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 of her indigenous French-speaking clan who still inhabit the endangered bayou communities of southeast Louisiana. Her story has been shared and exhibited at the University of California, Georgia College and State University, Mesa College of San Diego, the Social Public Art Resource Center in Venice, California and at a number of other galleries along the Gulf Coast. Verdin currently resides on her family land in lower St. Bernard Parish. Monique was first in residence in 2007 as a Restoration Resident and returned in 2017 to pilot our Adaptations Residency series. She was also selected to participate in our Spanish Heritage Exchange Residency in 2018 and the Big River Continuum Residency Exchange in 2019.

“A Studio in the Woods is a living example of why the beauty of South Louisiana’s bottomland hardwood forest must be protected and preserved. By simply providing a natural space and alternative solutions, it is special place creating conscious change in a world plagued by a web of complex manmade complications. Meeting the Carmichaels and experiencing the bottomland hardwood forest they protect has left me forever changed. Their lives have inspired me to believe that a better tomorrow is a possible future worth working towards. I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to escape into a creative cocoon out at A Studio in the Woods. My time there and my friendships built with the stewards and the staff has left an imprint on my soul that I shall walk with for the rest days here on this planet.” – Monique Verdin