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| Katrina #1 Installation |
Artist Statement: This installation is full of the detritus gleaned as an Episcopal volunteer; raking the yards of survivors of Hurricane Katrina in 2006 after the Corps of Engineers had done an initial sweep in Bay St. Louis, MS. The top left shows a photo of the remains of a bay front estate. The Christ Episcopal Church had been destroyed but images mid right side depict the former church and its Quonset replacement. Bio: Pat Merriman, a visual artist who often does collages, volunteered with a NC Episcopal Church group in 2006 to partner with Christ Episcopal Church’s survivors in Bay St. Louis MS...the Church itself had washed away. Our chores were to rake down several inches of soil to prepare the lots for FEMA trailers or rebuilding. My crew found very little of value, though we did return a recovered statue of Baby Jesus to the Catholic church. Seeing the devastation first hand reminded me of how fragile is our earth: needing protections to keep earth’s creations viable, as well as the power of restoration by volunteer help. |
