Author Archives: Martin Pedersen

Contributing writer Martin Pedersen is the acting executive director of The Lens. He is also executive director of Common Edge Collaborative, a nonprofit organization and online publication dedicated to reconnecting architecture and design with the public that its meant to serve. He previously was longtime executive editor of Metropolis Magazine, an award-winning monthly publication on architecture and design.

Does COVID-19 pose a greater threat to New Orleans culture than Hurricane Katrina?

by Martin Pedersen

“Like the rest of the country, New Orleans is suspended in a state of anxious anticipation. This tourism-dependent city is tiptoeing into reopening, with neither a vaccine nor widespread testing. It’s a dilemma facing every municipality, but in a city whose identity, culture and economy are fueled by human interactions, the issue seems particularly fraught here.” Martin Pedersen interviews author and former Lens editor Jed Horne about the tough times ahead.