Everyone who’s ever set foot in New Orleans has speculated about what gives the city its magic, allure and its inimitable flavor. But for those firmly rooted here, both physically and spiritually, there’s no doubt that it’s the melange of cultures — Black American, African, Spanish, French and Native American, among others — coalescing that give it its unique glow.
And while the city has no shortage of monuments that pay homage to its culture bearers, precious few reflect the Black women who have protected their heritage at all costs. That’s one reason local painter Annie Moran set out to shift what people see when they think of New Orleans.
Her new mural, ‘The Welcoming Committee,’ unveiled at the end of this past November as part of The Helis Foundation’s Unframed series, dances across the Girod Street overpass near the Superdome in an explosion of fractal light and feathers. Moran’s yearlong project gathers the city’s archetypes — the musician, the chef, the dancer, the reveler — into one frame and recasts them as the women who embody these roles.
‘The Welcoming Committee’ is not just a mural but also a counter-memory, a tribute to the Black female stewards of New Orleans culture who have historically been left off the city’s walls and out of its written story. “‘The Welcoming Committee’ celebrates New Orleans in all its everyday beauty and, most importantly, our people,” Moran said in her dedication speech. “Whether you are living this culture as a resident, or taking it in as a visitor, ‘The Welcoming Committee’ is dedicated to you.”
