"Mired in the Bayou" Exhibition
99% Gallery
This event has ended.
Bayou La Batre, is a small town of approximately 2,500, and has long been known as the seafood capital of Alabama. However, over the past decade, foreign imports, the rising cost of diesel fuel, and overfishing have eroded the seafood industry that supports this community. After Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Katrina, business slowed even further as residents of the area rebuilt from the ground up. The oyster reefs in Mobile Bay were destroyed and many shrimp boats were literally run aground as their owners were unable to make payments. The community was just beginning to recover when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in April. Now, in the aftermath, BP has thrown astonishing amounts of money at this small town, creating divisions in this diverse community. With the seafood industry at a standstill, competition for BP’s “free money” has caused an uglier side of the local identity to emerge, as the same stubbornness that community members take pride in has pit them against each other. Worse still, the influx of money and the subsequent human drama distract from the more ominous reality of what will happen when the oil money stops, and the community is still left without its industry and livelihood.
Media
Schedule
from October 15, 2010 to November 20, 2010
Opening Reception on 2010-10-15 from 19:00 to 22:00