THUMBS UP
The Mellon Foundation
has awarded Prospect New Orleans a $2 million grant to support the arts triennial’s upcoming sixth edition as well as its Artists of Public Memory initiative, which commissions Louisiana artists to create artistic monuments and exhibits in public spaces. Prospect.6 takes place Nov. 2, 2024, through Feb. 2, 2025. The grant will support new monumental installations by Joiri Minaya and Raul de Nieves.
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Plaquemines Parish and state officials
have reached a preliminary deal to allow work on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project to continue. Plaquemines Parish had stalled work on the $3 billion coastal restoration project over concerns of how it would impact commercial fishing. The agreement allows early work to continue while the parish and state try to resolve other issues.
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Petrochemical companies
are not filling high-paying jobs with people of color from the communities most impacted by those companies’ emissions, according to a study by Tulane University’s Environmental Law Clinic. Further, Louisiana is the only state where people of color were underrepresented across the board. The study found Louisianans of color accounted for only 27% of low-level positions and 15% of high-paying jobs in the petroleum/coal industry, and 32% of low-paying jobs and 21% of higher paying positions in chemical manufacturing companies.