A (wo)man's best friend

My favorite local artist is George Rodrigue, who was born on March 13, 1944. He is more famous than some of the local artists selling artwork on the streets of New Orleans because of the myths and stories that have been said about the reasons for his most famous paintings, which are known to be of the blue dog. On the ghost tour, we were taught about how he first started his work drawing his pictures of his own personal dog. He is called the blue dog because his original work of art was blue, with yellow eyes (yellow is an important color to the New Orleans culture because it resembles the loss of a loved one), and a red background to go along with the pattern of primary colors. There are now different variations, for example, there is a red, white, and blue one. All of his paintings of the blue dog are bright and vibrant and represent him as a person, but more so the New Orleans culture. The George Rodrigue gallery is on Royal Street, along with many other art galleries, which I thought was ironic because he seems to be so well known throughout the world, he is artist royalty in the New Orleans culture. He did many types of work but is most famous for the blue dog. I wish I could have had a conversation with him to understand where his inspiration for doing artwork of his dog came from. I picture him to just be sitting there one day sketching his dog as a joke. By reading his story to fame you can tell that he had no intentions of becoming a worldwide sensation; he was just a regular guy doing what he loved, like any other artist or performer in the great city of New Orleans. Rodeigue’s passion was art and you can tell through his work. They are so simple, but still say so much. It is inspiring to me that he can make something like a dog one of the most famous legends in the Cajun history of the city. Art is something that speaks through pictures and colors, not words. It can be misinterpreted or interpreted in many different ways; it is complicated to me. My mind is more of a black and white kind, I like things to be simple and cut and dry. I like things to be direct and accept them better if they are written down in words that make sense to me and are straightforward; this is why I think I was attracted to Rodrigue’s work because of the simplicity of it. It’s just a story of an owner loving his dog so much he painted a picture of him, that’s it; it’s simply amazing. It is good to know that the simple things in life are still wanted and accepted in this crazy world we live in. A dog is a (wo)man’s best friend and apparently can make you famous, so I’m doing life wrong.

Two different version's of George Rodrigue's Blue Dog portraits

            Art has never been something I’m interested in, but dogs are my one true love. If anyone knows me, they know that I love all dogs and I can’t even tell you how many dogs I pet in New Orleans, the stray ones, homeless ones, and all (sorry mom). I’ve had many dogs in my lifetime, but none of them have been famous, but now that I know it is possible I think I will go home and paint a picture of my golden retriever, Maverick. You guys have never seen a dog as cute as mine, honestly I could look at him all day long; he is a piece of art all by himself, he is very photogenic and loves when we have photo shoots. I’ll post a picture of him at the end of this post just so you can see what I’m talking about. Anyways, art is hard for me to talk about because it is so intricate and I’m more of a simple girl, which is exactly why I like this artist. He literally became famous because he painted and drew pictures of his dog, how cool is that? His art wasn’t really what made him famous in my mind though, there is an old tale that someone else made up about the dog and that is what made him a famous New Orleans artist. The tale is a Cajun tradition called loup-garou and goes something like this: it is a legend to achieve obedience in children; when parents and grandparents are trying to get their children to go to bed they tell the kids if they get out of bed after being tucked in the loup-garou would come and get them and drag them to chambers of hell (kind of morbid for kids, but they believed it, I will definitely be using this story on my own children if I ever have any). It is related to the blue dog because the original creation by George Rodrigue somewhat resembles a wolf-like creature that was scary to children, which is why it became the face of loup-garou after it was published. Because of the worldwide fame this legend created, Rodrigue ran with the idea and made hundreds of different styles of his original blue dog painting. Also, now there are children’s bedtime stories being published by authors. He made such an impact on New Orleans he still has his own, functioning gallery still open to the public with works of art for sale and he is an icon in the artistry culture of the city. We visited his gallery on our free day and the paintings were so vibrant with color and so interesting with many details. I was sad to hear that George had died on December 14, 2013, but his funeral mass was open to the public and held at St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, which was cool so his followers could attend and pay their respects to a man who started out as nothing, but ended up being the complete epitome of the American dream.

