Video Announcement by
Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor Mitchell Landrieu
A Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Great Depression/New Deal Era in North Louisiana was a project of the EYE-20 CREATIVE CORRIDOR.
This 9-month initiative showcased arts and cultural venues throughout 21 parishes of North Louisiana along Interstate-20 as they produced events that celebrated the lives of those who triumphed over the tragedy of the Great Depression in the 1930’s. New Works of Art were 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 were willing and able to share their stories with us. These artworks included a play by James Hart, documentary film by Patrick Long, and books by Dee Scallan. In addition, storytellers guided by Jeanine Pasini Beekman performed a storytelling rendition and a photography exhibition of the elders along with select architecture from the 1930’s was created and toured. 150 Events took place from October 1, 2009 through May 1, 2010. The bulk of events happened in the months of October and November. Kicking off the project occured at the Red River Revel Arts Festival on October 10th with the performance of “Woody Sez,” a tribute to Woody Guthrie, and the BIG READ Pledge To Read Sign Up for The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The three Arts Councils were 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) allowed them to implement a number of events, including the largest ever “BIG READ” venture—sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts—with the en masse reading of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath. The goal of North Louisiana ’s “BIG READ” was 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 was the culmination of three years planning and engaged 200 arts organizations, 100 professional artists, 525 eighth grade students in 24 schools and 50 elders to create new artworks and cultural programs that were a tribute to the history of the people, places, and events that comprised the Great Depression. The project was 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). 
