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SAN ANTONIO -- For all those whose lives were altered irrevocably by Hurricane Katrina, there seem to be a number who've come to terms with it a year later. It's not that they've forgotten, but their creative souls have found peace, order and a future.
Four such artists now make San Antonio home. They arrived here like thousands of others. They saw something in San Antonio and fell into support systems that cushioned their blows. They brought their talents to the Alamo City, and a community of artists and musicians has welcomed them.
Horn man Pierre Poree, chef Bernard McGraw and artists Hugo Montero and Aaron Harvey all somehow picked up where they left off, or as close to that as possible.
Such stories speak to how New Orleanians' "spirits are strengthened by adversity," says David Rubin, who's leaving his post at the Contemporary Arts
Center in New Orleans soon to be curator of contemporary art at the San Antonio Museum of Art.
"Creativity is the lifeblood of New Orleans," Rubin says. "It thrives from cultural exploration. ... That's why they are so resilient."
New Orleans artist Jenny Kahn recently had to say goodbye to San Antonio after a year when her husband got a job in another city.
Kahn was sad to go.
She had immediately connected with the arts community here and noted a difference that other artists noticed, too.
"San Antonio is not like New Orleans in that it's not poor," Kahn says.
"In fact, it's one of the very few cities in the country that seems to be booming. There's a lot of support for the arts because people are not depressed like they are in New Orleans, or in most American cities."
It should be noted that a great majority of New Orleans artists stayed in the city. These five transplants didn't. The five share commonalities. They believe in Providence. They're hopeful. They're spiritual. They're looking forward more than they peer back.
They miss New Orleans -- its culture, food, passion, even its chaos.
But they've found calm, comfort and a low cost of living that's still hard for them to believe. They're creative types who live for the next gig, the next commission. So, while it may not be (the big) easy, San Antonio is now home.
c.2006 San Antonio Express-News
