BP oil disaster

BP Oil Becomes Art

Filed under: Art, Charity

The BP Deepwater Horizon spill has been turned into art in the hands of artist Brian Borrello. The Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans has announced a limited edition print by Borrello that will support the St. Bernard Project in collaboration with LSU Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry to provide services for families impacted by the oil spill. Borrello's "New Orleans Skyline" is a high-resolution digital print on archival paper with oil collected from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill. Borrello began drawing the skylines of US cities in 2003, often adding toxic components to the image that relate to the city. Because of New Orleans' connection to the oil industry the painting received an application of motor oil. The new prints contain some of BP's spilled oil that he collected from the beaches of Florida and the marshes of Louisiana. He is donating 20 percent of the proceeds to the St. Bernard Project. The print will be sold directly from the gallery (online and in gallery) and is an edition of 100. It sells for $290.

[via ArtDaily]

Tags: BP oil disaster, brian borrello, jonathan ferrara, new orleans

Top Chef Judge Tom Colicchio Among Those Promoting Louisiana Seafood

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

"Top Chef" judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio was just one of a team of famous chefs from around the country who traveled to Grand Isle, Louisiana to tour the local waters. On Monday morning Colicchio pledged that he would continue to use Gulf seafood in his restaurants.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board and John Folse a local chef and expert on Cajun cuisine put the event together to show some of the key influencers in the food world that that Louisiana seafood is still wholesome and safe to be consumed. The Louisiana fishing industry is at stake but many diners who have seen the images of oil spotted waters are reluctant to trust anything from the entire area. The local waters are being tested and patrolled to make sure that the seafood is safe to consume. Fishing has been shut down in some areas but most of the vast Gulf remains open and the seafood is untainted.

Still, many the impact has been huge in Louisiana where 1 in 70 jobs is tied to the state's seafood industry. Dallas-based chef Dean Fearing who attended the event said that he will donate proceeds raised at the third anniversary celebration for his restaurant, Fearing's, to Friends of the Fishermen Fund, a new charity for those fishers impacted by the oil spill.

Tags: BP oil disaster, bp oil spill, dean fearing, louisiana, louisiana fishing, Louisiana oil spill, oil spill, oil spill louisiana, Tom Colicchio, top chef

Gulf Resorts Offer Clean Beaches Guarantee

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

As the oil spill in the Gulf continues past day 40, the effects for the industries in Florida, Louisiana and other states are starting to mount up. Vacation resorts in Florida are getting proactive to reassure potential vacationers that they won't be seeing any oil slicks on the local beaches. As CNN reports many hotels are changing their cancellation policies and promising refunds in guests see oil on the beaches. The six properties operated by The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach has an oil-free beach guarantee and the company's Facebook page has an ad with the slogan "The only oil on our beach is suntan oil!"

In Alabama, oil-free beach guarantees have also slowed down the rate of cancellation. Royal Shell Vacations, the largest vacation rental company serving Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Florida, with more than 400 luxury homes and condominiums, has announced a provisional refund policy, the Royal Shell "Clean Beaches" Guarantee. Royal Shell Vacations will provide a proportionate refund to any rental clients should the City of Sanibel or Lee County authorities officially close either Sanibel or Captiva Islands beaches. Royal Shell Vacations will be providing daily or as-needed "Clean Beaches" updates on both its website and Facebook page.

In Louisiana the tourism outlook isn't so bright. The lure of traveling to Louisiana isn't relaxing on the beach, it's often activities like sportfishing. With oil washing ashore into Louisiana's marshes recreational fishing is at a standstill. Sadly, hotels are full, but with workers, journalists and others who are there because of the spill.

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Tags: alabama, BP oil disaster, bp oil spill, clean beaches guarantee, florida, gulf oil spill, Louisiana, oil spill louisiana, oil spills