Moving Acadiana Forward: Artists create video in tribute to those lost to COVID-19

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Thousands of people in Acadiana have felt heart ache from the pandemic that hit almost a year ago. Many families' lives changed forever when they lost loved ones. Over 1,300 of our neighbors in Acadiana died because of this virus. A group of local artists have created a tribute video to help remember those we lost and help move Acadiana forward. 

“COVID has been something that has been in our presence for almost a year now. When that memorial went up it was right around the death of a friend of mine, who died of Covid. Somehow seeing the collective flags and the idea of all of these people in our most immediate community that were no longer with us, it hit home in a more human way,” says Clare Cook with Basin Arts. She along with Drake LeBlanc with Above the Beyond worked together to created a video shot at the Lafayette Covid 19 memorial. 

“Sometimes in the craziness of life we forget that every one of those flags was a person and it felt really important to me as an artist and for our community it would be a really special way to humanize that experience,” says Cook. 

We’ve lost hundreds of our friends and family members, our health care workers have become our hero’s, some people are still searching for a job, and our community and the world is working to cope. 

“Hopefully, the video will do what it needs to do for as many people as possible, whether that’s some type of healing, even some type of understanding that you weren’t going through this alone. Even with the lack of physical communication, we want to be with family and friends in person, we are all on the same page. No matter what everyone wants it to be better at the end of the day,” says LeBlanc. 

“I hope that this small project that we did inspires other people to continue to be present, to care for one another, Covid or not Covid. I want people to keep looking for opportunities to create. I think creation and creativity is the thing that will continue to bring us together and move us forward,” says Cook.  To see the entire tribute video head to Basin Arts Facebook page here.