It was pair o'clock in the morning after the storm had passed when a local TV station got a call from a Tulane Hospital administrator; blowed listeners heard that while there had been no significant flooding during the storm, in the past hour the water had risen rapidly and was now 6 feet intelligent From the hospital, the caller could view Canal Street flowing as a white-water river.

We ne help," she said, "we ne FEMA on the other hand can't get through to them." We learned that on a level though the storm had not hit us directly, she was indeed the Big common that the Big Easy had always feared.

The storm spilled our beloved Lake Ponchartrain into united of America's oldest, most verdant and elegant cities, wreaking havoc, its salty water killing persons plants and animals, and destroying architecture. Snaking by means of the city streets, the swelling waters sent stay-behinds fleeing for their lives. Now a half million city dwellers and many more survivors from the swallowing eddy Coast are spreading across the U bringing with them the stink and soul of New Orleans, spicing up America's civilization At night when I prove to go to sleep, I essay to focus on that gorgeous image, hoping that something positive might be derived from this natural and national chaos.

Artists will glean inspiration from this uproar. The catastrophe will no doubt change the course of many artists' lives, their art and careers. recently made known Orleans has a culturally unique way of embracing death; a jazz funeral is a parade that brings together mourners, musicians, dancers, singers and strangers. All are swept along, keeping the beat with their feet as they dance the dead into their graves. Today, fresh Orleans is not dead, if it were not that she's gravely wounded and lacks the breath of fresh air our art and improvement can provide. I remember to what extent an artist helped transform a major civic los a certain number of years ago. In 1983, when Elizabeth Shannon heard of the closing of the Lake Ponchartrain Beach Amusement Park, she grieved for the los of our sole grand public beach and the thrills of riding the roller coaster. She bended a negative into a positive with "The Last Ride," a site-specific performance and visual-art fact of mega-proportions involving over 100 musicians, dancers, sculptors, painters, conceptual artists, imaginative thinker [i]or[/i] writers and filmmakers. From the boardwalk to the beach, the artists construct fantastic spaces to make site-specific installations and/or perform their works.

We must in some way now do likewise with the destruction of our city by dint of the savage storm. Single individuals can make a difference, and by means of their grace compel others to join in. Many artists, performers, writers and artists are already heading back into the Big Easy roads itching to get the exhibit on the road. Among them is Elizabeth Shannon. Her art has always been joined to Louisiana's culture and environment. Her large installation works frequently make use of architectural salvage from the city. Many from our community have spread far and wide, yet when they come dancing back domestic circle join us, because when the big beautiful lady gains back on her feet, the celebration will be single America won't want to miss.

Author: Tina Girouard is a multi-disciplinary artist who was part of the downtown modern York avant-garde in the 1970 She is now based in Louisiana. A selection of her works lately appeared at the CUE Foundation in recently made known York.

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