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New view of N.O.
Nature enthusiast shares love of urbanwildlife throughcitytours
BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer
Standing at WashingtonSquare in New Orleans’Marigny neighborhood on ahot summer morning, Helen Sierminski shares her fascinationwith crows as the black birds caw overhead. The 9a.m. walk she’sguiding is alreadyher second ofthe day. During her firstmorningwalk, shesaidshe noticed 15 differentspecies of birds. She leads nature walksaround New Orleans, and she lovesto begin these ambling strollswithina park —an urban setting that’s alsoa habitat for plants, trees and variouscritters. Her philosophy about thewalksisrooted inmindfulness.
“If you’re not lookingup, you’re not going to see thebirds that are flying,” said the 41-year-old. “If you’re not looking down,you’re not going to see a littlelizardthat’s crawling around. If you’re not looking tothe side, you’re not going to see abeautiful flower There are so manybeautifulthings to see, especially in ourcity.”
Sierminski created theInstagram account @nolasidewalkgardensandforests last summer,ascity residents suffered through some of thehottest temperatures on record. Despite the heat, Sierminski “refusedtohide inside,” she said, so her daily walks would consist of zigzagging from tree totree, trying to capture afew extra moments of shade.
She was already an appreciator of nature, she said, regularlytaking photos outdoors and evenholding a nature-based spiritual practice.
“But this really made me realize all of the differentbeautifuloverhanging
tree walkways and beautiful gardens and things like that because that’s whatI was clinging to as Iwas doing mywalks,” shesaid.
Mostofthe posts areshortvideos of sidewalklandscapes thatSierminski filmsasshe walks —trees andflowers overflowing narrow walkways,manicured or overgrown neighborhood plots. On the walk sheled in the Marigny,she pointed outmilkweed, beauty berries, orange trees, shrimp plants, cornhusk fences, neighborhood cats and apig namedAlias
As she walked by arow of cypress trees, shestoppedfor amoment of gratitude. “Maybe thewhole aim of your article is goingtochange when Itell you this, but Ikiss those trees every morning because Ilove them,” she
said.
On herInstagrampage, she intentionally foregoes music, voice-over andlengthy captions on most of the posts. Instead, the account captures the actual experience of walking through the city’sflora and fauna, often in themiddleofthe day at the height of summer.
Sierminskinoted thatmany people can’tdothese kinds of walks for health reasons, so thepage allows them to experience urbannature without going out, shesaid.Whenshe made the Instagramaccount, sheassumedthat only the people alreadyfollowing her onher personal page would follow the newone.Instead,she says that operating @nolasidewalkgardensandfor
Working in anewsroom means hearing snippets of conversations thatrun thegamut. Here areafew jewels, as collected by Matthew Albright, one of theeditorsinthe Baton Rouge newsroom:
n “OK, but if acat eatsa rat that’shigh on marijuana, does it gethigh?”
n “I hate people who wear glassesjust forfashion. It’slike ‘You’reappropriating my culture.I wake up everyday and can’t see.’”
n “Don’tsing. Unless youwant to allowmetodrink on the job. In that case, youcan sing.
n “I’mseriously abouttoDM this dogonInstagram.”
n “The motion was oneofthe most opaque andconvoluted things Ihaveeverread.And I have afreaking philosophy degree.”
n “If he gets on thecouncil, we’ll have aFrog, aScooter,aGBoyand aHoot.”
n “He toldme‘Iwanttobe cremated,but don’tdoitinBaton Rouge.It’ssomuchcheaper in Gonzales.’”
n “If youcan be feckless, can yoube...feck?Fecked?Feckful?”
Listening to thevariety of conversations is oneofmyfavorite partsofmyjob.Manyofthe conversations arebetween people who aremuchyounger—and some that startoff almost silly spur other chatswith surprising depth.
Lastweek,I hearda 25-yearoldreporter saytoa23-year-old reporter,“Man, Isure miss being 14, don’tyou?
The 23-year-old, sportswriter Reed Darcey,laughingly agreed aboutthe wistfulness associated withbeing 14. Isaidsomething to thepairofyoung men, along thelinesof, “Every agecan be awhole lotoffun. Tryand embrace it andyou’llbebetteroff. Icouldn’thelpmyself to join ever-so-briefly in the conversation, but we allhad deadlinesto meet andthere wasn’ttime to delve into thetopic further. Thatafternoon when Igot in my car to go home, James Taylor’s“Secret o’ Life”was playing. Ilovethatsong, but the line, “The secret of life is enjoying thepassage of time” haslong been oneofmyfavorites. Juxtaposing it to theconversation I hadheardearlierthatafternoon notonly made me smile,but it hasstuckwith me in thedays since.
