Picking up the pieces

By Robyn White
After Katrina Newswire

HATTIESBURG, MS — Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, almost a year ago, many children have sought the power of words and art to communicate their thoughts and express their feelings about the devastating storm. This multimedia slideshow presents a sampling of children's drawings, paintings, songs, and stories featured in “Drawing on Katrina: Mississippi children Respond to the Storm,” an exhibition hosted by the University of Southern Mississippi 's Museum of Art from May 23 to July 8, 2006.

Works by these children - most in kindergarten to 6th grade - were collected from elementary schools from throughout the state of Mississippi in an effort to showcase the opinions of children about the hurricane and share their unique experiences and stories of survival and resilience. “Drawing on Katrina" displays remarkable imagination, ardency of expression, and a striking sincerity in children's works of art. The recordings of children included in this slideshow were a special addition to the exhibition, which were aired on Rural Voices Radio at Mississippi State University.

Farid Mouzai is a doctoral student in Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern Mississippi and the editor of the "After Katrina Newswire."
For questions or comments about this slideshow, contact the project editor Farid Mouzai.

http://www.usm.edu/afterkatrina/multimedia2/Mouzai.html