Preservation of Intangible Culture and Ephemeral Culture of New Orleans

Preservation of

Intangible Culture and Ephemeral Culture of

New Orleans

Anthony DelRosario

Issues in Preservation

Catherine Barrier

Master in Preservation Studies

Tulane School of Architecture

1 PRST 6820 – Issues in Preservation - Catherine Barrier – May 3, 2011

Anthony DelRosario – Master in Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture

If one were to ask the average American or even the average New Orleanian

what “preservation” and “New Orleans” brought to mind, common answers would

conceivably be “the French Quarter,” “the Garden District,” “the cemeteries,” and “the

streetcar.” Most people think of the built environment when thinking of preservation and

New Orleans - a Creole cottage, a shotgun double, an old bar on Bourbon Street - yet

they may not consider the intangible culture or the ephemeral man-created objects

associated with the built environment. A building creates the physical space where the

ephemeral objects can be seen or the culture can be experienced. The intangible and

the ephemeral involve non-traditional methods of preservation.

New Orleans is filled with culture that sets the city apart from anywhere else in

the United States. This culture cannot bottled or frozen in time to export

elsewhere. This unique culture may not directly depend on specific buildings in New

Orleans but relies on the interaction that the inhabitants have with the city’s built

environment. These citizens of the city are the vehicles of the important intangible

cultural heritage of New Orleans and the area.

Does this unique intangible culture of New Orleans need to be preserved? For

thousands of years, a plethora of culture from people all over the world has come and

gone, much of which has been lost to the ages. However, people that are living want to

keep alive the traditions that they know and love. This requires the active undertaking

of passing on the tradition from generation to generation. In the event that this chain of

tradition fails, preservation by documentation could be the only source of information of

the lost tradition for future generations.



The most well known intangible culture of New Orleans is Mardi Gras and

Carnival. For the foreseeable future, the Mardi Gras tradition is not in danger of fading

away. Other than the smaller-than-usual Carnival season just after Hurricane Katrina,

the Mardi Gras heritage of the city continues to be celebrated in full

force. Documentation of Carnival is lead by several major collections in the city - the

Louisiana State Museum, the Historic New Orleans Collection, and the Louisiana

Research Collection at Tulane University. The Louisiana State Museum has been

collecting Carnival costumes since opening in 1906. The Historic New Orleans

Collection and the Louisiana Research Collection at Tulane University both collect

paper ephemera of Carnival. The original float and costume design collection at the

Louisiana Research Collection is currently being digitized. The documentation and

even the tradition Mardi Gras is supported mainly by wealthy families from New

Orleans.

Another tradition associated with Mardi Gras but less widely-known is the culture

of the Marid Gras Indians. This tradition that dates to the 1880s consists of African

Americans masking as Native Americans during Carnival. Mardi Gras Indian groups,

known as gangs, are comprised mostly of working class men that spend countless

hours throughout the entire year creating a wonderful suit of beads and feathers by

hand (Fig. 1). These men do not create the suits alone but with family and friends in a

group where the knowledge of the tradition is passed on to the younger generation (Fig.

2). This active transfer of knowledge is necessary for the continuity of the culture. In

addition to the suits, the music of the Mardi Gras Indians “influenced many New Orleans



rhythm and blues artists of the 1950s, creating a foundation for what was to become

rock and roll.” (Harrison-Nelson)

Figure 1: Mardi Gras Indian Figure 2: next generation Mardi Gras Indian

Another way the Mardi Gras Indians keep the tradition alive is by commodifying

the culture. Many Indians are available to be hired for appearances at places such as

Jazzfest (Fig. 4), the NFL 2010 Season Kick-Off party (Fig. 3), and television

commercials for the New Orleans Hornets. Some Indians such as Darryl Montana, big

chief of the Yellow Pocahontas, rent out suits to museum to help defray cost of future

costumes. (USA Today)

Figure3: Mardi Gras Indians at NFL Kickoff Figure 4: Mardi Gras Indians at Jazzfest



In 2005 before the flood, the Mardi Gras Indians were confronted by officers from

the New Orleans Police Department on St. Joseph’s Night, the most important night of

the Indian tradition. Officers broke up the street party at A.L. Davis Park because the

Indians did not have a parade permit. Many Indians “maintain(ed) they shouldn’t need a

permit to continue age-old traditions.” (Reckdahl) “It’s their way of declaring

themselves, for one evening, as being outside the structure of modern society.”

