If you haven’t visited the Mississippi coast since Hurricane Katrina made landfall last August, it’s difficult to understand the extent of the devastation and the lingering needs of the people who live there. “I think people have become complacent, and this needs to be an ongoing national priority,” says Lisa Kurts, proprietor of the Lisa Kurts Gallery, where a silent auction will be held on Saturday, January 28th, to benefit John and Renee Grisham’s Rebuild the Coast organization as well as the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs. The auction will include the works of at least 30 artists, including Southern impressionist and regional favorite Carol Cloar and images of pre-Katrina New Orleans by photographer Michael Eastman, whose Shotgun House, New Orleans is shown here. Admission to the event is free, and donations will be accepted. Funds will help develop affordable, sustainable housing and restore linoleum printing plates carved by Mississippi artist Walter Anderson, whose work was damaged by the storm.
Hurricane Katrina Benefit, Lisa Kurts Gallery, 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday, January 28th (information: call 683-6200)
