West End (D2X 6162)

Maker Strembicki, Stan American, b. 1952

Date2005

MediumInkjet print

Dimensionsimage: 15 1/16 in x 22 11/16 in; mat: 20 in x 26 in; paper: 17 in x 24 1/4 in

Credit LineMuseum puchase

Object number2006:47

About the ArtistSince 1982, Stan Strembicki visited New Orleans multiple times a year for thirty-one years, and on his visits he repeatedly photographed subjects such as Mardi Gras celebrations and the city's distinctive cemeteries. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the region at the end of August in 2005, Strembicki felt compelled to do something, and the following month he made his first trip to New Orleans since the storm. Over the next year, he traveled to the city multiple times and photographed the residual aftermath. Rather than photographing the displaced residents, a subject he felt was too overwrought and full of pathos, he focused instead on the area's ruined homes and what he describes as "found objects in the debris field." In his work, elements like photo albums or found snapshots, their colors bleeding, become symbols of loss, while scattered books, damaged by the floodwaters, suggest the cultural traditions that have been swept away. Strembicki completed a BFA at University of Rhode Island, Kingston (1975) and an MFA in photography at California Insitute of the Arts, Valencia (1977). He taught at Washington University, School of Art in St. Louis, Missouri since 1982 and is now professor emeritus of art.