Spotlight on New Orleans   

Looking back and forwards at New Orleans
by Jennifer Garant

On Aug 28th, 2005, Katrina hit its peak force winds and became the costliest and deadliest hurricane ever to hit the United States.  Its devastating path took it straight through a city I had called my second home for over 20 years.   I spent many winters in New Orleans, painting chefs, having coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde in the early morning hours, and meeting so many wonderful people including many of the chefs in this beautiful city. As I watched in horror the images on CNN as hurricane Katrina blew through, I knew I wanted and needed to help as much as I could.  I decided, immediately to donate 100%  of my poster royalties from sales of my posters for 2006 to the American Red Cross in Metarie to help the people of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.  “For me, it was just a no-brainer,” said Garant. “New Orleans is my favorite city in the world because it’s filled with artists, musicians, people with millions of stories. It’s conducive for thinking and creative people. A native of Canada, Garant has spent much time in New Orleans and takes inspiration from it to create her artwork. She and husband Tadd planned to move to New Orleans before settling in Bloomington, Indiana. My husband and I drove from Indiana to New Orleans in December 2006 to present my donation to the American Red Cross in Metarie, LA.    We also visited many areas of New Orleans to see how the clean up and relief efforts were progressing.

It was a bittersweet trip, uplifting to be able to meet the nice people at the American Red Cross office in Metarie and to hear about their relief efforts and to see some life coming back to the city, but also sad to see many of the businesses and restaurants still not re-opened for various reasons.






















Jennifer and the wonderful staff members of American Red Cross in Metarie, LA in December 2006.

Jennifer and her husband Tadd at Commander's Palace in New Orleans.

Executive Chef Tory McPhail in the kitchen at Commander's Palace December 2006.

One of the Chefs at Commander's Palace December 2006























In the kitchen of Commander's Palace December 2006.

At Melrose Mansion December 2006.

Another positive thing in my life to come out of Hurricane Katrina was meeting Melody Riley from Violet, Louisana.  You can read our story in the Collectors' Corner section of my website.  http://www.jennifergarant.com/garantkitchens.html

We are planning another trip in 2009 to visit New Orleans and are hoping to feel again that special energy that is unique to the people of New Orleans from the jazz bands, artists, and musicians on the streets to the chefs and waiters in the kitchens.
Until then, we currently keep up with activities and current events by following www.neworleans.com and we especially enjoy

Ryan Tramonte's Weekly Video Blog
                                                             



Jennifer Garant


Download the DÉCOR article (PDF format; requires Acrobat Reader). Article provided courtesy of DÉCOR.

Jennifer Garant is an internationally known artist living and working in La Quinta, California. Her fine art is featured in a number of galleries and her artwork appears on a wide range of licensed products. The official site for Jennifer Garant artwork and products is www.jennifergarant.com .