Walking Hourglass

Laurie Simmons

1989

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Black and white photograph of Sloss Furnaces
A woman is standing, possibly dancing, in a clearing in front of a house. The clearing is brown and striated, suggesting that it is dirt or possibly sand. Three people, two men and one woman, are dressed in patterned clothes and play instruments in front of her. The woman wears a blue headdress, the same white and green jewelry as the central figure, and plays an instrument, possibly a shakere. The man sitting next to her has a red shirt and yellow scarf around his neck. He plays the djun djun, resting on a chair. The second musician has a red scarf and orange shirt and plays a drum with his hands. The central figure wears a full, colorful dress that has a floral pattern on it and is made up of blue, red, white, green, and orange sections. She also wears an orange headdress that has the same pattern as her dress and a white and green necklace, white earrings, and a silver ring on her right index finger. She also holds a yellow scarf with her left hand. They are surrounded by a lush forest of palm trees and trees with orange fronds whose bark and leaves are made up of thick lines of color. Bright blue peeks out from behind the trees, suggesting they are near the ocean.The roots are also represented in the same way with some of them appearing green, as if to mean they are below the surface. The grass below the trees is covered with leaves or flowers that are white, red, and pink. Behind the central figure there is a house with an open door and a window. The house is richly patterned and there is a pot in the fire. White veve patterns accented with red and green surround the four figures along with the words La Reine Congo Dance. The artist has signed the painting “A. Pierre” in the lower right corner of the painting, on top of a brown tree trunk.
Horizontal white painted board with Bible verses and explanations in red lettering
A hand-painted recreation of the entrance sign to an actual 1970s New Orleans gay bar, The UpStairs Lounge. The work is painted in black on shaped, unpainted wood. The image shows two rows of anonymous male visages, one of whom is looking through binoculars, "at the viewer." The text reads "See You At The UpStairs Lounge 604 Iberville St. New Orleans"