The man, the myth, the legend, Maverick Bonati

do, re, me

Only being in the city for a week showed me two things:

1.     Music is a positive thing

2.     Everyone is New Orleans love music

I loved walking down the street and hearing all kinds of music. New Orleans is known for their music and jazz is the most predominant music I heard with instruments like trumpets, trombones, saxophones, clarinet, drums, and tubas. On Frenchmen street we went into Vaso, which was a really cool jazz bar with an awesome band; I love how the venues have different bands and singers every night. We sat at the bar and listened to them for an hour or so. The band didn’t sing, it was just instruments, but the brass instruments, such as trumpets and trombones were so loud and commanding; it was probably the first time I was able to stay attentive to just an instrumental band. My favorite kind of music I heard was the street performers. I Something really interesting I noticed though was there were two different kinds of street performers; the performers in Jackson square were more put together and better musicians, in my opinion, and they were also more of the tradition New Orleans jazz type of music. The street performers that played on the outskirts of the square, or on Bourbon Street for example, during the day seemed less experienced and presented themselves in a different way. They were dressed down and seemed less professional. I wondered to myself if they were not allowed to perform close to Jackson Square or just didn’t want to. I’m thinking if I were them, I would perform right on the square because that is where the majority of the tourists spend their day and where most of the tips would come from. I preferred the tradition jazz street music to any other kind. Walking by it was loud and caught my attention immediately. The musicians seemed to be having a great time with each other and the audience, sometimes people performed alone though. Today, we went to Jackson Square for the last time and I saw a man playing the clarinet on a bench all by himself; he was very good and drawing a crowd in.

This was a band of musicians play jazz music on the street, along the French Quarter

            The city used music to celebrate everything; life and death are both considered celebrations in New Orleans and music is always playing. I noticed by walking on the streets that even people in their cars had the radio blasted listening to their favorite kind of music. Everyone in the city enjoyed dancing and singing, which are two of my favorite things so I was happy to see that. One of my favorite famous people is Harry Connick Jr. and he was born and raised in New Orleans and we got to see the club he was performing at when he was only six years old. I said in an earlier post that I really wanted to see him; I didn’t get to so that’s a little disappointing but oh well, maybe another time.

            Music is something that speaks to me. I personally love the music cranked up as loud as possible; I’m surprised I haven’t gone deaf yet. As soon as I wake up in the mornings to get ready, I put music on my Bluetooth speaker. It always puts me in a better mood and lifts my spirits. If I’m frustrated or sad I get in my car and blast the music as I take a cruise and that’s the best way to distract myself from whatever is going on in my life and bothering me. Music brings people together and the way people are so proud of New Orleans being the home of jazz music brings the entire city together; it is such a beautiful thing. We were fortunate enough to witness two different wedding parades with brass bands following the bride and groom through the streets of the city. It was so fun and exciting to see the celebration of love through traditional New Orleans style music. The city speaks through music by playing it loud enough for everyone to hear. The locals were willing to play and perform anything for us because they were so eager to spread their gift to the outside world. No other city in the world is like this one because of so many different things, but music is one of the specific differences between New Orleans and another big city. It is one big party down there, but that doesn’t mean its all booze and Bourbon Street; you can just see that the locals choose to live their lives in a positive way. We all have a choice every day: we can make it a bad or good day. The residents of New Orleans choose to bounce back after any tragedy strikes and choose to have a happy life; I loved that they were willing to pass on their positivity to us. This city speaks through everything it does and visitors can choose to listen. I listened through every opportunity I got, but the upbeat music is something that cant be ignored or unheard. It demands your attention and makes you listen, then think, and then smile. I have never really listened to or been a fan of jazz music due to my age I have never taken the chance to listen to it. I’m thankful I learned so much from the culture and music from the city; I’m going home much more knowledgeable about a lot of things, not just music, than when I arrived here. That’s another thing, the music of New Orleans is such a big deal it is almost its own category, it is a culture of its own, and I respect the fact that the locals think so highly of it. As an outsider, I realized how important music was to the city and that it has helped them through so many hardships and even today is still helping individuals through everyday life struggles, such as poverty or daily frustrations.

