The Arts Council of New Orleans, in partnership with the City of New Orleans, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) and the residents of the Filmore Gardens neighborhood, will unveil a new sculpture at Levees.org’s Levee Exhibit Hall & Garden.

WHAT: Unveiling Ceremony
WHEN: Sunday, November 7th from 3:30-5:30
WHERE: 5000 Warrington Drive
WHO: The Arts Council of New Orleans, the City of New Orleans, the New Orleans Development Authority (NORA), residents of the Filmore Gardens neighborhood and Levees.org

The art commission arose out of a much broader project––the Gentilly Resilience District made possible through a $141 million grant received by the City of New Orleans from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) National Disaster Resilience Competition.

The goal of the Gentilly Resilience District is to reduce flood risk, slow land subsidence, improve energy reliability, and encourage neighborhood revitalization.

The art commission is one of several public art works that the Arts Council is coordinating for the St. Anthony neighborhood in Gentilly, which saw catastrophic flooding when levees and floodwalls breached during Hurricane Katrina. The purpose of public art is to illuminate, educate, and catalyze action about the environmental challenges facing the city.

The commission at 5000 Warrington Drive near the London Avenue Canal breach site is designed by a group of fourteen youth artists from the Arts Council’s Young Artist Movement program at The NET Charter High School in Gentilly. They worked alongside local artist Carl Joe Williams to create the substantial piece of art that speaks to neighborhood history, the community’s resilience, and its relationship with water. The artists have also completed a series of sculptures for the NORA rain garden nearby at the corner of Filmore Avenue and Wildair Drive.

Levees.org is working with the Arts Council and providing the engineering expertise for the sculpture’s foundation. Levees.org is also covering the cost of the materials and construction of the foundation.

The installation will be marked by an unveiling ceremony on Sunday, November 7, 2-3:30 PM at 5000 Warrington Drive.

ABOUT LEVEES.ORG

Created after Hurricane Katrina, Levees.org is a nonprofit with a mission of education about why New Orleans flooded during the 2005 hurricane. The levees failed due to design and construction mistakes by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Today, Levees.org advocates for the 62% of the nation’s population living by levees.

ABOUT THE ARTS COUNCIL NEW ORLEANS

The Arts Council New Orleans is a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization designated as the official arts agency for the City of New Orleans. The Arts Council’s mission is to improve the quality of life in New Orleans by supporting, activating, and investing in our city’s greatest natural resource: our artists, cultural producers, and creative community. Programs include Unframed presented by The Helis Foundation, Arts Market New Orleans, Young Artist Movement (YAM), LUNA Fête, and grantmaking, as well as commissions and community projects. Visit artsneworleans.org for more information.

ABOUT THE GENTILLY RESILIENCE DISTRICT

The Gentilly Resilience District is a combination of efforts across Gentilly to reduce flood risk, slow land subsidence, improve energy reliability, and encourage neighborhood revitalization. The city’s first Resilience District uses various approaches to water and land management that have been successfully piloted throughout New Orleans and, when implemented together, are intended to create even greater neighborhood benefits—such as improved health, economic opportunity, environmental education, and recreation. Visit https://nola.gov/resilience-sustainability/gentilly-resilience-district/ for more information.