Rumors are flying that the National D-Day Museum and other New Orleans museums were looted in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
These rumors are not true. The D-Day Museum is fine. It has no flood damage, which is amazing.
The New Orleans Museum of Art also is in good shape. It has some damage, but it can recover easily. "Virlane Tower," a 45-foot outdoor metal sculpture, was wrecked in the hurricane. Other outdoor artworks were brought inside.
Louisiana State Museum buildings took a beating in the French Quarter. It’s not clear yet whether the flood also damaged the museum’s collections.
Here’s the American Association of Museums’ report on New Orleans museums:
National D-Day Museum, New Orleans (as of September 7): Richard Pyle with the Associated Press reported that their New Orleans bureau sent a reporter and photographer to the museum and found it intact and with no apparent damage.
D-Day Museum Update: As of Sept. 8, the American Association of Museums reports the D-Day Museum is "unmolested," but a separate storage area for the museum gift shop was damaged and "entered." NBC’s Tom Brokaw, in New Orleans on Sept. 9, said the gift shop had been looted, and some D-Day Museum computers also were taken. Brokaw didn’t make clear which building held the computers, but he said all historical pieces in the museum are intact. A D-Day Museum spokeswoman told me Sept. 11 the museum had a little wind damage. She also said the museum staff is fine, but several have lost their homes.
New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA (as of September 6). The Times-Picayune reported on 8-31 that the New Orleans Museum of Art survived Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath without significant damage. Six NOMA security & maintenance employees had remained on duty during the hurricane. FEMA wanted them to move to a safer location, but there was no way to secure the artwork inside so the staff continues to stay on site. Museum workers had taken down some pieces in the sculpture garden before the storm, but a towering modernist sculpture by Kenneth Snelson was reduced to a twisted mess in the lagoon. On 9-6 AAMD staff reported on a phone call with John Bullard, director. The museum has decided to bring in a larger generator for climate control instead of moving the collection. There has been no structural damage to the building, and he happily reported no water in the basement. The sculpture park has many uprooted trees, but only one sculpture was damaged.
Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans (as of September 2): Kacey Hill, public information director, states that early reports indicate that the Louisiana State Museum’s nine historic French Quarter properties have sustained varying degrees of modest to severe damage. Curatorial staff has conducted a preliminary survey of both facilities and collections for immediate stabilization purposes. Continuing assessment of conditions is underway, but it is too soon to fully realize the extent of the site repairs and collection treatment needed….
The Associated Press has an overview of the effect of Hurricane Katrina on museums and other cultural sites. Click here. Gannett News also has this report on a Sept. 2 New Orleans tour.
At this point, the D-Day Museum is whole. Spread the word.
Frank Warner
On another museum:
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