Art Gallery Opening: New Orleans: Spirit a' Risen

The sultry New Orleans summer, filtered through tantalizing images of jazz musicians and their soulful music, will temper Washington, D.C. when Eric Buchanan, Veronica Leandrez and Bedonna Wakeman debut their New Orleans-inspired street art at the Artful Gallery on June 6th at 1349 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Titled “New Orleans: Spirit a’ Risen,” the show features these venerable New Orleans artists who capture the essence of the Crescent City through a pictorial history of music and cultural diversity. The artists belong to a coveted group known as the Pirate Alley Artists who show and sell their work on Royal Street in New Orleans, just behind the famous St. Louis Cathedral that borders Jackson Square.

“Being on the street, that’s my life,” says Wakeman, a resident of New Orleans since 2001. “I feel like an anchor and ambassador for the city. I want to talk to people and get them excited about the music,” she adds. According to Leandrez, “I feel honored to be an artist in New Orleans. Our city is healing and transforming through a powerful and beautiful rebirth.” “Every day I find a new reason to love New Orleans more,” says Buchanan, a 17-year resident of the city. All three artists will be talking during the June 6th exhibit/public opening to educate Washingtonians about the current circumstances facing artists in New Orleans, and their efforts to keep the spirit of New Orleans alive. Less than 15 percent of New Orleans’ street artists remained after the hurricane as the absence of tourism impeded their success.

Artist Bedonna Wakeman herself returned to New Orleans three weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. Her storm-ravaged home revealed a complete loss of her paintings and personal possessions. Within one week, though, she returned to the French Quarter and Pirate Alley despite the struggles faced through rebuilding. “I discovered that I lost 90 percent of everything I owned, including most of my finished canvases. I was able to find some canvas and frames to stretch my work out on Royal Street as a statement that the art community had returned,” says Wakeman. Wakeman has been involved in the arts her entire life. After attending Eastern Michigan University and Western Washington State University, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she worked in experimental theater and conceptual art with the Odyssey Company and the San Francisco Museum of Art. In 1979, she moved to Europe and continued her work in Spain, Germany, France and England.

Artist Veronica Leandrez moved to New Orleans in the mid-1990s to pursue a degree in Fine Art at Tulane University after graduating from the Design and Architecture Senior High School (DASH), an acclaimed magnet secondary school in the heart of the Design District in Miami, Fla. After Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005, she returned to join family in Spain, her homeland, before returning to New Orleans to participate in the city’s rebirth. She does private commissions and shows her work on the fence behind St. Louis Cathedral.

Artist Eric Buchanan studied art at the University of North Carolina. He has been a resident and painter in New Orleans for 17 years. Known, in part, for his prolific wall murals, Buchanan draws inspiration for his work from the people, architecture, culture, food and music of New Orleans. The Times-Picayune recently mentioned Buchanan as a rising star in the city’s art scene. You can find him, and his work, on Royal Street as well.

All the work displayed at the Artful Gallery for the “Spirit a’ Risen” exhibit will be for sale to the public. To create an authentic New Orleans experience, Ginny Carr and Henning Hoehne will be playing traditional jazz at the show’s opening and Cajun Music by Karen Collins and Fred Feinstein (Squeeze Bayou) will accompany the show’s closing on June 26th. Cajun-inspired food and drink will be available for all to savor. For more information on the Spirit a’ Risen show, log onto www.artfulgallery.net. Private gallery visits after the show’s public opening on June 6th can be arranged by calling 301-537-8713.