Visual response to Katrina

Artist Susan Guevara puts the finishing touches on a mural November 18 at New Orleans Public Library’s Children’s Resource Center (CRC). The mural was begun in 2006 during the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in New Orleans. Guevara, who said the artwork represents her visual response to Hurricane Katrina, titled the piece a Mexican adage: “Tambien de dolor se canta cuando llorar no se puede,” which means “Sorrow also sings when it runs too deep to cry.” Work on the mural, designed with a mix of literary, musical, and New Orleans icons, was spearheaded from beginning to end by two former Highsmith Company employees: Margaret Sullivan, former director of merchandising and marketing, and Kim Zuelsdorf, former director of creative services. ALA held the first conference to return to New Orleans after Katrina. Several hundred librarians worked over five days to remodel the CRC, along with other restoration projects around the city.