I-Witness Central City Opening!
What is I-Witness Central City?
While news broadcasts depict Central City as a hot spot for violence and crime, those who live or work in this neighborhood know it to be much more. At 7 PM on October 28th, 2008, New Orleanians from across the metropolitan area will gather at the Ashe’ Cultural Arts Center for the opening of I-Witness Central City, an ongoing StoryMapping project that aids local residents in reclaiming their history and neighborhoods through sharing personal, site-specific stories. This night will feature films and multi-disciplinary performances from local artists in addition to introducing the public to our online story maps and a new cell-phone walking tour. The stories that make up I-Witness Central City are the personal histories of the places that constitute Central City as told by residents of the area. The evening will be a celebration of Central City involving live storytelling, music, dance, theatre, food and cutting-edge mixed media techniques.
Why?
As New Orleanians well know, every street corner, front porch, abandoned warehouse or crowded restaurant in this city houses a gamut of stories. These stories make up New Orleans' cultural identity just as much as our music, our architecture and our gumbo, but often these tales exist only within the people who've lived them. I-Witness Central City seeks to open up these living and breathing personal histories to a wider audience. Kids growing up in Central City today might never know about the jazz funeral that the Free Southern Theatre held for itself in 1980 or who painted the murals of civil rights workers under the I-10 overpass. We believe that every story contains a vital thread of our collective memory, and through sharing these narratives we come to better understand our community and ourselves. I-Witness Central City presents an opportunity for residents to celebrate their neighborhood, while offering outsiders a whole new way of understanding this historic area of New Orleans.
Save the date!
Story Site Neighborhood Tours
Take a walk around Central City and keep your eyes peeled for signs like this one. Those signs denote places where a story happened. Listed on each sign is a phone number and extension. Pull out your phone, dial the number, and listen as the storyteller narrates what went down exactly where you’re standing.
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