On an ideal New Orleans late afternoon, that is one blanketed by storm clouds, gale winds, sheets of rain and intermittent moments of calmness that are even more tangible than the famed humidity; we, the cross-institutional, cross-cultural (including African, Anglo, and Hispanic American) team of students from Xavier and Tulane, anxiously dared the tempest and made our way to The Porch Cultural Organization of the 7th Ward Neighborhood Center. Our anticipation and anxiety was prescribed to us through our in-class introduction to the process involved in any community initiative–the dangers and obstacles that need to be observed in order to create the hyper creative environment that produces positive social change via art. We didn’t have to be told about the hard life that many citizens of the Big Easy live, or what it means to cross the lines into areas such as the 7th and 9th Wards. We lived with that anxiety; even inside our ivy walled academic bubbles. But the anticipation of building relationships with the people responsible for the vibrant culture and art of New Orleans through a commitment of (re)building the community through the arts is probably something new to us all, and at the very least exciting.
Once out of the rain and inside the remodeled shotgun house of The Porch Cultural Organization we sat, damp and eager, in a circle amongst 7th Ward community artists/elders and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers. Introductions were made and we began discussing what they, as a community, hope to achieve. It became quite clear that the Porch was all about the children.
The Porch is a clean—but not sterile, accommodating—but firm, Petri-dish project that hopes to test and incubate ideas that will allow local children to have fuller lives through their own uniquely American, uniquely New Orleans culture. Thus, through the children, they hope to make the community stronger and more ready to tackle the problems New Orleans faces as it rebuilds post Katrina. We all left very eager to come back and learn more about this very impressive community and its members young and old alike. Next step: dun, dun, duhhhn… meet the children.
