Culmination week at New Orleans’ Eternal Seeds summer session

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Some young artists spent their summer break practicing their craft with acclaimed professionals.

Moving New Orleans Forward anchor LBJ went to see what they learned.

“When I joined I was able to really dive into community because this has been a great space of community for me,” said Michaurey Williams.

The community she speaks of is the Eternal Seeds summer session. A collection of young artists and creators brought together by Studio BE Founder and Acclaimed Artist Brand “BMike” Odums.

“Eternal Seeds in our nonprofit organization and our goals is to invest in young and emerging artists. Basically giving them the tools to create the things they want to see, to envision a better, more just world through their art, through their collective imagination,” said Odums.

The summer session has gone on for the last seven weeks and the disciplines vary to include a host of creative tracks.

“I am part of the media layer, more of the digital media layer. So, I helped do our short film this year, which is called “The Summer Before Katrina.” I was a screen writer and I’m a co-director on the film,” said London Taylor-Thomas.

Katrina rested prominently in this year’s summer session. As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the storm, it also served as the theme of this year’s culminating project for the Eternal Seeds.

“The most interesting part of that was that we’re working with young artists who didn’t experience Katrina. They’re all younger than 20. So, this summer, it became a research project for them. Learning about Katrina, interviewing their family members or having guest speakers come in,” said Odums.

In addition to the film, the young artists executed a massive 450-foot mural on the levee wall at the site of the Industrial Canal breach in the Lower Ninth Ward. As for measuring the success of the session, the participants overwhelmingly approve of the process.

“This program has really just in general helped me out to see that there are people working in the path and career path that I want to work in. So it’s really just helped me to understand myself and push myself further,” said Williams.

The Eternal Seeds culminating project will debut the students’ work on Saturday night, Aug. 9, at 6 p.m. at the Joy Theater.

The officials unveiling of the mural will take place Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the Ninth Ward.

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