YA/YA Mural Honors Plaquemines Parish

This summer, YA/YA completes the fourth and final mural in our "Coming Home" series. The series, commissioned by Shell in the months after Hurricane Katrina, showcases four area parishes with positive imagery capturing all that is great about living in Southern Louisiana. As we complete production on our final mural subject--Plaquemines Parish--this imagery is itself under threat due to the devastating oil spill in the Gulf.

With participation from area residents, and particularly creative young people from Plaquemines Parish, we completed production from June 21-25 at 338 Baronne Street, third floor. The completed mural will be presented to the Plaquemines Parish government as a gift from YA/YA and from Shell.

Zawadi Kirksey-Lamb, a recent visual arts graduate of NOCCA, served as guest Lead Artist on the mural production, representing the young people of Plaquemines Parish. Zawadi is excited about partnering with YA/YA on this project, which she hopes will "expand my horizons as an artist. It will also be a chance for me to give back to the community through my talents."

As our attentions turn anxiously toward our fragile coastline and our thoughts toward those whose livelihood depend upon its fertility, YA/YA hopes that this Plaquemines Parish mural project will provide a bright spot of hope and honor for the fishing and shrimping industries. Mural designer Sexton Wright has blended aesthetic beauty with industry integrity to create a bittersweet document of the coastal way of life.

Thank you to everyone who helped us produce this important piece, and helped us to send a message of love and respect through art to the people of Plaquemines Parish.