Block Party in New Orleans

The Oxford American magazine will present a block party in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans on August 28 in partnership with Aperture and the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans to celebrate the release of One Block and commemmorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The block party, which will be free and open to the public, will take place on Saturday, August 28, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the 500 block of Caffin Street.

The event will include musical performances by the Rebirth Brass Band and Little Freddie King, as well as great food and additional special guests!

The party is happening on the block that was the subject of One Block: A New Orleans Neighborhood Rebuilds (Aperture, August 2010), with photographs by Dave Anderson and an essay by OA contributing writer Chris Rose.  One Block is a powerful portrait of post-Katrina New Orleans as seen through the prism of a single city block whose residents are attempting to rebuild their homes. Using portraiture and still life, Anderson explores the very nature of community while testing its resilience.  Anderson's compassionate treatment of the neighborhood’s difficult circumstances has drawn comparisons to the work of Dorothea Lange and other Farm Security Administration-funded photographers.

Anderson also directs The Oxford American's original video series SoLost, which was a finalist for a 2010 National Magazine Award.  All of the SoLost episodes are available for free viewing at oxfordamerican.org.