(Baum) Many people in the community considered this encounter a step towards

ending a long tradition. However, since then, the Indians have acquired parading

permits for their St. Joseph’s Night activities each year. Also, in 2007 the City Council

created the Second-Line and Mardi Gras Indian Cultural Preservation Task Force to

help improve relations between the Mardi Gras Indians and the New Orleans Police

Department. (Eggler)

After the disaster of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, about a third of the city’s Mardi

Gras Indians were displaced outside of New Orleans after losing their homes and

possessions. (Jervis) Those that remained plus some Indians that were able to travel to

New Orleans kept the tradition alive in New Orleans. However, for those that were

unable to return, the tradition that burns hot in their hearts but their new cities are not as

accommodating as New Orleans. Certain supplies needed for creating the suits are not

available. Also, their new home just does not have the feel of New Orleans. Big Chief

Derek McGee who was displaced in Dallas said, "If you're masking Mardi Gras Indian,

home is home (and) you can't do the true tradition unless you are on the streets of New

Orleans." (Kunian)



In addition to the Mardi Gras Indians carrying on the tradition within their own

circles, cultural heritage education among the young can aid in keeping interest alive for

this unique culture. On the Teaching the Levees website created by the Teachers

College of Columbia University can be found a lesson plan to address this need. With

this lesson plan students:

endeavor to understand this small but important subculture of New Orleans and

assess its prospects for survival in the aftermath of Katrina. They will endeavor to

understand a unique cultural phenomenon that can shed enormous light on

African-American cultural identity. Perhaps even more importantly, they will try to

address what is at stake if such cultures – particularly cultures embraced by the

country’s least privileged citizenry – are unable to survive catastrophic events

such as Katrina. (Livingston)

The lesson plan begins with two essential questions:

• Who are the “Mardi Gras Indians” and what is their importance to New Orleans’

cultural traditions?

• In a Post-Katrina world, does it matter if groups such as the “Mardi Gras

Indians” survive? (Livingston)

The plan also includes an enrichment activity that asks the students to view the

documentary “By Invitation Only” in order to compare the Mardi Gras Indians to the all-

white krewes which are represented in the collections mentioned previously.

For many decades United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO) has been involved in protecting the heritage of mankind. In

2003, UNESCO created the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural

Heritage. The convention recognizes “that communities, in particular indigenous



communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals, play an important role in the

production, safeguarding, maintenance and re-creation of the intangible cultural

heritage, thus helping to enrich cultural diversity and human creativity” and considers

“the need to build greater awareness, especially among the younger generations, of the

importance of the intangible cultural heritage and of its safeguarding.” (UNESCO)

According to UNESCO, for intangible cultural heritage to be truly kept alive it has

to remain pertinent to the community from which it springs, be perpetually actualized,

and be entrusted to the younger generation. The heritage should be safeguarded as

opposed to freezing in time. UNESCO emphasizes the transfer of knowledge, skills,

and meaning rather than the production of concrete outputs such as dances, songs, or

crafts. In terms of the Mardi Gras Indians, UNESCO would focus on the “how” and

“why” behind the creating of the unique suits each year instead of considering the suits

on their own. Safeguarding measures should always be created with the involvement

and consent of the community. Safeguarding of heritage by public measures without

involvement of the community is apt to skew the value of the heritage to the culture.

Decades before the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of

Intangible Cultural Heritage, Japan (1950) and South Korea (1962) enacted laws to

protect intangible cultural heritage. As of 2011, the United States has not approved,

accepted, or ratified the convention. On the other hand, in February 2011 the Chinese

Legislature passed the country’s first law to protect intangible cultural heritage. The

country will focus safeguarding efforts efforts in ethnic minority and remote

areas. According to Ma Wenhui, Director of Cultural Legacy Department, Ministry of

Culture, "the enactment of the intangible cultural heritage law will help raise awareness



among the local governments and individuals of how to better preserve their precious

cultural legacies." (Xinhua)

Another aspect of the community to be considered with non-traditional

preservation is the ephemeral entity. By their nature, ephemeral objects are not meant

to remain for many years. Examples of ephemeral culture in New Orleans are street

art, hand-painted commercial signage, and neon signs.

