Barthe Sculpture and Restoration HURRICANE KATRINA EMERGENCY GRANT

FAIN: PC-50017-06

Hancock County Library System (Bay St. Louis, MS 39520-3532)
David M. Woodburn (Project Director: December 2005 to June 2007)

The Bay St. Louis Library in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is the headquarters branch of the Hancock County Library system, which serves 45,000 residents along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, between New Orleans and Gulfport/Biloxi. Bay St. Louis experienced a direct hit by Hurricane Katrina and the storm surge left water and salty mud in the library. Five significant bronze sculptures by Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé (1901-1989), which were on exhibit with works by other Hancock County artists, were among the library's damaged collections. Barthé was born in Bay St. Louis, graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1928, won Guggenheim fellowships in 1940 and 1943, and became the first Black American to become a member of the National Academy of Arts and Letters. His works are held in many museums across the country and among his public commissions is the 80 foot frieze on the Social Security Building in Washington, D.C.