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Michelle Levine's Signs of the Times series of 40 realistic oil paintings of storm-ravaged McDonald's Golden Arches in various stages of disrepair resonates on several different levels. Initially painted in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a way of creatively coping with the chaos, Levine's works, such as Severn at West Esplanade (pictured), have assumed additional layers of meaning. These days, blighted and abandoned properties reflect not just post-K New Orleans but also the state of the nation in the wake of the housing and financial collapse — proof killer storms can be economic as well as meteorological. — D. Eric Bookhardt
SIGNS OF THE TIMES: Forty Paintings by Michelle Levine
Through Feb. 18
AMMO, 938 Royal St., 220-9077; www.ammoarts.com
