George Rodrigue Family and Foundation Release Historic Blue Dog Print for Hurricane Harvey Relief
Proceeds from George Rodrigue's We Will Rise Again benefit affected schools in Texas and Louisiana
George Rodrigue raised millions of dollars for humanitarian and arts organizations following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The original print of We Will Rise Again raised $700,000, much of it generated by Texans, many of whom also helped displaced Louisiana families.
This special release includes the reference "Hurricane Harvey 2017" in the white border alongside the words "We Will Rise Again" and Rodrigue's official estate-stamped signature.
Hurricane Harvey Relief Prints sell for $500 each, a price set by Rodrigue for the original 2005 post-Katrina edition, long sold out. Rather than limit the new prints by number, GRFA limits them by time, with hopes of raising much-needed funds as quickly as possible for hurricane and flood impacted schools in Texas and Louisiana.
We Will Rise Again, 2017
A silkscreen print by George Rodrigue
27x18 inches
Open edition (closing Dec. 31, 2017)
Official Rodrigue estate stamped signature
$500*
*Prints will ship in approximately four (4) weeks. Please add $30 for shipping and handling.
Read Now on Nola.com:
George Rodrigue photographed with "We Will Rise Again" (2005)
About We Will Rise Again
We dedicate this special release of George Rodrigue's We Will Rise Again to all those affected by Hurricane Harvey and its devastating floods. Like all Louisianians, we recall the unconditional support and kindness shown towards us by our Texas neighbors following Hurricane Katrina. To you, and to our beloved home state, we share this artwork and these enduring words, written by George Rodrigue.
-Wendy, André, and Jacques, August 2017
We Will Rise Again shows the American flag covered with water. The blue dog is partly submerged, and its eyes, normally yellow, are red with a broken heart. Like a ship's SOS, the red cross on the dog's chest calls out for help.
Katrina hit me personally at ground zero. My immediate thought was for the safety of people I know, followed by the shock of seeing helicopters and boats alongside familiar street signs, as rescuers assisted people from rooftops and attics. For the second time in this young twenty-first century I sat at my easel weighted by personal sorrow and my desire to help, this time also reflecting on the devastation of my city and the suffering of my neighbors.
New Orleans has been home to my gallery and studio for sixteen years; it is where the Blue Dog was born. My wife is a third generation New Orleanian, and the Big Easy remains the 'big city' to my Cajun hometown of New Iberia. Wendy and I join thousands of New Orleans residents in our pledge to go HOME, to rebuild our city, and to pay tribute to those who lost their lives with a commitment to care for our citizens, embrace our culture, and make the good times roll...again."
-George Rodrigue, September 2005
