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WINTER 2020 Italian American Digest
Each form moves seamlessly into another , allowing the viewer to create their own narrative . The mosaic tiles interact with the spiraling compositional elements in a way that vibrates with the motion of the city , the familiar sounds , smells , and textures forever iconized and set in stone .
just across
The monument during Mardi Gras 2020 Photo by Ellis Anderson
A little further along the river and
Canal Street is Alessandrini ’ s large , marble Monument to the Immigrant . It sits with a noble gravity overlooking the Mississippi on the riverfront in Woldenberg Park . The work offers a gentle reminder of the many cultures that make New Orleans unique and offers contemplation on their cultural contributions . Placed in the exact spot where many immigrants arrived in the French Quarter so long ago , the monument also sits as a memorial to lives forever transformed , adopted , and embraced by the city of New Orleans . The overall composition creates a large dynamic triangle , a floating figure reaching over the waters with a family packed for travel . The guardian-like figure and the huddled family below face opposite directions and offer juxtaposition between stillness and movement , the known and the unknown , of blind faith and hope with postures of disillusion . From a distance this piece beckons as a windblown spirit protecting the waters , almost a figurehead missing its boat , guiding the family toward safety , or bidding a last goodbye to an abandoned homeland . Monument to the Immigrant speaks to the history of New Orleans while simultaneously suggesting ancient mythological and religious narratives of cultural displacement as well as the ongoing immigration crisis of today .
Even further along the river , in Crescent Riverfront Park , stands Alessandrini ’ s bronze and marble Monument to the Latino Worker , a heroically scaled thank-you note to those who helped rebuild the city after Katrina . This piece conveys a similar but more specific message as Monument to the Immigrant and depicts workers specifically of Latino descent .
Figures include men , women , and children . They are represented mid-stride on ladders , wielding hammers and other tools , and going about the hearty task of repairing a community after devastation . The multifigure composition is depicted on the roof of a house and is above eye level , allowing the viewer a worm ’ s-eye view of common laborers . The use of this compositional device gives the workers a degree of importance usually reserved for depictions of gods , rulers , or heroic figures . In this case Alessandrini assigns heroic status to the Latino worker through his reference to the classical language of composition .
Adorning the entrance to the St . Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square , also steps from the Mississippi River , is Alessandrini ’ s Portrait of John Paul II , a larger than life-size marble depicting the Pope with two young children and a single magnolia flower . The young boy holds a bud about to bloom ; the young girl has calmly folded hands . This work commemorates the visit of the pontiff , and quietly beckons the public into the Cathedral .
A short walk from St . Louis Cathedral takes the viewer to the Ursulines Convent Museum , where a powerful series of Alessandrini ’ s hand-carved marble sculptures depict important figures in the history of