West Gallery Exhibit
IMMERSION: A Katrina Room
William Rosen
August 27-December 13, 2008
Three years ago, Hurricane Katrina prepared to make landfall. As a fourth generation New Orleanian, William Rosen had been through many storms, so he and his wife packed overnight bags and prepared to leave the city for the duration of the hurricane. But as the world knows, this storm brought more than the usual disaster: the levees were breeched following the hurricane, flooding 80% of the city. Instead of returning in a few days to a house that had withstood the storm, Rosen and his daughter arrived a month later to document a ruin. On the third anniversary of this devastating natural and man-made disaster, the Parthenon examines Katrina through the eyes of one man representing the thousands who lost both little and all. A life-sized room construction, papered in Rosen’s enlarged photos of the house’s interior, helps visitors envision what was left after the water subsided. In some cases, an eerie beauty remains in these former living quarters. The exhibit also includes images from the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper archives and two front pages from the paper’s Katrina coverage. A 5:30 cocktail reception, featuring a lecture by Jim Amoss, Pulitzer Prize-winning Editor of the Times-Picayune, will take place at the Parthenon on August 27. Proceeds from the $75-per-person lecture/reception, which is sponsored by Mr. Rosen, will benefit New Orleans Habitat for Humanity. For more information on this event or to purchase tickets, please call Angie at 615-862-8431. Following the ticketed event is a free public opening from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m., sponsored by The Conservancy for the Parthenon and Centennial Park.
The Parthenon is open 9:00 – 4:30, Tuesday – Saturday and, through August, Sundays 12:30-4:30. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $2.50 for seniors 62+ and children 4-17. Children under 4 are free.
Front Door, photograph by William Rosen, 2005