For the past 25 years, New Orleans photojournalist Donn Young has chronicled life in his culturally rich city. Nothing could have prepared him for the calamity that devastated so much of the Gulf Coast last August. Deemed an essential employee by the State of Louisiana, Young got back to work three days after the storm, despite the fact that he had personally lost his home and his photography studio, which was located in the Lakeview neighborhood. Since September, he has worked 12-hour days or longer to document a city brought to its knees, and the subsequent attempts to start the monumental rebuilding process.
At the Myers School of Art at The University of Akron, Donn Young will present “40 Days 40 Nights” on Mon., March 20 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of Folk Hall (150 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH). The lecture is free and open to the public (seating is limited). This tour and lecture series, created by Young, puts into perspective what has happened to New Orleans and its hundreds of thousands of citizens displaced by America’s worst natural disaster. The story is put into context by showing pre-Katrina pictures of the city and its people, with emphasis on business leaders, home owners, artists and musicians.
Young says, “I believe the power of photography can bring empathy and compassion for people whose lives have been forever changed, and to a great American city that bears little resemblance to its former self”. The program ends with images from a “New Orleans comes back” promotional campaign. Young will be available to answer questions following the presentation.
Young has been selected as guest curator for a one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, to be created by the Louisiana State Museum. His photography has been deemed “historically significant” by Louisiana State University and the Records Management Association of America. As such, LSU has mandated the salvaging and restoration of Young’s storm-damaged archive of 1,350,000 images. Young has been a photographer for the past 35 years, and has received 38 awards during his career. His gallery exhibitions include Florida State University, New Orleans Contemporary Art Center, Springfield Museum of Art, Louisiana State Museum, and many other group and one man shows.
