EXHIBITION “MIGRATION” AT PROSPECT 4 SATELLITE
CREVASSE 22 | RIVER HOUSE
Opening Party with “Country Cocktails” Saturday, November 18, 2-5 pm
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. November 13, 2007. An exhibition, “Migration” is opening at Crevasse 22 | River House on November 16th for previews, and on November 18th to the public, presenting works using the metaphors of birds as a species that migrates both annually and as needed for adaptation to climate change, and boats used by humans for migration.
The intrusion of salt water caused in part by ocean rise due to climate change is threatening the habitat of freshwater bird species including Purple Gallinule, Common Gallinule, Bald Eagle, Anhinga, Yellow-Crowned Night Herons, King Frails, White Faced Ibis, and Glossy Ibis.
These bird species may migrate further inland, but there is less freshwater marsh area available further inland, which can mean a diminution of these species.
A special day of “Country Cocktails” will be held on Saturday, November 18th, from 2 – 5pm in conjunction with Satellite Night immediately following.
The works on view include contemporary and historic paintings, murals, installations, photography, and sculpture in the River House, and sculptures in the Crevasse 22 sculpture garden. Also on view decorative carved duck decoys by regional artists that reflect their love and commitment to the environment and the lifestyle it supports of hunting, fishing, and living in a coastal zone.
Artists on exhibit include: John James Audubon, Walter Anderson, Rayne Bedsole, Jacqueline Bishop, Pippin Calder, Luis Colmenares, Clifton Faust, Mitchell Gaudet, Frank Gehry, Mitchell Gaudet, Susan Gisleson, Gene Koss, Victor Mira Myth Makers/Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein, Jana Napoli, Christopher Saucedo, Caroline Somers, Robert Tannen, Willie White and over thirty decorative duck carvers.
A special exhibition of architectural design alternatives for “Living with Climate Change” has been held over for Prospect 4, including a full scale model house, and a smaller scale model and drawings by Robert Tannen in collaboration with Frank Gehry.
Crevasse 22 | River House, at 8122 Saro Lane, first opened as a pop-up arts venue for Prospect 3, has continued to present exhibitions related to the “beauty and risks of nature”, and is now a permanent sculpture garden and art center.
Crevasse 22 | River house has presented sculpture and two dimensional works expressing the threats to this region demonstrated by Hurricane Katrina and other storms; the “Spirit of the People of St. Bernard” who returned after Katrina, including portraits by regional photographers and videographers; and exploration of designs that help those who want to continue to live in the area, in “Living with Climate Change” that includes a design for a “Mod-Gun” housing design by Frank Gehry and Robert Tannen derived from the ubiquitous shotgun house form common to the region.
“Now we explore how species migrate, which presents opportunities, but also challenges”, said Jeanne Nathan, Executive Director of the Creative Alliance of New Orleans that presents the exhibitions in collaboration with the Torres | Burns Trust.
“Many people who migrated from St. Bernard to upstate areas after Katrina experienced new challenges when they settled in areas such as the Amite river basin, and on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, where they encountered flooding again in their new homes due to threats unknown to them”, said Nathan.
Sidney Torres and Roberta Burns, owners of the bucolic Louisiana site of the crevasse, or breach in the river in 1922 that created a small lake out of a bayou now surrounded by live oaks dripping with Spanish Moss, and home to many permanent and migrating bird species. Torres and Burns, sponsors of the arts exhibitions and performances further “hope that the presentations at Crevasse 22 | River House will reinforce the cultural legacy of the Parish, and help draw former and new residents and businesses to the Parish to realize its potential for rejuvenation and growth”.
Sidney Torres is a descendant of Los Islenos, or Canary Islanders who migrated to the region in the 18th century, to help the Spanish keep British settlers at bay.
Crevasse 22 | River House, as a Prospect 4 Satellite will be open from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and by appointment on Fridays.
Visitors and media can call 504.218.4807 to schedule an appointment, or for further information.
Presented in collaboration with and sponsored by TORRES | BURNS TRUST.
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