Some weeks ago a request was sent, asking alumni of the Juilliard ARTreach New Orleans Project to send videos of themselves sharing memories, showing where they are now and giving advice to this year’s participants. This doesn’t happen every year, it was a special request, because this year, unlike years in the past is the 10th anniversary of the project. I would call it remarkable, but it isn’t, because this project is the highest example of perseverance and resilience. Every aspect of it embodies these qualities, and it is not from a miracle or divine intervention. It is from the hard work and inspiration of every person involved. I took part in the project in 2009 and 2010 and it was nothing short of magic. The memories still give me goosebumps and I can feel the far wandering gaze my eyes take when I speak about it. Even so, it stretches beyond New Orleans. The experiences have shaped artists and given rise to more projects. There is a grandness to this small program, its impact and possibilities make it so.
The Juilliard ARTreach New Orleans Project started in spring of 2007. Caroline Fermin was a Dance major and Resident Advisor when Hurricane Katrina hit her home town. She gathered with other students from the school to discuss what they could do to help. They handed out pamphlets and collected donations, performing exciting feats to encourage people. “There was a feeling of ‘we gotta do something!’” she said.
But the hardships of New Orleans continued. The city was in unimaginable disrepair. Lives lost. Homes destroyed. Beyond that, trauma and broken trust, socioeconomic and race related issues were amassing.
So they decided to go.
Caroline and fellow student Maxwell DePaula made the initial step. With immediate support from Juilliard’s President, Joseph Polisi, they gained the confidence and courage to make it a reality. Within months they had raised enough money to send a group of students, lead by then Director of Student Affairs, Sabrina Tanbara, to the city. They spent days tearing down houses and teaching kids, performing whenever and wherever they could. The effort was not easy, the city was still reeling from the storm and many could not even begin to process help from outside. As Caroline describes it, “the days were long, messy, and ultimately fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants Still, they continued to work. Through dirt, laughs, tears, shows, demolition, they continued to work. Soon, upon their return, carrying the experiences with them, the project gained support from Juilliard’s board. This support (along with support from others) enabled the continuation and expansion of the project to grow to what it is today; 10 years going. This perseverance permeates the project. The continuing to work, continuing to share, continuing to keep a positive outlook and do one’s best to make life a little bit better. I experienced it too, it was the essence of the trip. I too remember early mornings in cold showers, but I remember even better leading students in a group song and dance. I remember building homes, dancing in the street, singing in a church, performing for schools. I remember the awe I felt for my fellow artists and the closeness I felt to them as people. I remember the knowing I needed to do the same sort of thing in Detroit and finding the same courage and confidence to carry it out. I remember the “labor of love” as Caroline puts it. And the shared understanding that what we were doing mattered. Perhaps this is what makes it feel like magic. Knowing that it matters. We, as artists do not always see an immediate outcome from our daily work. However when working to build, working to share, working to help; we see the change, hear the feedback, feel the difference. The effort affects a community and we become a part of something bigger than our practice. Perhaps it is the validation of what we feel to be true, that art is important. Whether it be a performance or a tool that helps communication, makes a kinder thought, cracks a smile, we see our art matters. In return we gain inspiration, new perspective, expanded hearts and warmth. These lessons stay with us. We carry them forward. The Juilliard ARTreach New Orleans Project has a way of planting inspiration deep in the gut and continuing to feed it even years after. It is how it started, it is why it works, it is why it continues today. 2009 team at the Levee a special thanks to Caroline Fermin for helping me with the facts! 
Photo by Sabrina Tanbara
Always wish I had taken part in this..art really does have the power to transform the world.
It’s a truly transformative program! And never too late! Use your art to share what you can…