No place like home

As we ventured through Jackson Square today for the last time, I took as many sights in as I could. My favorite part of the square, and the entire city, is the history of it all. I took a picture of St. Louis Cathedral standing in Washington Artillery Park and looking at it just shows how historic and iconic the old buildings are. This view is famous in New Orleans and I can understand why; it is one of the best views I have ever seen. The cathedral stands tall, while the Cabildo and Presbytere stand, looking identical on either side. Each have their own story and have survived many fires, storms, and even Hurricane Katrina. Inside the Cabildo is the history of war and suffering that made New Orleans the city it is and the Presbytere stands for, what I see as, the very highest and lowest of the city: Mardi Gras celebrations and Hurricane Katrina. I will miss this city and most definitely come back to visit. Something funny has happened to us while we were down here though; almost every person that we’ve told we were from Illinois has responded with, “Chicago or cornfields?” We of course say cornfields and farms, which is where I belong and I can’t wait to get back. This experience and the opportunities I’ve gotten to learn from this city were amazing and unforgettable, but I miss home. I’m ready to be back and I’m definitely tired of living out of my suitcase (you remember how I passed the 50 pound test before we left, there is absolutely no way I will pass this time). As soon as I get home I can’t wait to tell everyone how great New Orleans was and that they should come visit too. I love traveling and seeing, smelling, tasting, and feeling what this city has to offer has made me fall in love with yet another place in our world. If someone were to ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, I would say the people of New Orleans. We did not meet one rude or disrespectful person from this city; everyone was so open and accepting of us touring his or her home. I can’t imagine having people in and out of my hometown constantly; I feel like it would get annoying, but they loved talking to us and asked us all kinds of questions as we swapped stories of our home states. One of the biggest things they were interested in was the snow and how we were so accustomed to living through the cold, harsh weather. It was funny to see the locals freak out over 50 degree weather because they were so cold, while all of us were hot and sweating. I have a list of good restaurants that came from the locals and they never let us down. My favorite, where we ate yesterday, was Port of Call, which only served steak and burgers. I got a cheeseburger that came with a loaded baked potato and dies and went to heaven while I was eating it. Food and drinks were amazing there, so if you ever find yourself traveling through N’ Awlins be sure to stop there!

 

View of St. Louis Cathedral from Washington Artillery Park 

            My favorite part of the class was the opportunities that were offered to us because of us being on a class trip; because of us being on a school travel course we got to experience and see things that regular tourist don’t normally see. For example, we were taken back to the Germaine Wells museum that is above her family’s old restaurant. It was filled with her gowns, crowns, and mementos from her twenty-two years of being Queen of New Orleans in the Mardi Gras Parade. Being with my friends, Anne and Jessica made this trip memorable for me. We did everything together; as we always do, but it was much more enjoyable to be in a foreign city with two people that I love and have a great friendship with. If I didn’t have them I know I wouldn’t have had as good of time as I did. The people of, not only the city of New Orleans, but the state of Louisiana in general were so amazing to us. Every uber driver, tour guide, restaurant server, or local people that had lived his or her entire life in this city were accepting, kind, and generous. The street performers were some of my favorite people because of their pride in the city and themselves; it was inspiring to listen to their stories and watch them perform something they love for little to no money. Some of the local performers and artists live off of the money they make on the street, which doesn’t seem like a lot. I’m not sure I learned anything knew about myself, although I did learn a lot of new knowledge about the city, but being in New Orleans just reiterated things I knew about myself. I already knew that I love city living, I’m an open-minded person who loves diversity and different cultures, and I reminded myself of how good I am at navigating myself through different places. Something really funny I noticed about New Orleans is that it is probably the squeakiest city I’ve ever been in. I’m not kidding, every single door in every shop, restaurant, and even hotel squeaked when it opened or closed. It drove me nuts like nothing I have ever heard before. After learning about the hardships of poverty and the victims of Hurricane Katrina it made me realize that I have life really good and should help out more people in need when I have the chance. Some people can’t help their disparities. The devastation I already knew Katrina created was so much more real up close and personal seeing it through the eyes of real-life victims. Their stories and experiences that they shared with us made my heart hurt for them. I will never forget this opportunity and all of the adventures New Orleans offered!

Anne, me, and Jessica after eating at Port Of Call on our last night in the city!

