Engulfed by Katrina is an exhibition project examining and interpreting the experience of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, specifically in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. On August 29, 2005, Katrina hit the Gulf Coast region of the United States and for the second time in five years the course of the nation was forever changed by one event. This thematic exhibition will explore the devastation of cities within the Gulf Coast, as well as life before and after the storm. In the ensuing months, the American government and its citizens have been forced to face challenging questions about race, class, American ideals, and history. The focus of the show is to fulfill the promise made by everyone almost immediately after the event which was to not let the horrific impact of this horrific experience be forgotten and overshadowed by more recent headlines or the often trivial concerns of our daily lives (i.e. popular culture, material goods, consumer culture). In the days and weeks after the storm, thousands of photographers flocked to the devastated region, often risking their lives and health to bear witness to this calamity. The exhibition will invite viewers to recall their own experience of watching the events unfold on television, and attempt to counter the complacency that has already set in the aftermath of this on-going tragedy. We all know that there is much work to be done, and through their lenses these photographers indict us for our lack of action and apparent compassion fatigue.
Photographers included in the exhibition are: Marc Asnin, Harold Baquet, Charlene Braud, Keith Calhoun, Gerald Cyrus, D. Michael Cheers, Cheryl Finley, Vangy Franklin, Russell Frederick, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Lonnie Graham, David Graham, Wyatt Gallery, William Grenier, Jessica Ingram, Chester Higgins Jr., Eric Julien, Melvina Lathan, Sara Macel, Chandra McCormick, John Pinderhughes, Damaso Reyes, Joe Rodriguez, Benjamin Orion Rush, Sophia Schechner, Will Steacy, Frank Stewart, Eric Waters, Lewis Watts, Carla Williams, Clarence Williams, and Nathaniel Ward.
