Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008 - (Page 33)

photographs link — as well as renew — a 19th century process and bring it firmly into the 21st century, while retaining Mann’s aesthetic. “Few photographers of any time or place have matched Sally Mann’s steadiness of simple eyesight, her serene technical brilliance, and the clearly communicated eloquence she derives from her subjects, human and otherwise — subjects observed with an ardor that is all but indistinguishable from love,” said Reynolds Price in Time magazine. Mann’s work is in the collections of many museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Smithsonian Institution; and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Margaret Evangeline Painter Margaret Evangeline has always forged her own path in life and in her art. Born in Baton Rouge, Evangeline grew up in New Orleans, earning a bachelor of arts and a master of fine arts from the University of New Orleans (she was the first woman to do so at the university). Remaining in New Orleans for a number of years, Evangeline eventually moved to New York City, where she still lives, and works in studios in Chelsea and Williamsburg. Organized by Ogden’s chief curator David Houston, Silver Bullets and Holy Water: Paintings by Margaret Evangeline, is a retrospective showcasing her early work to the present, including new pieces created just for the exhibition. The show is also part of the Ogden’s tribute to the University of New Orleans’ 50th anniversary. Her paintings are striking and conceptual, and Evangeline is a “straightforward artist who makes uncomplicated yet complex, layered art,” says Dominique Nahas in a catalog essay, “New Work of Margaret Evangeline: Achieving Punctuation.” The works that she is best known for — those made of electro-polished stainless steel at which she shoots bullets — were greatly influenced by the lifestyle and traditions of her family and friends in Louisiana. Lisa Silvestri Returning to her hometown of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina became not only a mission, but the springboard for a new project for photographer Lisa Silvestri. A resident of New York City, Silvestri arrived to a New Orleans that was in the throes of shock, pain and loss. Upon visiting her flood-damaged family home in Gentilly, Silvestri noticed a black woman sitting in a car across the street watching her. Silvestri walked over to introduce herself, and after a conversation asked if she could take a photograph of the woman. The New Orleans Portrait Project: The John McDonogh Series — a series of black and white portraits — evolved from this encounter. There was some doubt, however, as Silvestri asked herself, “Do people still want portraits?” But it made sense to her to focus on people — to “lift their spirits,” she says — so Silvestri concentrated her efforts on those most affected by the storm. The exhibition at the Ogden features a portion from the series of portraits she took of the seniors at John McDonogh High School, located on Esplanade Avenue. Blunt and unsparing, the photographs expose the raw emotions that lay just below the surface of these students. opposite page: Gunshot Landscape by Margaret Evangeline. left: Cornisha Tate by Lisa Silvestri. below: Almost Saint 1 by Margaret Evangeline. Fall 2008/LOUISIANA CULTURAL VISTAS 33

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008 Contents Friends Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities New Orleans Immortelle The Historic New Orleans Collection Highland-Fairfield: The Historic Heart of Shreveport The Ogden Museum of Southern Art Perils of the Mississippi River Louisiana Foodways Harvest of Life King Oliver: The Forgotten King of Jazz Louisiana Architecture Jazz Notes Louisiana State Museum Eye of the Storm Louisiana Association of Museums Soul Resin Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008

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