            

Damaged Country

            Today is weighing heavy on me as I think back to the places we visited. We went on an outdoor tour of the city; we learned about history, music, and finally explored the St. Louis Cemetery. I knew seeing the cemetery would leave an impact on me, but I didn’t think it would be as impactful as it was. If you guys didn’t know, because I didn’t before I came here, the graves are actually above ground because the tombs and caskets will rise if bodies were buried underground because of the city being so full of water all of the time. New Orleans is built on top of swamps and is a very wet city. I can’t imagine having one of my loved ones’ bodies being washed up and exposed at whatever stage of decomposition it was at; my heart ached for families that have had to experience that. The tombs were beautiful and commanded my attention it made me feel as if the people inside of them were of importance. A lot of them have so much history and are from so long ago that they were deteriorating, which was sad.

         

This was one of the most deteriorated tomb's in the St. Louis Cemetery we visited today

  

            Seeing Marie Laveau’s tombs were interesting because of the myths and history behind them. People believe that if you visit Marie’s tomb, the Queen of Voodoo, and ask her for a favor and them mark 3 X’s on it she will grant you your wish and then you must return to her gravesite and draw a circle around the X’s you marked. Because one family purchases a tomb and then buries all members at that gravesite I thought it was really beautiful that an entire family could be together after death in the same gravesite, rather than having separate plots like at home. One thing that really bothered me was that the cemetery is open to the public. I understand that it is a part of the history of New Orleans and tourists are interested in seeing it because the gravesites here are unlike any others in the country. Honestly though, I felt terrible for standing there gawking and walking all over people’s loved ones. It really upset me to find out that if you have a family member buried in the particular cemetery we were in, I don’t know if the others are open to tours, but if you wanted to visit a loved one’s tomb you had to call the city and get a special permission pass. That seems so difficult for a grieving family to visit and talk to someone that has passed on. It just seemed wrong to me, I almost regret being a part of it because if I want to go talk to anyone that as died I can go see him or her on my own free will without any obstacles. A better solution would be to keep the cemetery private for family’s and funeral services and just let the public view from the outside of the iron rod fence. 

An isle view between different gravesites at the cemetery 

            After visiting the Presbytere, my heart aches for anyone who had to endure the storm and the struggles after hurricane Katrina. The real-life footage, pictures, and stories I saw today in that museum are forever engraved in my brain. The darkness that follows that storm around is the truth. I cant even begin to imagine the hardships and depressions of losing everything to a natural disaster. In life, there are a lot of things we can’t control, but something that just comes in and wipes out your entire city is honestly the saddest thing I’ve had to understand in my lifetime. I was only ten years old when Katrina hit landfall so I did not fully understand what happened, but I do remember seeing sad things on the news that my parents were watching at the time. I’ve been through one natural disaster while living in Illinois and it was straight-line winds and it was very scary for our small community, but we came together to help everyone out and fix the problems. The strength and stability that the people of New Orleans fought back with is incredible and inspiriting to say the least. In the museum, videos were playing and it was a montage of Katrina survivors talking about their experiences before, during, and after the storm. One woman said, “We’re here and we are not going anywhere.” That statement spoke to me because she is so right. The victims took control of their lives and helped each other as much as possible. The city is not all put back together and some places that were damaged the most, such as the Lower Ninth Ward, may never be the same as they were before 2005, but they still celebrate life to the fullest and if any city knows the statement of you only live once to be true, it is New Orleans. A lot of lives were lost in the storm and some individuals have never ben found. The fear of the unknown can be a scary thing and just seeing it up close and personal today brought tears to my eyes. I don’t know if I could survive what some people went through. Our tour guide today told us a story of a friend that lived in the Ninth Ward. He stayed home during the storm because he could not afford to evacuate, the water was rising so fast that he was forced to the roof of his house and while sitting on his rooftop his house came away form its foundation and was floating away and to survive he grabbed onto a tree and stayed in that same tree for four days without any food or water. The victims of the hurricane were deprived of the simplest, daily items like food, water, showers, and toilet paper, etc. This experience today at the Katrina museum really made me think about my life and be grateful for everything I have; I will never take drinking water for granted again. 

This teddy bear was an exhibit in the Katrina museum. It was a representation of all personal belongings lost to the storm.  This sight of a child's toy weighs heavily on my heart to think about all victims, but especially the kids, that lost any or all belongings due to Katrina.