The inaugural Prospect.1 New Orleans, running through January 18, arrived in the Big Easy as a shining counterexample to the biennial circuit's familiar circus-like precipitancy. While Prospect.1 is no less ambitious than its peers — it bills as "the largest biennial of international contemporary art ever organized in the United States" — the city-wide exhibition surprised would-be detractors like Roberta Smith of the New York Times, garnered positive reviews in the local press, and lifted the spirits of residents and volunteers alike, still struggling to repair the damages done by Hurricane Katrina. While some works courted controversy, the highly publicized event was largely viewed as a success for New York transplant and veteran curator Dan Cameron.