PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Commemorating four years since the devastation that Hurricane Katrina inflicted on communities in New Orleans and the Gulf region, Brown University will hold a month-long series of events, exhibitions, and musical tributes titled “Katrina, Katrina.” Organized by the Department of Music, the project will raise money and awareness of the region’s ongoing rebuilding efforts and acknowledge the volunteer work of Brown faculty, staff, and students following the hurricane.

Throughout September, “Katrina, Katrina” will feature multimedia installations and photographic exhibitions in libraries and galleries across campus, as well as several displays about the response of authors, poets, and musicians to the disaster and the hurricane’s impact on libraries in the Gulf. There will be a special exhibit of rare historical documents relevant to New Orleans and Louisiana.

Other events include a staged reading of Greg Morris’s Katrina-inspired play The Argument, a lecture by sociologist John Logan on the impacts of Hurricane Katrina, screenings of several classic New Orleans films by the Brown Film Society, and a discussion with New Orleans author/musician Louis Maistros about jazz in New Orleans and how the hurricane and the city have influenced his song-writing. The Brown Bookstore will also host Maistros for a reading and signing of his book, The Sound of Building Coffins. The Bookstore’s Cub Explorer program will feature two Katrina-related events for children: a talk about pets rescued during Katrina, and a demonstration by a local representative of Habitat for Humanity.

The project will culminate with a fundraiser for New Orleans on Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, benefiting Habitat for Humanity in the Gulf. The event is billed as a multimedia tribute to the city of New Orleans and its people, featuring trumpeter Matt Leder and his jazz band and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly and her dance troupe. The festivities will begin with a street band parade and end with a gala champagne reception for patrons at the Faculty Club. See event listing below for ticket details.

“Katrina, Katrina” is made possible in part by a grant from the Brown University Creative Arts Council, with funding from The Sara and Robert A. Reichley Fund, the Department of Music, the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, and Hillel House, and with assistance from the Brown University Library, the Literary Arts Program, the Brown Faculty Club, and the Brown University Bookstore.

With the exception of the fundraiser performance and gala reception on Sept. 25, all events are free and open to the public. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be sent to Habitat for Humanity in the Gulf.

For a complete schedule and update information, visit www.brown.edu/Departments/Music/katrina.html.

Event Listings

Saturday, September 12

Pawprints and Katrina, Brown Bookstore, 2 p.m.
A Cub Explorer children’s program about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on domestic pets.

Wednesday, September 16
Lecture. John Logan, professor of sociology, talks about his study of the social impacts of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. Orwig Music Building, 4 p.m.

Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19

New Orleans Goes to the Movies, Carmichael Auditorium
The Brown Film Society presents screenings of the classic Easy Rider and Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.

Sunday, September 20

The Argument (a lowercase resurrection), a staged reading in Grant Recital Hall, 7 p.m.
The Argument centers around the lives of twin sisters, one of whom dies in Katrina’s floodwaters. The play is a metaphor for Katrina and was conceived as a response to the disaster. Gregory Moss, a playwright, performer and director from Cambridge, Mass., holds an M.F.A. from Brown’s Graduate Playwriting Program and is the recipient of a 2006-07 Lucille Lortel Playwriting Fellowship and a 2008 Millay Colony Residency. For more information, call (401) 863-3234.

Thursday, September 24

Author Reading and Book Signing, Brown Bookstore, 7 p.m.
New Orleans musician and author Louis Maistros will read from his book, The Sound of Building Coffins.

Friday, September 25

A Conversation With Louis Maistros, Grant Recital Hall, 4 p.m.
New Orleans musician and author Louis Maistros will discuss jazz in New Orleans and how the hurricane and the city has influenced his song-writing.

Friday, September 25

Fundraiser for New Orleans, Salomon Center for Teaching, 8 p.m.
A multimedia tribute to the city of New Orleans and its people featuring trumpeter Matt Leder and his jazz band and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly and her dance troupe. The festivities begin with a street band parade throughout campus and end with a gala champagne reception for patrons at the Faculty Club. The Street Band Parade begins at 7 p.m., followed by the concert in Salomon Center for Teaching at 8 p.m. Suggested minimum donation is $10 for general admission and $5 with a Brown ID. Concert and patron reception package is available for $50 for the general public and $25 for Brown ID holders. Event will benefit the Habitat for Humanity in the Gulf. For tickets, call (401) 863-3234.

Saturday, October 3

Habitat for Humanity Project, Brown Bookstore, 2 p.m.
A Cub Explorer children’s program about Habitat for Humanity.

Ongoing Exhibitions

The “Katrina, Katrina” retrospective exhibits are moving and inspirational tributes featuring still photographs, slide show installations, multimedia exhibits, and a host of books written about the hurricane that changed history. All exhibits are free and will be available for viewing during the venue's regular hours through Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009.

• Breakwater, Grant Recital Hall
  An installation for slide projector, photo cell and tape by performer, composer, and sound artist Lyn Goeringer
• No Tap Shoes Allowed, Orwig Music Building
  A single-channel projection installation exploring the history and people of New Orleans in light of the recent Katrina tragedy by multimedia artist Robbie Byron
• 6 Months After, Rockefeller Library Lobby and Hillel Gallery
  Photographs of New Orleans and its people in the wake of Katrina, by Brown undergraduate Ian Sims
• Katrina Authors Exhibits, Rockefeller Library Lobby and Brown Bookstore
• Historical Louisiana Documents, John Carter Brown Library
• Katrina Music and Musicians, Orwig Music Library Lobby
• Katrina Poetry and Sheet Music from the Harris Collection, John Hay Library Lobby
• Virtual Exhibit of Hurricane Damage to Gulf Coast Libraries dl.lib.brown.edu/gateway/lrg.php?id=615&task=home