Gallery: Capturing the Gulf Coast's Culture as It Slips Into the Sea
Will Widmer014th Anniversary of BP Oil Spill in Southern Louisiana
Shell Beach, LA. A cross standing next to pier pilings in Shell Beach, a tiny fishing village in St. Bernard Parish near New Orleans.
Will Widmer02Cajun Mardi Gras in Southwest Louisiana
Eunice, LA. A participant of the Faquetigue Mardi Gras run at the edge of a muddy country road in unseasonably cold temperatures and freezing rain. The Courir de Mardi Gras is a traditional Mardi Gras event held in many Cajun communities across south Louisiana on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The rural Mardi Gras celebration is based on begging rituals and customs of Catholic Medieval Europe, specifically the fête de la quémande ("feast of begging") of Medeival France. During the fête, when begging from house to house was socially, disguised revelers would go through the countryside visiting households and performing for offerings.
Will Widmer03A day at the Tabasco Headquarters in Louisiana
Avery Island, LA. A controlled marsh burn near the Tabasco company headquarters. First produced in 1868, the legendary Tabasco hot sauce recipe has been passed down through several generations of the McIlhenny family, and is still produced using traditional methods nearly 150 years later.
Will Widmer04Hurricane Isaac Coverage in Southern Louisiana
New Orleans, LA. Preparation for Hurricane Isaac in Southern Louisiana. Locals gathered to play in the flooded waters of Lake Pontchartrain as it began to spill over its floodwalls. In the days prior to Hurricane Isaac's arrival in Southern Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency and ordered mandatory evacuations for several parishes that lay outside the federal levee protection system. But many residents chose to stay in their homes while the Category I hurricane made landfall on August 28th, 2012. While the city of New Orleans weathered the storm with minimal damage as compared to Hurricane Katrina, towns outside its new multi-billion dollar levee system were devastated.
Will Widmer05A concert honoring the departed Treme Brass Band drummer Uncle Lionel Batiste
New Olreans, LA. Residents parading in homage to 'Uncle' Lionel Batiste, a longstanding member of the Treme Brass Band and a symbol of the city who passed away on Sunday, July 8, 2012.
Will Widmer06Matter - Coastal Erosion in Southern Louisiana
Isle de Jean Charles, LA. Deyonte Simmons, age six, stands on the bridge leading to a modest house across the bayou from the only road that runs down the island.
Will Widmer07Annual Catholic Shrimp Boat Blessing Ceremony in Southern Louisiana
Chauvin, LA. On the morning of the boat blessing ceremony, St. Joseph's catholic church held a special Mass complete with miniature shrimp boat decorated on the altar. The Blessing of the Fleet is celebrated in several Catholic fishing communities in Southern Louisiana each year to mark the beginning of the main shrimping season.
Will Widmer08Annual Catholic Shrimp Boat Blessing Ceremony in Southern Louisiana
Chauvin, LA. Friends pass by P.J. Domaingue's boat the 'Maycie Brooke' during the boat blessing parade. The ceremony includes a processional on the water where one or more priests float down the bayou and pray for each of the shrimping vessels as they pass by. Blessed boats them fall into place at the end of the growing parade line, and the entire community heads out the Lake Boudreaux for an afternoon on the water. Domaingue had the honor of hosting the priests at the front of the parade in this year's ceremony.
Will Widmer09First night of 2013 white shrimp season in Southern Louisiana
Venice, LA. Bob Powell climbs out onto one of the trawling booms to loosen a net that has become snagged. The shrimping industry along the Gulf Coast has been Increasingly threatened by environmental change and rising fuel prices.
Will Widmer10Immigration rules change affects workers in LA - Motivatit Seafood Company in Houma, LA
Houma, LA. Mike Voisin, President of Motivatit Seafoods, Inc. gestures toward a map that illustrates the projected loss of land in coastal Louisiana by 2050. The map reads 'Coastal Louisiana has lost an average of 34 square miles of land, primarily marsh, per year for the last 50 years. From 1932 to 2000, coastal Louisiana lost 1,900 square miles of land, roughly an area the size of the state of Delaware. If nothing more is done to stop this land loss, Louisiana could potentially lost approximately 700 additional square miles of land.
Will Widmer11A bleak outlook for the white shrimp season in Southern Louisiana.
Lafitte, LA. Sunrise over Cochiara Marina in the middle of what many Southern Louisianans called the worst white shrimp season in their collective memory. In 2011, Gulf Coast shrimpers reported record-low yields. One year after the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry spread into the Gulf Coast ecosystem, some local shrimpers struggled to even afford the fuel required to run their trawlers, and most say that BP was to blame. When they do make the trip, the stakes are high and many return with empty nets. The shrimp just aren’t there.
Will Widmer12Baptist
Marks, MS. Rev. Ezra Towner sits behind the counter at the Towner Dining Room, a traditional soul food restaurant owned by his son Val. Towner is pastor at Silent Grove Baptist church, and has not adopted the healthy eating campaign that that Rev. Terry Cousin champions across town at his own church.
Will Widmer13Continued coverage of Flooding
New Orleans, LA. A resident takes down her laundry from the front of her walkway along the Mississippi River. This home is one of about a dozen structures that exist on the river-side of the New Orleans levee system. The structure is almost 40 feet offshore during winter months when the river is low, but during the summer when snow melt and spring storms across the Midwest cause it to swell on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, the water runs right underneath their floorboards.
Will Widmer14OriginalBigSeven-3
New Orleans, LA,. Terry takes a break from making streamers and fans in Ed Buckner's back yard to dance to brass band music in the back yard. The Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure club started preparations early for their annual Mother’s Day second line parade, one of the biggest in the city.
Will Widmer15PointeAuxChenes-LA-20140707-787
Isle de Jean Charles, LA, 2014. A view of Island Road at sunset. This two-lane road connects the island to the rest of Terrebonne Parish and sometimes is nearly covered by the waters of high tide.
