Forward Excerpt

Prospect New Orleans was conceived as a way to involve members of the international art community – artists, art professionals, collectors, and patrons – in the recovery of the city of New Orleans and its visual arts community, which had been hit hard by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Local, national and international artists embraced Prospect.1 as an opportunity to participate in this heady context, and the result was an exhibition that achieved unprecedented critical acclaim. Although one of the important benefits of Prospect.1 was to provide a much needed boost to New Orleans' ailing tourism industry, the more potent impact was that the artists embraced the biennial's social mission, and directly engaged with the City's unique history, culture, people, and institutions in order to produce art works that proved that the city's proverbial heart was still beating.

It is this tradition that Prospect.2 continues. For visitors from around the world, as well as those who live here, Prospect.2 is a chance to see the city through the eyes of some of today's leading contemporary artists and visionaries. The art on view for these thirteen weeks will surely delight and inspire, inviting us all to fall in love with the city all over again.

As practitioners within the field, we had seen art and culture become increasingly commercialized, limiting the opportunities for artists to work in public or socially engaged practices. To counter this trend, Transforma strategically supported such practices with direct financial assistance, technical assistance, and networking opportunities. Generally it encouraged a greater emphasis on the role of artists, the arts, and culture in addressing the social and political needs that confront our society.