Restoration Residencies
In response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, A Studio in the Woods created month-long Restoration Residencies for New Orleans visual artists, musicians, composers, writers and performing artists who lost their homes, studios and/or work in the hurricane and were either displaced in other cities and communities or back home in New Orleans without resources. 2006 - 2008
In response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, A Studio in the Woods created month-long Restoration Residencies for New Orleans visual artists, musicians, composers, writers and performing artists who lost their homes, studios and/or work in the hurricane and were either displaced in other cities and communities or back home in New Orleans without resources. Eligible artists needed to have residency (or have had residency and intended to return) in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
Restoration Residencies were funded in part by the Alliance of Artists Communities, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Ford Foundation, Acadiana Arts Council, Allen Gerson of the Art and Artists Restoration Fund, New Orleans Our Hometown, and Howard Read of the Cheim & Read Gallery. Supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal Agency.
Restoration Residents
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Monique Michelle Verdin Visual Artist, 2007, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Louisiana Monique Michelle Verdin uses imagery to expose the reality of a Louisiana lost and the Louisiana left behind. More folk artist than photographer, more storyteller than visual artist, Verdin has captured, collected and exposed an intimate perspective into the survival… -
Gianna Chachere Filmmaker, 2008, Louisiana Gianna Chachere served as the Managing Director of the Hamptons International Film Festival located in East Hampton, New York from 2006 to 2014. She has extensive experience in conceptualizing and curating film, video and live performance programs for various film… -
Jon Gross Composer, Musician, 2008, Louisiana Jon Gross began playing the tuba when he was 9 years old. A scholarship to Loyola University’s College of Music landed him in New Orleans where he currently makes a living playing with several different bands and as a freelance… -
Brigham Hall Composer, Musician, 2008, Louisiana Brigham Hall is an active pianist, composer, and music educator. After completing his bachelor’s degree in music education at LSU, Hall became an instructor at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and also served as a piano accompanist for… -
Raymond “Moose” Jackson Poet, Musician, 2008, Louisiana Raymond “Moose” Jackson is a performance poet whose work is not content to live in poetry readings and literary events. He regularly performs with a rock band, in theatrical settings, with jazz groups, at festivals and in the street. He… -
Jane Hill Sculptor, 2007, Louisiana Jane Hill was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. She received a Bachelor of Science in painting from Towson University and an MFA from Pratt Institute of Art. In 1991 she moved to New Orleans to… -
Christy Speakman Multimedia Visual Artist, 2007, Louisiana Christy Speakman received a BFA in Fine Art from the University of New Orleans in 2002 and an MFA in Photography from Ohio University’s School of Art in 2005. She has participated in artist residencies at Sandarbh US, The Santa… -
Elizabeth Underwood Multimedia Visual Artist, 2007, Louisiana Elizabeth Underwood is a visual artist, activist, writer and long-term resident of New Orleans. In pursuit of “the art of relationships” she focuses on site-specific installation and performance as well as formal work in photography, collage, and drawing. Her poetry,… -
Dr. Michael White Composer, 2003-2004 and 2007, Louisiana Dr. Michael White, a renowned clarinetist, composer and jazz historian, has been a pioneer in perpetuating the origins of traditional New Orleans jazz. Among the most respected musicians in the Crescent City, White is one of only a few clarinetists… -
Kathy Randels & Sean Larocca Artspot Productions, Performing Artists, 2006, Louisiana Kathy Randels, a native New Orleanian, is a theatre artist/educator and the founding artistic director of ArtSpot Productions. She studied, lived and worked in Chicago from 1987-1994, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Performance Studies in 1991 from Northwestern University.… -
Jason Chaffin Installation Artist, Musician, 2006, Louisiana Jason Chaffin grew up across 36 states and 4 countries. He received his BFA in photography from Kansas City Art Institute and a MFA from the University of New Orleans. His work is based upon his diversity of personal experience… -
Jenny Kahn Painter, 2006, Louisiana Jenny Kahn was born and raised in New Orleans. She studied painting at the Gerritt Reitveld Academie in Amsterdam and The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. She has exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans and elsewhere. Kahn… -
Monique Moss Choreographer, Dancer, 2006, Louisiana A native of New Orleans, Monique Moss is a Choreographer, Independent Curator, History Tour Guide, and Artistic Director of Third Eye Theatre Interdisciplinary and Improvisational Performance Company. She received a BA in French, MA in Latin American Studies, MFA in Interdisciplinary Dance Performance from Tulane… -
Valentine Pierce Poet, Photographer, Graphic Designer, 2006, Louisiana Valentine Pierce is a poet, writer, photographer and graphic designer who is very active in the New Orleans art scene. She has been writing for more than 30 years and her creative and journalistic work has been published throughout the… -
Yvette Sirker Playwright, Director, Actor, 2006, Louisiana Yvette Sirker’s one-act play, Hay Outta Hell, written while in residency at A Studio in the Woods, premiered Off-Off Broadway and was very well received by New York City audiences. As a result of the success of Hay Outta Hell,…