Faces of the Flood

A testament to the resilient and generous spirit of Baton Rouge, Faces of the Flood looks back upon the historic August flood of 2016 and its immediate impact on the Baton Rouge community.

Photographed amidst damaged homes, churches and businesses, area residents share their personal stories of devastation, survival, and hope in words and images as captured by Collin Richie, Frank McMains, David Morris, Dan Jones and Kristin Basilica. A selection of these photographs will be on view along with memorabilia, documentation, and videos, providing a compelling account of tragedy and community revival.

Faces of the Flood began as a photo assignment for inRegister. Sensing the potential of the project, Collin Richie brought in a few other photographers. When posted on their Facebook community page Humans of the Water, their captivating images garnered national attention. A selection of 50 of these portraits and related video footage will be shown alongside brief narrative accounts and comments relaying the personal experiences of those pictured. In some cases, recently taken images will document the scene one year later. At the conclusion of the exhibition, the framed photographs will be gifted by the museum and the photographers to the individuals pictured.

Setting the stage for this display will be television station weather forecasts, newspaper headlines dating from the historic event, and maps showing the extent of this unprecedented flooding. To encourage community dialogue, images taken by the public during and following the flood will be collected and displayed on a monitor in the gallery. There will additionally be an area within the exhibition dedicated for the public to post thank-you notes honoring those who came to them during their time of need.

A related exhibition, Saving Stories: A Playful Take on Recording Personal History, will also be on view to give visitors an opportunity to reflect on, preserve, and share their own life stories.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website