I was born and raised in New Orleans. I currently serve on the boards of the American Society of Media Photographers New Orleans/Gulf South chapter and University of New Orleans’ Fine Arts Advisory Board. I am a member of the New Orleans Photo Alliance, the Arts Council of New Orleans and the Young Leadership Council. I am also a freelance photographer for Scene Magazine.
For The Love of Photography
I started taking photographs when I was in middle school at Newman. My love for photography continued through high school and onto college where I served as photo editor of Lehigh University’s newspaper and majored in Journalism.
Before this book, I worked in public relations. In 2003 I decided to pursue photography full time, opening my own studio.
Statuesque
I knew I always wanted to do a book but wasn’t sure what I wanted to focus on. In the summer of 2006, I attended a photography workshop on how to publish a photography book. I sifted through the dozens of images I had brought with me trying to decide what project I wanted to pursue. And there it was-an image of one of the statues in Audubon Park. I came home and began researching if there was any book about the wonderful statues that grace our city. Everyone was nostalgic for New Orleans at the time so the subject matter seemed especially appropriate. After four years of researching, talking to historians and artists and photographing each statue, I am so proud to finally share Statuesque New Orleans with everyone!
The most surprising thing I learned creating Statuesque New Orleans was the history of New Orleans that is seen in two centuries of statues. From politicians to wars to artists, the statues tell a story. People young and old love to learn these stories and have even shared some of their own memories with me. Statuesque New Orleans is the only comprehensive guide and history book highlighting the under-maintained and under-appreciated statues we have here in New Orleans. There are 10 neighborhood maps included in the book; it makes all of the 126 statues and monuments accessible to the public.
Favorite Statue
One of my favorite statues is the one on the cover of the book, Monument to the Immigrant. It is my favorite because I have gotten to know the sculptor, Franco Alessandrini. He wrote a beautiful piece that is included in the book. He speaks about his vision, the history and how he created the statue. I love that people will go visit it now-it’s located inside Woldenberg Riverfront Park.
What I love about New Orleans are the people, the food and music, but especially the art.
Going to a festival, listening to a brass band, eating at the local neighborhood restaurant or walking through the many art museums and galleries we have here in New Orleans it’s easy to love the Big Easy!
What's Next
Up next I have a handful of book signings. Statuesque New Orleans is a perfect holiday gift. The full schedule of book signings is at www.statuesqueneworleans.com. This spring I have an exciting new companion piece to Statuesque New Orleans coming out. Stay tuned for more details!
Statuesque New Orleans is available throughout the greater New Orleans area. It’s available at Octavia Books, Little Miss Muffin, the Historic New Orleans Collection and Barnes & Noble just to name a few. It’s always available online at www.statuesqueneworleans.com. I’m happy to personalize any books!
Maintain and refurbish Statues and Monuments in New Orleans
From war memorials to heroes, from musicians to distinguished sculptors, Statuesque New Orleans explores metropolitan statuesque scene, from St Charles Avenue to the Mississippi River and including Kenner and Chalmette. A portion of proceeds from each book will be used to maintain and refurbish the statues seen in the book. I have partnered with the Monumental Task Committee and a few other organizations to make sure this happens. I encourage everyone to hop on a bike or take a walk, grab Statuesque New Orleans and discover all of our city’s statues and monuments.
In the upcoming months, Merlin will appear at the following area bookstores and local book fairs for signings.
Stuart Hall Boutique
Metairie Country Club
580 Woodvine Avenue
Metairie, LA 70005
Friday, December 3
10:00AM – 3:00PM
Barnes and Noble – Metairie
3721 Veterans Boulevard
Metairie, LA 70002
Saturday, December 4
1:00-3:00PM
McGehee Book Fair
2343 Prytania St
New Orleans, LA 70130
Thursday, December 9
11AM – 1:30PM
Barnes and Noble – Mandeville
Premier Center II
3414 Highway 190 Suite 10, Mandeville, LA 70471
Saturday, December 11
2:00-4:00PM
Preservation Resource Center (PRC) Holiday home tour/Boutique
Trinity Episcopal Church - Bishop Polk Hall
1329 Jackson Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130
Sunday, December 12, 2010
9:30AM – 4:30PM
Statuesque New Orleans retails for $45.00 and a portion of book sales will be used to refurbish and maintain the statues and monuments seen in the book.
To order a copy of Statuesque New Orleans, please visit www.statuesqueneworleans.com, call 504.782.5727 or email merlin.photography@gmail.com.
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