By Kevin Lee Associate Editor

Another year over, another history laid, another slate of opportunities arises.

The inevitable 12-month cycle of reflection and hope has arrived yet again, and there’s plenty to occupy the mind.

Of the year past, we’d be glad to forget how Hurricane Katrina has dominated things if we could. It’s hard to put aside, because as time passes we are only starting to grasp how monumentally huge this disaster was for the Creole Coast.

The storm’s effect manifested itself in various ways, and one of the less savory is the way some have let the aftermath divide our coastal citizens against each other. Grumblings, complaints and bitterness are leaking out from the Mississippi Gulf Coast over the perceived inequities in the national coverage given New Orleans as compared to the Magnolia State’s exposure.

And perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if Mississippi’s governor didn’t seem so eager to stoke the fires of cheap hostility with passing potshots rooted in political motives. We’ve already seen enough finger-pointing between Louisiana and the federal government to keep us all disgusted. Why add to the fray?

People are suffering. That should be the bottom line.

Despite such pettiness, I know some good people of the area realize we’re all in the same boat. It doesn’t matter if it’s New Orleans’ Museum in City Park or the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, they know when our cultural institutions suffer, we all do.

In most ways, the artistic community of the coast has taken the high road in comparison to porcine politicos. Help and assistance has flowed between individuals and institutions more concerned with preserving the soul as opposed to merely currying favor with power brokers.

But seemingly pedestrian outlooks can crop up anywhere. Look at the brouhaha that arose at the Mobile Museum of Art in the last week. Long story short, a piece in a current exhibit achieved the artist’s aim of provoking thought by using satire to rip into casual attitudes toward violence against women. It seems some museum patrons found issue with the artist’s over-the-top presentation and worry it might cause misperception among younger attendees. “How can you tell little Johnny it’s wrong to hit Susie and then he sees something like this?” it was phrased.

Thing is, the work is accompanied by information describing the intentions of the piece. If someone is worried about how a child might see it, then try this little trick: communicate with your kid. Talk to them about what it means and how you see it. Use the opportunity to (gasp) actually be a parent. It’s a chance for dialogue. If you’ve already pried your child away from television to head to a museum, then you must have some successful investment in the situation. Carry it through, then and actually teach the kid about the world.

Of course, given the mood of the times, it’s amazing the artistic representations of Christmas trees in the museum’s lobby haven’t spawned a litany of bloviation from media mouths eager to launch another fusillade against the non-existent “War on Christmas.” Of course, given enough time, maybe a protest line will appear in front of the building to inadvertently supply museum director Tommy McPherson with yet more valuable publicity to pique curiosity about the exhibit.

And as long as we’re discussing rifts, maybe the New Year can find the Centre for the Living Arts more willing to pony up and participate in downtown artistic ventures. Their absence in the Second Saturday gallery romps is noticeable. While they are certainly in the vanguard of LoDa renewal, and have lent much-appreciated support to downtown events, one can’t help but wonder how much grander our new monthly artwalks would be if Space 301would merely open their doors on those evenings.

After all, if they are going to fully carry the mantle they have ably handled to this point, their leadership is vital. And considering the roster of contacts and participants they have at their disposal, it would certainly lend more heft to the participation from area arts patrons, folks who might not go downtown at all that night were it not for a kind suggestion from Carlos Parkman and friends.

Maybe it’s worth a shot over the next few months just to test the waters outside the vessel in which we all float.

Kevin Lee is Lagniappe associate editor. Contact him at klee@lagniappemobile.com.

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