A Person of New Orleans

The peeling paint reveals the truth, just as the people are willing to reveal their story. I was able to continue my look deep into the people of New Orleans this week with thought about this connection between the city and its people; its influence on the attitude of the people. I received some insight into this attitude or lifestyle through an interview with a local New Orleanian. I got just a little closer to this persistent question of mine: What is it about New Orleans?

It’s hard for me to come to New Orleans only after two months of residency and really try to dissect the meaning behind the psychology of the local. I can immediately notice clear aspects of a local: a comfortable, friendly demeanor, the sense of a strong community, the acceptance of difference, and the immediate connection with any stranger. But, my quest is for how and why the people are they way they are, more so here than any other city I have found.

I was able to talk with a local of the Bywater area. Chartres runs along the Southern perimeter of Bywater, hugging the river. I often find myself along this main stretch of road, riding slowly to absorb my surroundings. Bywater is a very dynamic neighborhood, home to people of many economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Chartres is home to an interesting art scene, dotted with artist’s studios and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. This provided me with an opportunity to immerse myself into this aspect of New Orleans for a moment. I stopped into Dr. Bob’s Studio, an enormous plot of land dedicated to the art and sculpture of Bob Shaffer. A local since 1958, Dr. Bob has been producing artwork evocative of the spirit of New Orleans, his famous “Be Nice or Leave” plaques can be found all over the city. I was able to visit his studio and take in his vast collection of work and speak with a co-worker about her life as a New Orleanian in a very specific community.

I came upon Lisa at her workspace, touching up small wall hangings of typical New Orleans architecture, with loud, vibrant colors of yellow, green and fuchsia. Lisa was laid-back, friendly and willing to share with me her story. Lisa came to New Orleans from New York City in 1988 and settled in New Orleans. She and Bob had been friends before her move and she was able to begin working with him after she tired of working as a bartender. I asked her about the differences she noticed here from those in New York. “People are wrapped up in what they are doing, but not so much that they aren’t involved in the community. There’s a spontaneity about the people and their ability to live life.” It’s easy to remove yourself from a community in the individual world we live in. Much of how we live is involved in the independence we have, removed from the people around us. New Orleans is different; something makes it hard to be isolated in this city. Be it the architecture, the people, or the combination, a community exists and thrives.

I asked Lisa about the architecture in the city, specifically, Bywater, she said that “absolutely the scale of the housing and walkability of the neighborhood allow for the social community to thrive.” Preserving that is important to her. The homes are dense and they rest on the street, making it impossible to be isolated from the goings-on around you. Lisa was able to tell me a little about the attitude after Katrina and the way it has changed, but still remained. I asked if it was easy to come back from a tragedy like the storm. She told me that for Bob, in particular, it was easier because he had so many people rallying around him. People were interested in the spirit of New Orleans, something he represents very clearly in his work, and he was able to draw on the attitude of New Orleans to regain strength. I think that without this attitude, New Orleans might not have been able to recover.

This innate sense of community is apparent whenever I walk down the street, take out the garbage or enjoy a sit on my stoop. I can’t help but feel immersed in the attitude of New Orleans. Lisa was able to confirm my perceptions of the community evident in New Orleans. She was able to relay to me her story openly and honestly, without feeling she had to justify herself. Her story exposed her life as an artist of Bywater, the layers of paint peeled away to reveal her story about life as a person of New Orleans.