Levees.org’s project listed #4 in Must-See List of Hidden Museums

A Levees.org project is the featured story in this week’s Gambit.

The Flooded House Museum, which opened in March 2019, is the 4th featured story–– one of 13 Hidden Museums in New Orleans..

When Levees.org purchased the house in 2016, the group worked in partnership with the neighborhood residents and developed a special plan.

Volunteer contractors installed walls, a doorway and a foyer to give dimension to the flooded remains. After that, volunteer artists staged the room using donated furniture and items from dozens of Levees.org supporters.

The artists then “distressed” the staged exhibit to create a flooded replica effect using theater art and scenic design techniques.

The final exhibit replicates what homes in the neighborhood may have looked like after the Army Corps of Engineers’ floodwall failed and homeowners returned from their flood-imposed exile.

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Founder Rosenthal meets with ten high schoolers from The NET

The Arts Council of New Orleans’ is working to create public art to bring awareness and attention to urban water issues.

The Arts Council is also working with 14 youth from The NET: Gentilly high school who will work alongside Carl Joe Williams to create one of the public artworks to speak to neighborhood history, community resilience, and our relationship with water.

On January 30, 2020, Levees.org founder Sandy Rosenthal met with 10 of the high schoolers at the Flooded House Museum and the Levee Exhibit Hall & Rain Garden.

The two exhibits are located side by side next to the London Avenue Canal breach site in Gentilly.

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Remembering Jim Lehrer with PBS Newshour

We are saddened to hear about the passing of PBS News Anchor Jim Lehrer. Mr. Lehrer was a visionary who provided substantial and valuable coverage for Levees.org in its earliest years.

One example is on June 1, 2006, when corps commander Lt Gen Carl Strock apologized for a major failure in the levee system protecting New Orleans, but was quick to lay blame on local New Orleans officials.

In 2006, the powerful Army Corps of Engineers controlled the narrative about why the levees broke, and Levees.org was but a fledgling grassroots group. But that did not deter Jim Lehrer.

Below is an excerpt about Mr. Lehrer from Levees.org founder Sandy Rosenthal’s upcoming book, Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina (Mango Publishing) due out in August 2020 as a lead title:

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