{"id":8254,"date":"2015-06-25T06:57:44","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T10:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ashley-spencer.com\/ArtIsEverywhere\/?p=8254"},"modified":"2015-06-24T23:58:46","modified_gmt":"2015-06-25T03:58:46","slug":"metry-gets-muralized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ashley-spencer.com\/ArtIsEverywhere\/2015\/06\/metry-gets-muralized\/","title":{"rendered":"Metry Gets Muralized"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m always encouraged to see improvements in my native New Orleans.<\/p>\n

So, I was happy to learn that Metairie, an area of the city that we often called, Metry, as it was often pronounced, and otherwise affectionately known as “Fat City” passed an $150,000 initiative a year ago to have murals painted to beautify the town. The Arts Council of New Orleans<\/a> is overseeing the project. Here are some of the first murals that have been painted.<\/p>\n

\"Metairie<\/a>
Fat City Murals —\u00a0 photos via Times Picayune<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Metairie<\/a>Certain areas of Metairie flooded during “The Storm” — Hurricane Katrina. Most all the homes have been rebuilt but some business sections are up and running but many have been slow to come back or improve. The murals will add color and interest.<\/p>\n

\"Metairie<\/a>A flooded Lakeside Shopping Mall after Hurricane Katrina.<\/p>\n

\"Lakeside<\/a>
New Orleans, LA–Aerial views of damage caused from Hurricane Katrina the day after the hurricane hit August 30, 2005.
Photo by Jocelyn Augustino\/FEMA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lakeside<\/a>
Lakeside Shopping Mall today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"18<\/a>
18 th Street in Fat City –\u00a0 back of Lakeside Mall, Metairie via Times Picayune. This is where some of the murals are planned to be painted.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Scenes of Veterans Boulevard after Hurricane Katrina.<\/p>\n

\"Veterans<\/a>
Veterans Blvd after Katrina via Frompo.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Corner<\/a>
Corner of Clearview and Veterans Blvd in Metairie, day after Katrina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0Scenes now — the water is gone but there’s a lot of empty parking lots.<\/p>\n

\"Causeway<\/a>
Causeway and Veterans Memorial Boulevard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Jefferson_Parish_Suburbs_of_New_Orleans\"<\/a>
The long stretch of Veterans Boulevard (right side), Metairie and Jefferson Parish — Suburbs of New Orleans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I return and drive down Veterans Boulevard, the main strip through Metairie, many of the buildings still look the way I remember in the 80’s, when I was in high school and even older than that but that’s when I started driving, so started paying attention. Since that time, many areas have just become a “concrete jungle.<\/a>”\u00a0 The mural arts programs is trying to change this with murals that definitely help to reinvigorate and spruce up the place<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Metairie<\/a>\"Metairie<\/a>This concrete corridor reminds me of a Radiohead song…that just keeps getting better (see below).<\/p>\n

Robert Dafford<\/a>, the same artist who painted the now iconic clarinet<\/a> on the side of the downtown Holiday Inn, painted this beautiful mural of a girl blowing a visionary bubble.<\/p>\n

\"Metairie<\/a> \"Metairie<\/a>Click here, if you’d like to read more about this story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, enjoy Radiohead’s great song<\/a> Fake Plastic Trees<\/em>, recorded without an audience in a studio in Holland.<\/p>\n