Rabbit's Moon studio: The Art of the Parade/New Orleans

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Art of the Parade/New Orleans

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Irish/Italian Parade in the Irish Channel of New Orleans
Photo by Elizabeth Gordon

While publishing our reports from New Orleans this week we continue with the exploration of the arts and culture of one of the worlds unique cities. If New Orleans does anything well, and there is much, it knows how to give a parade....but not one parade, many and all the time. They have it down to a fine art, better beads that anywhere, wonderful floats, dancing in the streets, alcohol of all kinds that flows all parade long and long after, and music...oh my the music. But it is more than that, it is a community that loves to celebrate, that knows how to let go of all life's cares and let loose to joy even if for a moment. The children are raised on blues, New Orleans Dixie land jazz, blues jazz, and the rocking lively sound of high school and college bands. They even dance at funerals here!

The joy of Celebration
photo by Elizabeth Gordon

photo by Elizabeth GordonEvery one Parties in New Orleans

Why think of art and a parade? One of the exercises we used to do when I was teaching art durning art month was to imagine the school, your home, your business, stores, the world without visual images...totally blank. Take a minute and do that...imagine your world image free...if you live in a city, then it is museums, billboards, adverts, religious icons, tv, computer and so much more. If you live in a village or small community, think of all the arts and crafts on buildings, clothing and everything around you. Art integrates itself into our whole world...We just don't think of it that way. There are all kinds of artists and art makers, and the arts include much more than visual arts...music, theater, dance among others. Think of what your world would be like without any of those things. The other thing I want you to think about is the purposes of art...there are many...self expression, utilitarian, communication to individuals and the masses, presenting an idea or new concept, to promote empathy and understanding, to shock one from one's point of view, to illicit compassion....and art can be with function or without.

Photo by Elizabeth Gordon
Irish Revelers in the Big Easy

So lets take a closer look at New Orleans as a city of many arts, one being the fine art of the Parade. One of the first things I learned from my New Orleans extended family is that Mardi Gras is not one parade, it is many parades that span over a two week period or longer. Here the schools close, businesses close, and all stops for people to just celebrate...what a city! New Orleans is a town of neighborhoods(click for link), each neighborhood becomes a community within itself...its on small town as a young Mother told me yesterday at the parade. She had moved from Wisconsin to marry a New Orlenian two years ago, now with 9 month old baby Cosmo she was out celebrating her new found home. I asked if this was Cosmo's first parade, and as a true Orleanian would say, "Oh no, he has already been to Mardi Gras and several other parades!" So in the throngs of crowds we shared a table and long wait for a shrimp and oyster po boy while Cosmo wore his Blue Brothers' hat and sunglasses! It was a New Orleans experience.