Saturday December 17^th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

at the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum

7910 Park Ave.  Houma, LA

 The presentation is free and open to all ages, beginning at 1:00 with an artist lecture, discussion of  experimental documentary filmmaking, screening of works-in-progress and Q&A.

Following the presentation will be an opportunity for the public to share and document stories about South Louisiana and contribute to the project through audio-recorded interviews.

contact andrea@bluebird-art.com for more information

studying and practicing the Reggio Emila approach

dreaming up and/or realizing ideas for “The Last Atlantis” project

production assistant for Dreamsite Productions’ Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government educational video project

creating and re-working video art for projections during Isle Dernière’s show Sunday

experimenting with new video art equipment and styles for my upcoming (Nov. 19..stay tuned) video installation/live projections performance with the Artist Inc. Collective

YMCA-ing it…hello body combat, Pilates, zumba!

‘ol bluebrains here, reporting:

I’ll be screening videos (made special for the Isle Dernière sounds and concept) and trying not to start any arguments about oil or otherwise. May construct a costume, may take your picture, may poke you in the eye with my palmetto hat. We’ll see.  Will probably just be excited about the bike race.

The Geaux Geaux Sheaux will be there..friiiinge.

Occurring Sunday, September 18 · 8:00pm – 11:00pm at the Boxer & Barrel of Houma, Louisiana.

ALL PROCEEDS will be donated to Houma-Sunrise Rotary Club in support of Bikes for Kids.

A great cause and bikes are fun (remember?) and should be used more often around this flat town. How about some bike lanes, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government! Mama don’t like ridin’ along no highway, now. Its a matter of investing in jobs, paint and pavement, no? Ok, maybe some sort of tractor equipment. Maybe some of the lawn-mower enthusiasts out there could pitch in, in the spirit of community. Remind me to remind us to contact the candidates about that. That could be a good thing to rally for during election season, all you Terrebonne bike-riding (or like me: mrs. would-be bike-riding more if I wasn’t so worried ab me and my sweet baby getting smooshed by angry/careless/texting SUV/8-cylinder engine motorists) Terrebonne parish voters…

..and I’m feeling very drawn to and curious about Arbus…excitedly researching… driven by this inspiring start to another ‘school year’.

stay tuned….

Jeanine van der Loo and I have begun work on an experimental documentary inspired by this notion. Our project, The Last Atlantis, combines media art, visual art, music and allegory to tell the story of the potential future of South LA.

To develop content and involve the community in the project, we are conducting “in character” interviews with South  Louisianans, as if participants were speaking from the future as residents of the “Last Atlantis”. In the interviews participants are asked to speak about why South Louisiana is important, went wrong and caused it to become “Atlantis” and what people in 2011 should do to prevent that from happening. Speakers are depicted as mermaids/men, sea creatures, mutant creatures, wreckage and plants- all set in the underwater world of the “Last Atlantis”. We use handmade paper puppets during the interviews to help people get into character…because puppets are fun! (email andreadupree@hotmail.com to become a resident of the Last Atlantis). Audio from community interviews will be used in the film, along with an original soundtrack created by local musicians (in the works…).  A range of techniques (animation, live-action, experimental editing) are being used to create the 30- minute film. In the film, a live-action performance-art-inspired mermaid (the lovely Shannon Eaton) guides viewers on an underwater journey through the sunken remains of South LA to meet talking creatures, plants, and architecture common to South Louisiana.  Ceramic sculptures of these characters will be created for use in the film, exhibition and sale. Prints from the film, as well as props and scenic backdrops will also be available for sale (and given as prizes for donors).

The project is inspired by Terrebonne parish’s increasing vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters and the unique culture of South Louisiana. Our goal is to inspire discussion about our artistic methods and the environmental & social issues addressed by the project.

In December 2011 and August 2012 we will present work from the project at the Waterlife Museum and for Jenny Authement’s fine arts classes at L.E. Fletcher.  Beginning in January 2012, we will present a series of six public workshops in the media & visual arts techniques used in the project. Artwork from workshops will be presented through the project website (currently under construction) and a gallery show at the Waterlife museum during Fall 2012.

The project is supported, in part, by funds from the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government’s Arts Funding Program as administered by the Houma Regional Arts Council.   The project is sponsored by the Bayou Terrebonne Walterlife Museum. We are very thankful for this support!