New Orleans Local
Alternative Imprints: Jon Webb, Gypsy Lou, and the Hand-Sewn World of the Loujon Press
Exhibition celebrates Loujon Press, a literary gem
Special event on Sept. 7 to feature presentations on Loujon Press artist Noel Rockmore, author/poet Charles Bukowski
On Tuesday, Aug. 13, The Historic New Orleans Collection will open a new exhibition exploring the work of 1960s counterculture artists Jon and Louise “Gypsy Lou” Webb. The display, “Alternative Imprints: Jon Webb, Gypsy Lou, and the Hand-Sewn World of the Loujon Press,” will be on view in the Williams Research Center, located at 410 Chartres St., through Saturday, Nov. 16. Gallery hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and admission is free.
The exhibition centers on items from the collection of Edwin J. Blair, who befriended the Webbs as a young man in the 1960s and donated his trove of Loujon Press memorabilia to THNOC in 2012. Blair also participated in THNOC’s New Orleans Life Story Project, which compiles the oral histories of notable New Orleans residents.
Like the eccentric couple, Blair was not a native of New Orleans but arrived to the city in the mid-20th-century. He left his Connecticut home for a job in the New Orleans oil business. Jon Webb (1905–1971) and his wife Lou (born 1916) traded Cleveland, Ohio, for New Orleans, lured by the city’s long literary tradition that included the likes of Lafcadio Hearn, Sherwood Anderson and, of course, Tennessee Williams.
“The Webbs were following in the footsteps of a long line of restless and creative people who perhaps found themselves out of place in their own time, but found acceptance and inspiration living in New Orleans,” said THNOC Senior Curator Mark Cave, who co-curated the exhibition with Assistant Library Cataloguer Nina Bozak.
Jon and Gypsy Lou settled in the French Quarter, which at the time was inhabited by many artists and free spirits, who were often considered social misfits. Gypsy Lou sold her original works of art along the streets, while Jon worked as a freelance writer and editor.
They founded the Loujon Press after Jon developed an idea for a literary magazine that would feature other “Bohemian fugitives.” They dubbed the magazine, appropriately enough, The Outsider, and each copy was produced with a hand-operated printing press. Although there were only four issues from 1961 to 1968, the publication garnered significant critical attention and featured written works by Gregory Corso and William Burroughs.
Jon and Gypsy Lou’s subsequent venture into book publishing was fueled in part by Blair, who provided some of the capital needed to publish Charles Bukowski’s first collection of poetry. “It Catches My Heart in Its Hands” celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and the debut of its limited first edition in 1963 drew rave reviews and increased attention to small press. Loujon went on to print Bukowski’s next collection, “Crucifix in a Deathhand” (1965), which featured illustrations by New Orleans–based artist Noel Rockmore, as well as two books by Henry Miller: “Order and Chaos Chez Hans Reichel” (1966) and “Insomnia or the Devil at Large” (1970). As with The Outsider, the Loujon books were beautiful labors of love; each one typeset by Gypsy Lou, printed by Jon, and assembled by them both at home.
The exhibition explores the lives and work of Gyspy Lou and Jon Webb through objects from Blair’s collection as well as paintings by Rockmore (including his widely recognized “Homage to the French Quarter”) and photographs by Johnny Donnels. The display also includes copies of each title in Loujon’s small but celebrated catalogue, while illuminating the Webbs’ relationships with other self-proclaimed outsiders—the people, the places and the environment that inspired the creation of Loujon Press.
“The exhibition offers a glimpse into the vibrant artistic life of the French Quarter in the early ‘60s and introduces visitors not only to the aesthetic of that time but to the fascinating people that created it,” said Cave.
Blair will be joined by art collector and restaurant owner JoAnn Clevenger and Bukowski scholar Neeli Cherkovski for a special program on Saturday, Sept. 7. Details are available below, online at www.hnoc.org, and at (504) 523-4662. Admission is free, and reservations are encouraged as seating is limited.
Related Programming
Presentation featuring Edwin J. Blair, JoAnn Clevenger and Neeli Cherkovski
Saturday, Sept. 7
2–4 p.m.
The Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St.
Admission is free; seating is limited. Reservations at wrc@hnoc.org or (504) 523-4662.
In celebration of the exhibition “Alternative Imprints,” THNOC will present an afternoon program featuring Edwin J. Blair, who donated many of the materials in the exhibition to THNOC; JoAnn Clevenger, owner of Upperline Restaurant and avid art collector; and Neeli Cherkovski, a poet and Charles Bukowski scholar. Blair will discuss his relationships with Jon and Gypsy Lou Webb. Clevenger’s talk will center on Noel Rockmore’s masterpiece “Homage to the French Quarter” and will include her personal reflections of the artist and the individuals depicted in the massive work, and Cherkovski will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bukowski’s “It Catches My Heart in Its Hands” with a reading. Admission is free, and reservations are encouraged as seating is limited.
Founded in 1966, The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center and publisher dedicated to the study and preservation of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South region. For more information about The Historic New Orleans Collection, please visit www.hnoc.org or call (504) 523-4662.
The Historic New Orleans Collection—Preserving our Past for a Brighter Future
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