This past Tuesday, I left class a little early and went to Rimon. This time, however, what brought me over wasn’t the usual veggie empanada and shawarma sandwich combo, but rather local artwork. This art show, titled “My City and Me,” was a powerful collaboration between Tulane’s Undergraduate Student Government and local New Orleans high school students.
Student Government’s Freshman Leadership Program (FLP) cohort members engineer a unique Personal Leadership Project (PLP) of their own at the end of the year, and this show was the brainchild of freshmen Kate Sawyer, Ella Cat Strahan, and Samy Morton. They collaborated with Hillel’s Tulane Jewish Leaders, Edna Karr High School, and ReNEW Accelerated High School to give students a platform to showcase their abilities as artists and their passion for the city of New Orleans.
While the show was up through this past Sunday, the opening ceremony was held on Tuesday and included catering by Rimon and an art competition judged by esteemed local artists and a Rabbi (not to mention a plethora of enthusiastic guests). I came into the show with minimal expectations, not knowing quite what kind of impression the artwork would leave me with.
To my pleasant surprise, I found the work to be unique and fascinating. The different takes that each student had on their relationship with New Orleans, and the combinations of color, texture, details and words made for intriguing and evocative art. What made the experience all the better was the opportunity to see students wander the gallery themselves and beam at the recognition they received for their own work.”My City and Me” was truly a wonderful opportunity for Tulane students to break the Uptown bubble without walking more than 10 minutes off campus. It was an eye-opening and aesthetic art show that I was lucky to witness.
About Ori Tsameret
A sophomore from Portland, Ori has triple citizenship and speaks fluent Hebrew. He enjoys getting involved with the New Orleans community with his political economics major.
A sophomore from Portland, Ori has triple citizenship and speaks fluent Hebrew. He enjoys getting involved with the New Orleans community with his political economics major.
