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Katrina's Houses #2
Photo Credit Frank Stewart |
From January 26 through 28, some the nation's finest architects, city planners, musicians and scholars will gather at Columbia University to celebrate the cultural and artistic riches of New Orleans and discuss how these can inform the city's rebuilding process.
The celebration and exploration includes a two-day conference, " New Orleans: Rebuilding the Musical City," sponsored Columbia's Center for Jazz Studies and the Institute for Research in African American Studies. In addition to panel discussions and presentations, the conference includes a major photography exhibit, readings, screening of film selections and live performances.
"New Orleans: Rebuilding the Musical City" will focus on the question: What can our nation do to rebuild New Orleans with the maximum degree of love for its cultural riches and for the everyday citizens who have kept its culture alive?
The conference will be held in Faculty House and Low Library, and the photography exhibition will be held in the Arthur Ross Gallery, Buell Hall. The complete program outline follows.
The conference is free and open to the public, but seating capacity is limited. Please RSVP to 212-851-1633 or noconference@gmail.com.
Participants include composer/pianist Allen Toussaint, vocalist Juanita Brooks, percussionist Herlin Riley, and reed-players Dr. Michael White and Evan Christopher. A special keynote address will be delivered by the Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., senior minister of The Riverside Church.
Program outline:
Thursday, January 26, East Room, Faculty House, 8 p.m.
John Szwed reads from the new book, Blues for New Orleans, and from his Grammy-nominated program notes on Jelly Roll Morton; followed by screening of selections from the film All on a Mardi Gras Day; Pianist/composer Dave Burrell will perform.
Arthur Ross Gallery , Buell Hall, 9 p.m.
Opening reception for the photography exhibition, "Eye of the Storm: Photographs of New Orleans, Before and After," curated by C. Daniel Dawson; featuring works by Shawn Walker, Frank Stewart, Dexter Stewart, Herb Robinson,and Russell K. Frederick.
Friday, January 27, President's Room, Faculty House, 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast; welcome by Columbia University Provost Alan Brinkley and introductions by Robert O'Meally, d irector of the Center for Jazz Studies, and Farah Jasmine Griffin, African-American Studies scholar; performance by New Orleans vocalist Juanita Brooks.
Panel I: Jazz, Blues, Architecture, City Planning, Geography, Faculty House, 10 a.m.
Featuring George Lewis, Lionel McIntyre, Kenneth Ferdinand, and David P. Brown.
These builders and architects will evaluate the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the architectural and musical landscape of the city. How can the principles of jazz inform the rebuilding process?
Lunch and Keynote Address, Faculty House, 12:30 pm
Panel II: Musical Families and Neighborhoods of New Orleans, Faculty House, 1:45 p.m.
Featuring Allen Toussaint, Herlin Riley, Cherice Harrison-Nelson, Nick Spitzer and Jason Berry.
This panel of musicians and scholars will explore how architecture and geography, have affected the cultural legacy of New Orleans.
Panel III: Jazz, Politics and Rebuilding New Orleans, Faculty House, 3:15 pm
Featuring Robert O'Meally, Jacques Morial, Joseph Roach, Chokwe Lumumba and Dr. Michael White.
These scholars and activists will consider the city's influence on the national, and international, cultural scene. How can the New Orleans be rebuilt with social justice for all residents?
Keynote Address: "The Lake, the Levees and the Living Dead," Rotunda, Low Library, 8 pm.
Featuring Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister, the Riverside Church.
Jazz Jam and Reception, Faculty Room, Low Library, 9:30 pm
Featuring Allen Toussaint, Herlin Riley, Dr. Michael White, Juanita Brooks, Evan Christopher, Salim Washington and others.
Saturday, January 28, President's Room, Faculty House, 10 am
Wrap-Up and Discussion
Context of the Conference
"This is the most important conference in the history of the Center for Jazz Studies, for it asks what art and the university can offer during a time of national crisis. We believe that the highly musical culture of New Orleans itself contains principles for reconstruction: improvisation, resiliency, truth-telling, and radical inclusiveness. In this spirit we are assembling New Orleans musicians, architects, city planners, scholars and other visionaries for a Columbia University conference that aims to make a difference."
—Robert G. O'Meally, Zora Neale Hurston professor of English and director of the Center for Jazz Studies, Columbia University |