Street art is unsanctioned art found in public spaces. In New Orleans, street art

is a controversial issue for many. Some consider street art as nothing but vandalism

while others consider street art as true art. Fred Radtke is among those that believe

street art is vandalism. Since 1997, he and his organization Operation Clean Sweep

have been working to rid the streets of graffiti, vandalism, and street art of all

sorts. Radkte is known as the Grey Ghost because he uses grey paint to buff out all

that he considers graffiti and leaves huge grey splotches all over the city. The street

artists often use the grey splotches as a canvas and the circle begins again. Some

street art can be very detailed, such as the delicate wheatpastes done by

Swoon. Documentation with photographs is the best option for preservation of this

controversial ephemeral culture.

In 2008 world-renowned street artist Banksy created several pieces of street art

using stencils in New Orleans just before the third anniversary of Katrina (Figs. 5 &

7). These pieces provide several different examples of what can happen to ephemeral

street art. Three pieces that were done on empty houses were taken, one of which was

sold on ebay for $5700. Several were buffed or defaced, some were done by Radtke

(Fig. 6). Three have been protected by plexiglass (Fig. 8) which does preserve the



pieces but changes the nature of the work. However, a Banksy piece can increase the

value of a building by $100,000 or more.

Figure 5: Bansky stencil Figure 6: stencil after buffing by Fred Radtke

Figure 7: Bansky stencil Figure 8: stencil after plexiglass protection

Another example of ephemeral culture in New Orleans is the hand-painted

commercial signage found on the sides of buildings. This signage can include signs

painted to announce the business within the building as well as advertisements. Today

hand-painted signage is a rare art form with the advent of cheap vinyl signs. In New

Orleans, new hand-painted signage is found mainly in African-American neighborhoods

at places such as corner stores, neighborhood bars, barber shops, tire shops, and food

trucks. The author has discovered three main painters that continue this tradition in



these neighborhoods. Two of the artists signed their names on some signs, Lester

Carey (Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 20) and Pam (Figs. 17, 18, 19 & 20). The third artist,

Tom (Figs. 14, 15 & 16), was tracked down by asking business owners if they knew the

artist’s name. Most people do not consciously think much about this signage found on

the side buildings. However, the signage often features unique lettering styles and

interesting pictures that create a wonderful piece of ephemeral art. The author has

been documenting and preserving the city’s hand-painted signage with digital

photographs and creating a Facebook page called SPALC - The Society to Preserve

the Art of Lester Carey. The author has also collected some actual signs that were

found in debris piles. In addition to the signage being ephemeral, the culture of the

hand-painted signage artist is an intangible culture that is fading away and being

replaced with the vinyl sign culture.

Figure 9: Lester Carey painting at the Saint Figure 10: signage by Lester Carey



Figure 11: signage by Lester Carey Figure 12: signage by Lester Carey

Figure 13: Keilen Williams aka Shrimpman Figure 14: Tom the sign painter with Lester Carey sign

Figure 15: signage by Tom Figure 16: signage by Tom



Figure 17: corner store signage by Pam Figure 18: neighborhood bar signage by Pam

Figure 19: Mardi Gras viewing stands Figure 20: signage by both Pam and Lester Carey at Gallier Hall by Pam

Some hand-painted signage from 50 years or more ago has been unknowingly

preserved by being covered over with new side boards. Often buildings that had been a

corner store or a neighborhood bar were converted into a residence decades ago. Now

many are being renovated which reveals large hand-painted signs in very good

condition (Figs. 21 & 23). Clear-coating the signage can help protect the revealed

signage from the elements (Figs. 22 & 24).



Figure 21: Shamrock Tavern signage before Figure 22: Shamrock Tavern signage after

Figure 23: Dixie Tavern signage before Figure 24: Dixie Tavern signage after

Another type of ephemeral hand-painted signage is the large bill-board like signs

often found on brick buildings. This signage is rarer than the signs in the African-

American neighborhoods and even the signs that are uncovered under

sideboards. Today there are just a handful of these signs remaining in the French

Quarter (Figs. 25 & 26) and the Central Business District. Preservation by

documentation with photographs is the best option as repainting one of these signs

would strip away the character or the patina that it creates.