Young Darcey is athoughtful andearnest fellow, qualitiesI appreciate regardless of age. He andIshare an appreciation for basketball andoftenchatabout thegame anda variety of other topics.
Aweek after the“oh-to-be-14 again” conversation,Idecidedto revisit thetopic by asking if he
ä See RISHER, page
LouisianaInspiredhighlightsvolunteer opportunities across south Louisiana.Ifyourorganization has specific volunteeropportunities, pleaseemail us at lainspired @theadvocate.com with details on the volunteer opportunity,organization and the contact/registration information volunteers wouldneed
Acadiana CASA of SoLa, 215 E. Pinhook Drive,Lafayette,recruits, trains and supervises community volunteerstospeak up for abused andneglected children and advocatefor their timely placementintosafe and permanent homes.Theorganization’s volunteer recruitment and training are ongoing and year-round. The firststepistoattend an orientation session,which only takes about 45 minutes.Volunteer advocates,oncetrained, serve as apowerful voice for abused and neglected children in thefostercaresystem.
For volunteer opportunities, visit casaofsola.org
BatonRouge The State LibraryofLouisiana’sCenter forthe Book,701 N. 4th St., Baton Rouge, hosts the Louisiana Book Festival,a free celebration of readers,writers and their booksheld every fall in theheartofdowntownBaton Rougeinthe State Capitol, State Library of Louisiana Capitol Park Museum Volunteers are needed to work in the festival.To sign up,visit louisianabookfestival.org
NewOrleans
NewOrleans Habitat forHumanity,2900 Elysian Fields Ave., NewOrleans, helps to build homes forlow-tomoderateincome partners in need of secure,quality housing at an affordable price.The organization helps familiesbreak out of the cycle of lowquality propertieswithhigh rentpayments and into the worldofreasonable payments toward home ownership. For volunteer opportunities, visit habitat-nola.org.
Helen Sierminski spots birds through her binoculars.
STAFF PHOTOSBYMATTHEW PERSCHALL
Helen Sierminski reaches for an orangerecently in NewOrleans. Sierminski leadsnature walksaround thecitytoshare her love of urban wildlife.
Lafayette’sCitedes Arts asafeplace to create
BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer
Daniel Ladmirault is aLouisiana native whorelocated to Washington, D.C., whereheresided for 10 years.Whilethere, heworked at many localand regional theaters, including the Olney Theatre Center,The Folger Shakespeare Library andthe Washington Shakespeare Company,where he was acompany member
Since his return to Acadianain 2007, Ladmirault has appeared in several shows,including “The French Quarter Connection”, “Proceed to HighlightedRoute”, TheCrucible”and more at Citè desArts, where he is also the executive director.Hehas appeared in “Whatever Happened to Annie” and “Peter andthe Starcatcher” at the Acadiana Center for the Arts.
Ladmirault appearedregularly as Allan in the HBO series “Treme,” appeared in the A&E’s series “Breakout Kings” andUSA Networks’ series “Common Law,” aswell as theWillSmith film“Focus.” He was formerly amember of both the Screen Actors GuildAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Actors’ Equity Association What solutions is Cité des Arts working toward in Lafayette?
Cité’sorigin story is aboutfinding asolution.The whole idea is thebrainchild of doctor Maureen Brennan, who’sour founder and executive director emerita.
In the late 1990s, the Lafayette Community Theater was closed, so there were no performing groups in Lafayette.Citéwas createdtofill thatvoidand becomea space for theater.Itevolved into amultidiscipline, multiuse facility.Wedoalittle bit of everything.
Our real mission is to focus on grassroots artdevelopment. We focus on cultivating andgiving a safe space for localperforming artsgroups,writers,playwrights, dance groups andbandsto have an affordable space to create. We turned 22 in June.
Our solution is to give up-andcoming performers, visual artists and more aspace to develop their crafts.
How does the multidisciplinaryspace cultivate community within the people who areinvolved?
Because we havesomany disciplines, the lobby is always aplace where new ideas are coming from and people who are work-
URBAN
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ests has “opened up this whole new world.” While the account itself only has around 700 followers as of publication, the small initiative has allowed Sierminski to connect with peoplefromcommunity gardens, plant nurseries and nonprofits that she likely wouldn’thave met otherwise.Sierminski describes her work as alittle bit of thisand alittle bit of that. In addition to her spiritual work, she also helps at an artshop andtakes care of people’sanimals. She has recently volunteered and collaborated with the Native Plant Initiative and local community gardens. Shehad beenleadingurban nature walks on her own —advertising them on sites like Nextdoor, where neighbors can connectover local businesses and initiatives —when Vance Levesque, aSierra Club member of over30 years,reached outtoher Levesque contacted Sierminski in Mayabout the possibility of her leading awalk as part of the local chapter’s outings meetup Sierminski led her first walk with the SierraClub in Carrollton two weeks later. Since then, shehas led 11/2-totwo-hour long walks with the environmental group in the Marigny,Bywater,Algiers Point and, most recently,Black Pearl. She noted that the city has 73 official neighborhoods, so if the group plans to get through them all, there will be many more walks ahead.
