Prospect.1 New Orleans

Book excerpt: As the accompanying publication to the largest exhibition of contemporary art ever assembled in the U.S., the Prospect.1 New Orleans catalogue is one of the most sought-after art books of 2008-09. Featuring new illustrated essays on New Orleans and its place in twenty-first century America by Prospect.1 organizer Dan Cameron, art historian Barbara Bloemink, journalist Lolis Eric Elie and curator Claire Tancons, the book also includes a fully illustrated section on each of the 81 participating artists, who include William Kentridge, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Fred Tomaselli, Cai Guo Qiang, Sanford Biggers, Tony Fitzpatrick, Amy Sillman, Malick Sidibe, Clare E. Rojas and Monica Bonvicini, among many others. Locating contemporary art in the cauldron that is New Orleans adds a new dimension to the book and its visuals: It's an incisive statement on art making and humanity today. Dan Cameron, the Director and Curator of Prospect.1 New Orleans, is an international New York-based curator who was inspired to organize an exhibition in New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Cameron has been a frequent visitor to New Orleans since the late 1980s, and he organized the 1995 New Orleans Triennial for the New Orleans Museum of Art. In May 2007 Cameron took on the position of Visual Arts Director at the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), one of the leading venues for new art in the South, and a principal venue for Prospect.1 New Orleans.