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The Art as Artifact catalog presents oil paintings by Dona Simons both before and after they were flooded by levee breaches following Hurricane Katrina. Some of these paintings included New Orleans musicians in undersea settings. The stains, tears and waterlines now on the canvases tell a visual story. In a sense, the work foretold its own fate.
Three years after Katrina, Simons created an installation/exhibition of the flooded work titled Art as Artifact. It included paintings hung on the studs in her cleaned and gutted former home and studio. Charlie Miller played trumpet and flute one day. Michael Juan Nunez played Dobro another. Jeremy von Stilb filmed during the event. It was presented with support from the Joan Mitchell Foundation. The catalog followed.
As a result of this event, Simons created two new paintings and animations of their evolution. These were combined with video filmed and edited by von Stilb into a three minute presentation with music by Michael Juan Nunez.
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Dona Simons