“Helen was aperfect fit,” Levesque said,commendingher knowledge about
ing together Our philosophy has always been, especially as executive director,I really don’tsay no to anyone. Everyone has the opportunity to come into this space and use it.
By having so many different artists and influences, the space is organicallydiverse, inclusive and equitable. We have different cultures, races, religions all comingtogether in one space creating art and exchanging ideas.
WhyisitimportantthatCitéuplifts diversity in the arts in Lafayette?
It’svitalnot just in Lafayette but everywhere. The organization gives the opportunity for exposure to differentvoices and points of view.
We’re always lookingtoopen anyone’svoice and creativity.At
the bottom of my email signature,I have our diversity and equity statement. Ithink themost
important line in that is, “We commit ourselves to giving equal andaffordable access to create andconsume artthatbuilds and sustains the diversity of voices in our community.”
The keyistobuildand sustain that diversity.That’swhat art does, that’swhat it’ssupposed to do.
Can you tell us about Cité’seducational programming?
We rent the space to groups that have summer theater workshops, like the Music Academy of Acadiana and Danny Devillier’sGood Time Rock Retreat. Our goal is to give people ahome and space who don’thave one.
I’m alsoworking to collaborate with University of Louisiana’s English Department for creative writing,like theShortStory Society
thefloraand faunaofthe city and personable approach as an outingsleader. He’slived in New Orleans his whole life, he said, but the experience has opened his eyesto a whole lot more. Members vote on the neighborhood they want to explorenext, and the walk itself is a“wandering thing” without aset path, Levesque said. Attendees can chip in asthe group explores together
Sierminski might note a native plant growing in a resident’sfront yard,while an attendee might offer architectural context of the houseitself orinformation about abird flying overhead. “She calls it amindful walk and that’sexactly what it is,” Levesquesaid.
Afterattending anumber of these walks, Lower Garden District resident Marc Witham hasstarted to identify some of the plants that Sierminski had pointed out —such as fig trees, crepe myrtles and live oaks.
“Mostofuswalk and don’tpay attention,”Witham said, but Sierminski can identify birds by their sound. Having moved to New Orleans afew years ago, Witham said theseries hasallowed him to explore less familiar neighborhoods and meet new people.
For Sierminski, the experience of leading these urban nature walks catalyzed her interest in advocating formoretrees around the city,she said. Shehas volunteered with Sustaining
our Urban Landscape, a local organization planting trees throughout the city and advocating alongside acoalition of groups for new city policies that would protect existing ones from damage and removal.
Sierminskiisastrong proponent of the city planting more trees and addressing the problems thatstem froma lack of greenery But for her,the urban gardens and forest initiative is primarily about highlighting the beautiful details in the cityscape thatoftengo unnoticed.
“I am more aboutpointing out what’s right,” she said.
Email JosieAbugov at josie.abugov@theadvocate. com.
RISHER
Are there anyupcoming events or shows that the community should know about?
In August, we have had Theater Happy Hour,which is aonce-amonth gathering for networking and an opportunity for people to get to know the local performers. Thursday,Aug. 29, we’re showcasing Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, produced by Black Theater Experience and directed by Josiah Price and Tina Burkhalter In September,wehave anew musicalthat’sbeing developed locally by ayoung playwright, Ian Bona, titled “Bartender.” Visit www.citedesarts.org to see show times, sign up for volunteer opportunities or donate. Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.
circumstances can do that
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really wished he was 14 again.
His answer was as considered as Iexpected.
“I don’tthink Iwish I was 14. Ithink that when Iwas 14, Iwanted to be 23,” Darcey said. “I wanted to grow up. Looking back, theearly teenage years are not thebest time. They’re confusing, kind of rough emotionally and socially —lotsof teenage angst. I’d rather have thematurityand emotional stabilityI have now instead.”
He agreed that his friend was right —paying bills isn’texactly fun. Other than that, though, if given the chance, Darcey says he wouldn’twant to go back to being 14.
“I’m happy where I am,” he said. Idon’tknow his mother, but Iwished Icould call her right then and relay the conversation —or just thatone sentence. What else does aparent ever want to hear?
Iasked what he thought it was that gothim to this point. He said going away to college seemed to be the turning point. Darcey grew up in the New Orleans area and came to college at LSU.
“When Iwent to college, Iwasn’tfar away from home, but it felt like Iwas far away from home,” he said.
