Hurricane Katrina comes to Simon's Rock
John Lawson and Douglas Ahlers give talks to the community
by Chandler Wang | Contributor
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: News
Friday, Nov. 9, local artist John Lawson discussed his exhibit in the Liebowitz Gallery. This exhibit focuses on his experiences of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. Lawson lost his home and much of his work under six feet of water. The work in this exhibit is some of what he was able to rescue and rework.
The exhibit opened on October 22 in the Liebowitz Gallery at Bard College at Simon's Rock and will remain open until Dec. 21. The gallery is open daily, from 12 to 5 p.m.
The show is titled "Fragile," and while the work itself makes the meaning clear, the story that goes with it gives it extra depth.
"Fragile", Lawson's first exhibit in the Berkshires, consists primarily of three bodies of work: beading and tattoo drawing, explorations with digital photography, and flood-salvaged, re-worked drawings with encaustic wax.
Lawson learned about Hurricane Katrina and the destruction of his city while vacationing on an island off the coast of Maine. That's when he and his wife learned that their New Orleans home of 15 years and much of his life's work were under water.
In six weeks, he and his wife were allowed to return to sort through their belongings, and they found that everything was damaged. From his studio drawers, Lawson pulled 25 years worth of soaked sketches and drawings, and pulling apart the paper carefully, he was able to salvage some part of the work, laying it to dry on a friend's porch.
According to the exhibition essay by curator Margaret Grant, with this process, "Lawson began his journey of understanding the disaster that had changed his life forever. In this exhibition, we are witness to Lawson's mourning, healing, and ultimate discovery of acceptance and hope."
Before Hurricane Katrina, Lawson's trademark and his primary media were the Mardi Gras beads that he would gather the mornings after the parades and parties. He became well known for his unique, exacting use of the beads in creating fantastic designs.
The exhibit opened on October 22 in the Liebowitz Gallery at Bard College at Simon's Rock and will remain open until Dec. 21. The gallery is open daily, from 12 to 5 p.m.
The show is titled "Fragile," and while the work itself makes the meaning clear, the story that goes with it gives it extra depth.
"Fragile", Lawson's first exhibit in the Berkshires, consists primarily of three bodies of work: beading and tattoo drawing, explorations with digital photography, and flood-salvaged, re-worked drawings with encaustic wax.
Lawson learned about Hurricane Katrina and the destruction of his city while vacationing on an island off the coast of Maine. That's when he and his wife learned that their New Orleans home of 15 years and much of his life's work were under water.
In six weeks, he and his wife were allowed to return to sort through their belongings, and they found that everything was damaged. From his studio drawers, Lawson pulled 25 years worth of soaked sketches and drawings, and pulling apart the paper carefully, he was able to salvage some part of the work, laying it to dry on a friend's porch.
According to the exhibition essay by curator Margaret Grant, with this process, "Lawson began his journey of understanding the disaster that had changed his life forever. In this exhibition, we are witness to Lawson's mourning, healing, and ultimate discovery of acceptance and hope."
Before Hurricane Katrina, Lawson's trademark and his primary media were the Mardi Gras beads that he would gather the mornings after the parades and parties. He became well known for his unique, exacting use of the beads in creating fantastic designs.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Laura Byrne
posted 11/30/07 @ 2:37 AM EST
I wish there had been a little more discussion about Lawson's artwork - how it applies not only to Hurracaine Katrina, but in fact to all other disasters - natural and personal. (Continued…)
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