Art of the Black Experience

Keith Calhoun chronicles the African American experience in New Orleans and the surrounding Louisiana parishes. Calhoun has worked to preserve the rich, unique traditions and deep-rooted attributes of Louisiana culture. Born in New Orleans, Calhoun hails from the Lower 9th Ward, a neighborhood that, prior to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, boasted the largest concentration of African American homeowners in the United States. His photographic archive was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, yet his work has proved resilient. He has documented the soul of New Orleans and a vanishing Louisiana, as well as the prison industrial complex featuring Angola State Penitentiary.