As so often happens, the distance and new set of circumstances college offers gave him thereason and space to figure out the things he struggled with in high school. New surroundings and
“Once Ihad time and space to myself, Irealized Ididn’tknowhow to handle those things,” he said. “College is about learning about the world, but also learning about yourself. Looking back, I realize Ilearned how I’m wired. Iwasn’taware of that before.”
He and Italked about the line from the James Taylor song: “The secret of life is enjoying thepassage of time.” Itoldhim that as Itried to convey,albeit less eloquently,during the “to-be-14-again” conversation, Ibelieve enjoying the passage of time is, indeed, the key to,asJames Taylor put it,the “secret o’life.”
Darcey said that from his 23-year-old perspective he believes the secret to his own happiness comes from asimilar perspective —bystaying in thepresent
“Wealways worry about thefuture and what’snext —orwehave atendency to dwell in the past. If you do those two things, that’s probably agood way to make yourself miserable,” he said. “And Iknow ‘live in thepresent’may seem cliché and is easier said than done, but Ibelieve it and try to live it.”
Our conversation only lasted 12 minutes, but it’sthose little chances to connect with another that affirm all the hope I have about the future and about thegenerations to come. The secret of life is enjoying thepassage of time.
Risher
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Cité desArtsinLafayette focuses on cultivating an affordable space for local performing arts groups, writers, playwrights,dance groups and bandsto create.
Daniel Ladmirault is executive director at Citè des Arts.
STAFF PHOTO BY MATTHEWPERSCHALL
Helen Sierminskiisastrong proponent of NewOrleans planting more trees and addressing theproblems that stem from alack of greenery.
Children learnlifelessons throughmusic
Church in Baton Rougeteaches more than music
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
Children’schoirs are about more than just music at First UnitedMethodist Church in Baton Rouge.
The church has two children’s groups within its choir program, one achoir for kindergarten throughsecond graders, and the otherfor third throughfifth graders.
“A huge part of our mission is teaching kids to learn themusic and the musical skills,but we also think thatmusic teaches more,” said Holden Miller,associate director of music and church organist. “It teaches them about lifeskills, socialization and leadership. Anditalsoteachesthem abouthow to be team players because you can’thave achoir oragroup of musicians and do it alone.”
The program went dormant during the COVID pandemic, and the church hasbeen rebuilding it since. In doing so,Miller is making sure the participants are learning afew life lessons along the way
Right now,the two programs haveacombinedmembershipof 30, which mostly consists of children who attendthe church. But that doesn’tmean membership is limited to only those children
“Weare also very open and welcomingtoothers outside the church,”Miller said. “That’s something we’re actually really tryingtoreachout to and provide musical experiences for kids outside of thewalls ofour church.”
Millerisplanning oneoutreachproject for next summer, when the church hosts amusic and arts camp for kids.But that willbenextsummer.For now, focus is on the children’schoir programs, where the two groups perform twice per term or semester Miller has witnessed the difference the program has madeinthe
Holden Miller, associate direct of musicand organist,directs the children’s choirprogramsatFirst United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge.
kids’lives.
“I think theirexperienceopens thedoor for people of alot of different backgrounds to work and talk with oneanother,” he said.
“Ithink that’s true forchildren, andIthinkit’struefor adults, as well.”
He added that the choir is a unique unifier forthose children who are involved in sports and other areas of thearts.
“When you cometochoir practice, you’re able to leavealot of baggage at the door,take part, enjoyand learnalongside one another —and hone skills thatIfeel likepeople aren’tgetting as much ofeverywhereelse,” Miller said.
Studiesshowthat singingimproves social bonding and social cohesion, as well as creates a senseofcommunity. According to theSingUpFoundation,an organization in England focused onenhancing children’sdevelopmentthrough music, singing with others enhancesempathic relationships and generates positive group identity,which improves mental health
“Singing is an intimate activity and when youshare it withothers, it helps strengthen bonds. Research hasshown that group singing (nomatter the quality of the results) is an excellenticebreaker and hasevenbeen shown tosynchronize the heartbeatsof those people singing together,” according to singupfoundation. org.”
Miller believes that much of
this type of socialization was lost during the pandemic, when singingwas put on the back burner. Hewants to bringitback to the light. “It is important, anditteaches so much more than just musical skills,” he said. “It teaches about life and knowledge and howtobe
with oneanother.”
Finally,Miller believes the programoffersways to inspireothers. Bothchoir groups allow participants to expresstheir individual talents and understand people fromdifferentbackgrounds “That’s one of the beautiful things,tome, about music
how much it can encompass, and it feels like anatural way to me,” he said. “You can teach a lottopeoplewithout them really knowing that they’ve just learned something.”
Email RobinMilleratromiller@ theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTOS BY HOLDEN MILLER
Holden Miller directs First United Methodist ChurchofBaton Rouge’schildren’schoir during aprogram in the church sanctuary.
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