New Orleans Artists Prepare for Mardi Gras
December 21, 2011
New Orleans explodes into a carnival every year for Mardi Gras. And on that final day before the beginning of Lent, giant colorful floats parade down the city's streets. Groups known as "krewes" are responsible for planning and paying for the floats, but the hard work of building them is left to artists. Ninety percent of the floats are created in Mardi Gras World in New Orleans
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The Mardi Gras festival in New Orleans may only last days, but it takes a whole year to prepare.
Artists are hard at work getting ready for next year's parade on February 21. Mardis Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" and marks the last day of feasting before Lent, the 40-day period before Christians celebrate Easter.
Sean Lanny is making flowers at Mardi Gras World that will adorn some of the floats.
"We started in September making the flowers," said Lanny. "But the whole process starts earlier. It starts with the idea-making process then they have to draw pictures and it continues on. The art director and the artist get together and decide what is going to be the theme for the year and what each float is going to look like."
Mardi Gras World artists shape the props from Styrofoam or fiberglass. Then they're covered in papier-mache and painted. Many are recognizable: historical people or characters from films and popular culture. Some are more than five meters tall.
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