Haiti, After the Earthquake: Photographs by Julie Dermansky July 15, 2011

Julie Dermansky went to Haiti two weeks after the January earthquake with the 377th TSC Army Reserves out of Belle Chase, La., many of whose members aided in the recovery effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Parallels between New Orleans and Haiti inform her work. Both cities were Ground Zero to disasters kicked off by natural phenomena turned catastrophic by manmade situations--and both have unique, vibrant cultures. After her initial three week trip, she returned to Haiti to document the work of two native New Orleanians who were providing humanitarian aid: Marie Jo Poux, who runs an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, and Doctor Yvens Laborde, a doctor at Oschner Hospital. The images in the exhibition planned for the Ogden Museum were taken between January 26 and March 31st and late November 26- Dec 3rd during the cholera epidemic and the first round of the presidential elections. They reflect Dermansky's strong visual vocabulary developed over two decades as a fine artist. She captures the essence of individuals and focuses on cultural icons while illuminating the epic proportions of the disaster. From voodoo ceremonies in Port-au-Prince's national graveyard to a Cholera clinic in the countryside, Dermansky's work brings vibrant images of Haiti's post-earthquake landscape to the Ogden Museum.