Tragic hurricanes unite artists in 'A Tale of Two Cities' at New Orleans Academy of Fine Art

In a way, “A Tale of Two Cities,” an exhibit at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art , is a comparison of fresh wounds and old scars.

The group show includes paintings, sculpture, photos and fine craft by artists from New Orleans and Asheville, North Carolina, which were assembled to mark the 20th anniversary of 2005's Hurricane Katrina and the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene in 2024.

Both storms and subsequent floods laid waste to regions known in part for their flourishing art communities.

“A Tale of Two Cities” is about commiseration and survival. The shock, emotional despair and sheer destruction seen in some of the Asheville works will seem entirely familiar to New Orleanians. Tamie Baldue’s eerie self-portrait, in which her hands seem to drift aimlessly in the air, may w