Dear Buskers,
Just take the time to read the following paragraph. Then think about what you made the last time you went busking. And see if you could donate. The Busker’s Bunkhouse is one of those crazy-heartwarming institutions that makes the world seem like a better place, just because it exists.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Pearl and her husband transformed their garden into a tent city to house the homeless. Now, it has reformed into “Busker’s Bunkhouse”, a much needed haven for artists priced out by the constantly rising price of home ownership and rents in the Bywater. It is a free home for artists and musicians in New Orleans.
They are now at risk of losing their property (their home!) over a couple of thousand dollars.
Here’s a quote from one of the residents at the Bunkhouse:
Please help. This is serious.
Right now I am posting from the Busker’s Bunkhouse. We’ve spent today getting ready for the blast of cold air headed this way. We have people here, including me, who would have no other place to go out of the cold, and more will show up, I am sure.
For over ten years, Pearl Heart has given her house over to housing artists, musicians, travellers, drop-ins, and others. Right now, though, she is facing losing her property. If that happens, a vital resource will be lost, and everyone loses.
Please, if you believe in art, in music, or just believe that someone who has devoted so much of herself for decades to make the world a better place deserves a helping hand, help us in this time of need.
Please give. Please keep us going. Large or small, It all combines.
Please share, that is giving, too. Share far and wide!
If you would like to contribute:
Donate to the Busker’s Bunkhouse Online via GoFundMe
‘Busker’s Bunkhouse House Tax Crisis’
Donate In Person or By Mail:
712 Alvar St.
New Orleans
LA 70117
payable to L P Scott
504-943-9149
Open House 10 am to 10 pm
Not convinced? Here’s an interview with Ms. Pearl, answering some questions about the Bunkhouse. It’s a real tale of doing what you can with what you have!
Nick Broad: How many artists do you house at any one time?
Pearl Heart: The original bunkhouse holds five, and has its own bathroom, and a small area with a microwave and refrigerator. We’ve turned the two front rooms of the house into a small (and more private), efficiency apartment. It has a private bathroom and a kitchen sink. The shower in that one needs repair, and there are a couple of sagging floor joists. There is an upstairs efficiency that has a bathroom and sink, and is fully functional. We’ve put insulation up, but we now need wood for the walls.
We built a 17’X44′ building in the back in response to the squat fire. Four of the kids lived here and I knew all eight of them. The building we built in the back has no lights or water, but it does have a loft. At this time, we use the downstairs part for a band room, and the loft as a safe haven on the coldest nights.
NB: Sounds like a lot of work. What motivates you?
PH: Because Bywater is in the 20% that didn’t flood, the rents have more than tripled. This area has a long history of housing artists, but they are being priced out now, at an alarming rate, and more and more people are sleeping in abandoned buildings.
NB: How many have you housed in total?
PH: In reality, it would be impossible to say how many people we have housed in total. Hundreds. The award-winning documentary Kamp Katrina (iTunes link) depicts how we kept people after the storm. But actually, I was keeping people before the storm, when the documentary Mardi Gras Made in China was filmed. I was making a place for artists then, but the need was not as strong as it is now. Since the storm, the need for housing is rapidly growing larger.
NB: What is life like in the bunkhouse?
PH: Life at Busker’s Bunkhouse varies greatly depending upon who is staying here. It is a mildly dysfunctional family with constantly-changing members, with the exception of a few people, like Charles (who is the subject of the documentary Invisible Girlfriend), myself, and a few others who stay here seasonally. We make it a point to host a lot of foreign visitors. You can see them on my Facebook page Busker’s Bunkhouse Journal.
NB: What would you do with any extra money raised?
PH: Extra funds would be used for repairing the house and finishing the band room, providing musical instruments and instruction, affordable and safe housing for artists and buskers only, costumes, and bicycles.
Bicycles are extremely important in this area. Bywater has more bicycle-riders than anywhere else in America, and bicycles make the commute from the French Quarter to the bunkhouse much safer. We have had some buskers robbed or mugged, but so far, not one of them was riding a bicycle. We have bicycles in the yard now that are in need of repair, and we make that a top priority.
NB: Could you say a little about your advocacy work?
PH: Busker’s Bunkhouse has figured prominently in fighting for and securing buskers’ rights, holding meetings, and hosting the very first buskers’ rights meeting at the Iron Rail. We have also addressed City Hall on three occasions in support of artists and buskers rights. We’ve held several second-line parades in support of local artists and local music venues.
A journal of life in the bunkhouse: fb.com/Orleansbuskersbehindthescenes
Busker’s Bunkhouse, INC. Project World Connect: fb.com/BuskersBunkhouseInc
Free jazz funerals provided by Busker’s Bunkhouse to the community
Busker’s Bunkhouse Playlist. The full story of the Bunkhouse is there.
The Busker’s Bunkhouse became a non-profit, but they haven’t engaged in much fundraising yet, because of the accident and because of concerns about credibility after having seen gross misuse of non-profits in this area. We chose GoFundMe because it is open to the public.
We greatly appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you so much for your questions and concern.