Figure 25: Uneed Biscuit sign Figure 26: Ginger Mint Julep sign in the French Quarter in the French Quarter

In addition to hand-painted signage, neon and electric signage can be

considered ephemeral culture. New Orleans is slowly losing its collection of wonderful

large neon and electric signs. Many have been lost to demolition of building after

Katrina such as the Fiesta Restaurant and Lounge (Fig. 27) on Lasalle. Others, such as

Piccadilly Lounge (Fig. 28), hang on buildings that sit empty. “Signs often become so

important to a community that they are valued long after their role as commercial

markers has ceased.” (Auer) Las Vegas provides an example of how preservation of

large signs can take place. The Neon Museum opened in 1996 when the horse and

rider from the Hacienda Hotel was installed on Fremont Street in downtown Las

Vegas. Currently, nine refurbished signs make up the outdoor gallery of the museum

(Fig. 29). In addition to the Fremont Street gallery, the museum has a collection of over

150 signs in the Neon Boneyard (Fig. 30) which is open for tours by advanced

appointment. If something like this were to exist in New Orleans, two main questions

would need to be asked: Where would it go? and How would it be funded?



Figure 27: Fiesta Restaurant and Lounge (demolished) Figure 28: Piccadilly Lounge (closed)

Figure 29: Fremont St. Gallery of the Neon Museum Figure 30: Neon Boneyard

Preservation of the intangible culture of New Orleans is important in keeping the

city a vibrant, unique place. Safeguarding the intangible heritage of groups such as the

Mardi Gras Indians is vital to the city. Preservation of the ephemeral culture of New

Orleans is also important but not required to keep the city unique. Documentation by

photography is a great way to capture the changing backdrop of the city found on

commercial buildings.



Figure 31: Lester Carey greeting Mardi Gras Indian on Super Sunday 2011

i PRST 6820 – Issues in Preservation - Catherine Barrier – May 3, 2011


Sources

Auer, Michael J. “Preservation Brief 25: The Preservation of Historic Signs.” National

Park Service. < http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/brief25.htm>.

Baum, Dan. “With Words and With Pretty.” The New Yorker. March 20, 2007.

<http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/neworleansjournal/2007/03/with_words

_and_.html>.

Eggler, Bruce. “Second-line, Indian task force created; It will try to resolve conflicts with

police.” The Times-Picayune. December 6, 2007. Metro, pg. 1.

<http://www.lexisnexis.com>.

Harrison-Nelson, Cherice. “Guardians of the Flame: Upholding community traditions

and teaching with art in New Orleans.” In Motion Magazine. September 8, 1996.

<http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/flame.html>.

Jervis, Rick. “Mardi Gras tribes ready to suit up.” USA Today. January 10, 2008.

<http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-10-mardigrastribes_N.htm>.

Kunian, David. “Trail of Feathers: What to Know Before You Go.” Gambit. March 13,

2007. <http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gyrobase/trail-of-

feathers/Content?oid=1247323>.

Livingston, Ellen. “Will the Mardi Gras Indians Survive?” Teaching the Levees.

<http://www.teachingthelevees.org/?p=130>.

Reckdahl, Katy. “Mardi Gars Indians concerned about police antagonism.” The Times-

Picayune. March 8, 2010.

<http://blog.nola.com/mardigras_impact/print.html?entry=/2010/03/mardi_gras_in

dians_say_police.html>.

ii PRST 6820 – Issues in Preservation - Catherine Barrier – May 3, 2011


United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. October 17,

2003. < http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00022>.

Xinua. “China's first law for preserving intangible cultural heritage passed.” February 27,

2011. <http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-

02/27/c_13752622.htm>.

iii PRST 6820 – Issues in Preservation - Catherine Barrier – May 3, 2011


Image Credits

Figure 3 – Anna Benifield, awbenifield on flickr, <http://flic.kr/p/8AndNx>

Figure 4 – Mark McLellan, markmclellan on flickr, <http://flic.kr/p/6nn5tm>

Figure 23 – Preservation Resource Center, Advocacy Dpt., <http://flic.kr/p/9iez5C>

Figure 25 – tweeker0108 on flickr, <http://flic.kr/p/5zUqyB>

Figure 26 – rosefirerising on flickr, <http://flic.kr/p/FaLLP>

Figure 29 – Las Vegas News Bureau, <http://www.lvcva.com>

All other photographs were taken by the author.

Documents

Preservation of Intangible Culture and Ephemeral Culture of New Orleans