IamMaroon

IamMaroon One of a series of murals on electrical boxes around the city of New Orleans.

Found this one of me working on the last panel. The other is the underlying meaning in the imagery.
11/18/2023

Found this one of me working on the last panel. The other is the underlying meaning in the imagery.

The last panel is done. A joyous work concludes. 😊
10/31/2023

The last panel is done. A joyous work concludes. 😊

People are really responding to the box. lots of honking and 'thank you, great job', 'we love it!' A young lady got out ...
10/28/2023

People are really responding to the box. lots of honking and 'thank you, great job', 'we love it!' A young lady got out of her car today to ask me what it was all about.

A great painting day was had.
10/25/2023

A great painting day was had.

It continues...
10/23/2023

It continues...

Greta Gladney, contacted me with a concept for the project that she was coordinating as a consultant to the Lower Ninth ...
10/20/2023

Greta Gladney, contacted me with a concept for the project that she was coordinating as a consultant to the Lower Ninth Ward Economic Development District.

Greta Gladney
'When asked to coordinate this project, I envisioned a public art project and series of painted utility boxes that commemorated, celebrated the history of Lower Ninth Ward and some of the people of African descent who influenced the community. Once again, the neighborhood is in transition and for that reason, I saw this project as an opportunity to raise awareness both among younger generations living in the Lower Ninth Ward and newcomers to the area about the history, spiritual background, bones, and foundation of what I know as my community.'

This project is sponsored by the Lower Ninth Ward Economic Development District.Lowerninenola.comLower Ninth Ward Econom...
10/20/2023

This project is sponsored by the Lower Ninth Ward Economic Development District.

Lowerninenola.com

Lower Ninth Ward Economic Development District | New Orleans, LA

10/18/2023

The maroons in the bayou had to rely on the natural resources of the wetlands, as well as their knowledge of agriculture and ecology. They cultivated crops that could grow in swampy conditions, such as rice, corn, beans, squash, melons, and okra¹. They also gathered wild plants, such as berries, nuts, mushrooms, and greens². They hunted and fished for animals, such as deer, rabbits, turtles, alligators, and catfish¹².

Sweet potatoes and plantains are both crops that require well-drained soil and warm temperatures³ . Therefore, they might not have been suitable for the maroon settlements in the bayou. However, some maroons might have obtained these crops from nearby plantations or markets, or grown them in raised beds or containers.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 10/18/2023
(1) Living Freedom Through the Maroon Landscape - Places Journal. https://placesjournal.org/article/the-maroon-communities-and-landscapes-of-louisiana/.
(2) More Than A Runaway: Maroons In Louisiana | WWNO. https://www.wwno.org/podcast/tripod-new-orleans-at-300/2015-12-10/more-than-a-runaway-maroons-in-louisiana.
(3) Deep in the Swamps, Archaeologists Are Finding How Fugitive Slaves Kept .... https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deep-swamps-archaeologists-fugitive-slaves-kept-freedom-180960122/.

Now the front is complete and makes more visual sense.
10/17/2023

Now the front is complete and makes more visual sense.

10/17/2023

Another great day. Many compliments and I met some cool people.

The New Orleans maroons were self-liberated enslaved people who lived in the wetlands surrounding the city. They establi...
10/15/2023

The New Orleans maroons were self-liberated enslaved people who lived in the wetlands surrounding the city. They established permanent settlements in various locations, but the largest and most famous one was in Bayou Saint Malo, also known as San Maló. This bayou is located along the shore of Lake Borgne in St. Bernard Parish, about 6 miles east of the Isleño fishing village of Shell Beach. The bayou was named after Jean Saint Malo, a maroon leader who resisted the Spanish colonial authorities and was executed in 17841. The bayou was home to a diverse community of maroons, including Filipinos, Native Americans, and Acadians. The settlement was destroyed by a hurricane in 1915.

10/15/2023

The name maroon comes from different sources, depending on the language and the region. According to some sources, the word maroon is derived from the French word marron, which means 'runaway black slave’1. According to other sources, the word maroon is derived from the Spanish word cimarrón, which means ‘wild runaway slave’, ‘the beast who cannot be tamed’, or 'living on mountaintops’2. The Spanish word cimarrón is based on an Arawakan (Taino) Indian root, which originally referred to domestic cattle that had taken to the hills in Hispaniola, and later to American Indian slaves who had escaped from the Spaniards3. The word maroon was used to describe the enslaved people who ran away from their owners and formed their own communities in the wilderness of the Americas and the Caribbean. They resisted slavery and created their own culture and identity. The word maroon, therefore, reflects the history and the struggle of these people who chose freedom over bo***ge.

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5106 N. Claiborne @ Forstall
New Orleans, LA
70117

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