A guide to the St. Joseph’s Day altars

Saturday, March 19, is the Feast Day of St. Joseph, and the lavish altars celebrating the day are truly a feast for the eyes.

The altars offered as thanks for relieving hunger are overflowing with food: fish, pasta, pastries, breads in symbolic shapes. (You won’t find any meat; St. Joseph’s Day always falls during Lent.)

The altars are also laden with symbolism, from the palm frond over the door as you enter to the swag bag handed out as you leave. The altar itself is traditionally constructed in the shape of a cross with three tiers to represent the Holy Trinity; a statue of St. Joseph is placed at the center of the top tier.

Renegade Artist Collective presenting ‘Off the Beaten Path’ in Central City

The Renegade Artist Collective will hold the opening night of its second exhibition on Friday (March 18) from 5 to 9 p.m., at The Building, 1427 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. in Central City. The exhibit is titled “Off the Beaten Track.” The show in March 2020 attracted about 400 art patrons and was considered a huge success. Then all plans were put on hold until now because of the Covid pandemic.  

The 14 nationally and internationally known artists that make up the Renegade Artist Collective are all based in Louisiana.

Longest mural in the U.S. is emerging on the Tchoupitoulas floodwall

The floodwall that lines Tchoupitoulas Street is turning from grey concrete into a vivid, mile-long mural. When it’s finished, it will be the longest in the country. Spanning multiple neighborhoods, beginning near Felicity Street and expanding toward Louisiana Avenue, the Tchoupitoulas Flood Wall Mural Project will depict 300 years of New Orleans’ rich history and culture. The detailed paintings begin in the 1700s with illustrations of original Native American settlers and will continue through the present day, including imagery that documents the Covid-19 pandemic. Other sections painted on the mural so far illustrate Ursuline nuns, the slave trade, the Great Fires of 1788 and 1794, the Battle of New Orleans and Congo Square. 

The mural is a project of the New Orleans International Muralists under the artistic direction of New Orleans born and raised artist Jamar Pierre.

Book Fest: Local authors Fatima Shaik and Michael Tisserand talk New Orleans Creole history 

Local writers Fatima Shaik and Michael Tisserand sat down Friday (March 11) to talk about “Hidden History: Black and Creole Influence and Culture in New Orleans” at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. 

Shaik’s book chronicles the history of Black New Orleans through a group of free men-of-color, the Société d’Economie et d’Assistance Mutuelle. “Hidden” is part of the title because this society and its activities were unknown even though the men of the Economic and Mutual Aid Association community were significant figures in the city from the Haitian Revolution in the 1790s to the creation of jazz in the early 20th century. The name “Economy Hall” refers to the Tremé building where the association met and held events. Tisserand is the author of “Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White,” the acclaimed biography of New Orleans-born illustrator, journalist and cartoonist George Herriman, the creator of “Krazy Kat,”  a newspaper comic strip that ran from 1913 to 1944. The book investigates his life navigating — or hiding from —  the color line in the early 20th century. 

Shaik relates that she and Tisserand discovered many affinities due to their deep research and dedication to unknown New Orleans stories.

Book Fest: Local writers and photographers take it to the streets

The streets of New Orleans were among the wide range of topics covered at the inaugural New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. The sessions were not on the potholes or the perennial roadwork, though that was discussed, too. (“The problem with the streets is that we are sitting on top of an ever-changing river,” writer Jason Berry said.) They were on the spectacle of street life in New Orleans.

Man shot to death near Oak Street in Carrollton neighborhood

The New Orleans Police Department is investigating an early morning homicide in the Carrollton neighborhood. Just after 1 a.m. on Sunday (March 13), Second District officers responded to a shooting in the 8300 block of Zimpel Street, near Dante Street. Upon arrival, they discovered a man suffering from an undetermined number of gunshot wounds. The victim was later identified as Love Williams, 46. Williams died at the scene.

Irish Channel parade rolls today. Here’s what you need to know.

The Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day parade will roll today (March 12) for the first time in two years. Although the sun will shine, riders, musicians and marchers will have low temperatures and high winds to contend with. The National Weather Service predicts temperatures in the 40s, with an afternoon high near 51 degrees, and a 15 to 25 mph north wind, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Green beads and cabbages will fly from 29 full-sized floats with 60 riders each.