Triumph Over Tragedy:
A Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary
of the Great Depression/New Deal Era in North Louisiana
is a project of the EYE-20 CREATIVE CORRIDOR.
This initiative will showcase arts and cultural venues throughout 21 parishes of North Louisiana along Interstate-20 as they produce events that celebrate the lives of those who triumphed over the tragedy of the Great Depression in the 1930’s.
New Works of Art are being created and performed/exhibited based on the lives of 50 elders from the 21 participating parishes who experienced the Great Depression in North Louisiana and are willing and able to share their stories with us. These artworks include a play by James Hart, documentary film by Patrick Long, and books by Dee Scallon. In addition storytellers guided by Jeanine Pasini Beekman will perform a storytelling rendition and a photography exhibition of the elders along with select architecture from the 1930’s will be part of a touring exhibition that opens on November 6th at artspace, 710 Texas Street in Downtown Shreveport.
Events will take place from October 1, 2009 through May 1, 2010. The bulk of events happen in the months of October and November. Kicking off the project will be at the Red River Revel Arts Festival on October 10th with the performance of “Woody Sez” and the BIG READ Pledge To Read Sign Up for The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
The three Arts Councils are the recipients of major grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts totaling $110,000. These grants paired with local, state, and private sector resources (including a significant contribution from the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier) will allow them to implement a number of events, including the largest ever “BIG READ” venture—sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts—with the enmasse reading of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath. The goal of North Louisiana ’s “BIG READ” is to bring the story to life by identifying and documenting the people, places, artworks, and events of the time period.
The TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY commemoration project is the culmination of three years planning and engages 200 arts organizations, 100 professional artists, 525 eighth grade students in 24 schools and 50 elders to create new artworks and cultural programs that are a tribute to the history of the people, places, and events that comprised the Great Depression. The project is expected to engage 500,000 citizens and 75,000 visitors coming together to honor the 80th Anniversary of The Great Depression and New Deal Era in North Louisiana (1929-1941).
A Great Catalogue of this collection of artworks, people, and places will be available to purchase in hardbound copy on the website.
