BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS:
Portraits of New Orleans Residents and Rebuilders

Exhibited in:
File Magazine
Chief Magazine
Rio Rita; Austin, Texas
Austin City Hall Art in Public Places
NOLA Photo Alliance's Identity; New Orleans
Civillian Arts Project; Washington D.C.
Super Alright Creative Studio; Austin, TX

Upcoming Exhibitions:
The Pearl Gallery; New Orleans, LA

THIS IS AN ONGOING AND DEVELOPING PROJECT THAT WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE 5th ANNIVERSARY.

*This is only a segment of the series, full series to be published
**We are still working to ID everyone completely, and provide a snippet of info thanks for your patience.

August, 2006
It is a year after Katrina, and the streets of New Orleans are still amass with debris. The levees have yet to be fully rebuilt. Stop lights don't function. Abysmal holes in the street are covered with mattresses. The suicide rate has risen. Refrigerators filled with rotted food and maggots, litter the curbs. The National Guard is omnipresent and allowed to shoot at will. Charity hospitals have not reopened. Forms and paperwork still stand in the way of rebuilding, gutting and emotional counseling.

The scope of the devastation is something that photos can not do justice; these images can only give a glance through the keyhole of a struggling society. But, amidst the rubble, the toxic flood water, the gutted houses and the frustrating bureaucracy, there are fighters. As I've heard from so many, "if I made it through Katrina, I can make it through anything...we are blessed"

The purpose of this project is three fold. First, to give residents who lost valuable family photos and albums new memories and photos to cherish. Second, to document a momentous period in American history. Third, to record the stories and celebrate the communities, families and faces of New Orleanians as they begin to restore life to how it was before the storm. Behind each of these images there is a tale of hope, strength, tenacity and pain. While oral history will be added to the project at a later date, presently I would like the faces to simply speak for themselves.

I would like to thank Jaimey Sloan and Michael Elliott for assisting me with this project, I couldn't have done it without them and their help was endless. Thanks to Dustin Kilgore who will be designing the book, welcome aboard my friend. Thanks to Kristin Littwin and Nick Gile for opening up their home to me, again and again. And, of course, how could I begin to thank all of the amazing people who spent time with me, welcomed me into their home, brought me into their world, shared their story and made me understand and appreciate the power of the human spirit. I am forever touched and grateful.