Greetings from “Greetings”

Just got this email today from Justin Lundgren, a New Orleans photographer who shot this amazing photo of kids reaching for beads at a Carnival parade before Katrina.

Hi Todd, Thank you for the kind words about “GREETINGS”. I just found out on Friday that the New Orleans Contemporary Art Center is going to exhibit it over the second Jazzfest weekend which is kind of exciting.

Anyway, it’s great that you’re organizing this trip. We need all the help we can get. I returned here a day after Rita with my wife and dog and we’re all comfortably settled in Uptown Nola. The intact part of the city — i.e. the “sliver on the river” — is the historically interesting part of town and if you have no reason to wander through Mid-City or Lakeview or Gentilly or the Lower 9th, you can live under the delusion that nothing major has occurred. Of course, this delusion is shattered every time you look into the melancholy eyes of virtually every person walking by.

I don’t know where you and your students will be staying; be prepared for a lot of visual clutter. New Orleans has never been a “together” kind of place, as you know, but right now we’re a super messy place. And with Mardi Gras coming up it’s only gonna get worse. As far as safety goes, the city has never been less threatening. To me, anyway. I would feel comfortable running through the Magnolia projects at 2 a.m. these days. Your students may want to explore the night life, and there’s still plenty to do after a day of cleaning houses — get your musical tips from the Lagniappe and Gambit online.

Lastly, all I can say is be prepared to get your mind blown. This thing is much much bigger than all the imagery that can be conveyed on TV. We’re disappointed that only 20% of Congress has made the effort to see the devastation. I’ve got to run now, dinner is ready. Feel free to copy this to your blog and good luck.

sincerely,
Justin