Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember: Photographs by Melody Golding WASHINGTON-On August 29, 2005, a monstrous storm came ashore leaving behind enormous destruction beyond belief. The National Museum of Women in the Arts pays tribute to this tragic event from March 9, 2007 to May 28, 2007, through the photographic exhibit, Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember: Photographs by Melody Golding. The 53 photographs offer personal insights into life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. Through a rich collage of images and stories by Mississippi women, the exhibition documents the tempest's initial overwhelming devastation, followed by the determination of Mississippi's inhabitants to endure and prevail. Noted photographer Melody Golding came to the Gulf Coast as a volunteer for the American Red Cross, bringing supplies and a desire to help. Her unique sepia-toned photographs, as well as a video diary of her year-long sojourn along the coast are stunning and powerful in their simplicity. Her eyewitness account of Katrina's wake, and its impact upon coastal residents from Pearlington to Pascagoula, is accompanied by stories written by survivors of the storm. The participants in the photographs and stories are women from Mississippi, many of whom are artists themselves. In the early days of the catastrophe, despite desperate circumstances and with great generosity of spirit, these women recorded their experiences with a broad diversity of voices. In addition, operatic soprano Lucia Lynn, a native of Mississippi, currently residing in Los Angeles, composed and performed Song of Katrina for the video chronicle. This exhibition, which documents the artist's photographic journey, accurately reflects the book Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember, which will be released by The University Press of Mississippi in May 2007. Included are essays by Mississippi authors Ellen Gilchrist and Mary Anderson Pickard. Although the physical and psychological ordeal of Katrina has not yet ended, this exhibition presents a new chapter in the history of Mississippi women, a unique account of reclamation, resolution, and recovery. About the Artist MELODY GOLDING - PHOTOGRAPHER "I try to capture in my work a sense not only of timelessness, but of grace. To convey an observance of order out of the usual chaos of visual forms. God has given me this gift to share in what I see in this world as a patient and ardent observer, and also a participant in what I see - the camera being the conduit of expression in my photography." An earlier solo exhibition of Golding's photography and text titled, Stark Exposures: Images of Katrina, was on view at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art from June 1-August 16, 2006. This was the first show about Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Golding is a member of the Royal Photographic Society, London, and her Katrina photographs were featured in The Royal Photographic Society Awards Journal in October 2005. The Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, MS, has included Golding's work in the permanent collection, and her photography is in numerous other collections and historical museums. Her photographs were chosen for inclusion in the Texas Photographic Society 21st Annual Members Only Show which exhibited in San Francisco, California and Houston, Texas in the spring of 2006. Melody has documented complex architectural wonders and the natural environment as well as preserving moments in the incredible lives of others on four continents. Exhibition Sponsorship Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember: Photographs by Melody Golding is presented by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, with generous sponsorship from Chevron. NMWA at 20 The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), founded in 1981 and opened in April 1987, is the only museum dedicated solely to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing, and literary arts. The museum contains works by more than 900 artists in its permanent collection, maintains a Library and Research Center, and conducts multidisciplinary programs for diverse audiences. In the past 20 years since its' opening the museum has presented more than 200 exhibitions, expanded its permanent collection to include over 3,600 pieces, and has a membership ranking it in the top ten museums nationally with more than 30,000 members. In celebration of the museum's 20th anniversary three ground-breaking exhibits will be presented: The Book as Art: Twenty Years of Artists' Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts; Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque; and WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, 1965-1980. The museum will also launch CLARA: Database of Women Artists, a Web-accessible, authoritative resource for students, scholars, and the general public. NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., in a landmark building near the White House. It is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. For information, call 202-783-5000 or visit the museum's Web site at www.nmwa.org. IMAGE ON THE FIRST PAGE Melody Golding Spirit of Survival© Pascagoula, November 2005 Imbue print 40” x 30” Collection of the artist			For images, interviews, and more information, contact Michelle Cragle or media@nmwa.org or call 202.783.7373

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