New Orleans artist Claire Foster-Burnett puts everything into her work – heart and soul, paint and clothespins and even human hair. An exhibit of her works of art, which depict the lives of black people in Africa and America, goes on display from 1 to 4 p.m. today at the Mostly African Market at 180 Saint Catherine St.

Foster-Burnett will be on hand today to explain the significance of each piece in the exhibit, which will run until Dec. 12.

&uot;She has talent and a fertile imagination,&uot;&160;said Thelma Williams, director of Project Southern Cross, which is based in the Angelety House, where the market is housed.

For example, &uot;Amistad&uot; (a Spanish word meaning &uot;friendship&uot;) is a collage that honors the relationship between African captives and the white Harvard students who taught them English.

There is &uot;Imhotep,&uot;&160;a African man who was a poet, architect, astronomer, scientist, herbalist and prime minister and is mentioned in the Hippocratic Oath.

&uot;The Essence of New Orleans&uot; shows the tall, gray buildings of the business district overlooking a row of multi-colored houses. &uot;Those are what make New Orleans different from other cities,&uot;&160;Williams said.

Other works show laundresses, ice delivery men, merchants and others making a living in the city.

Another depicts Mandeville Detiege, a black man who sued New Orleans to open the city park to people of all races.

&uot;It is what each one of the pieces teaches that is the most important thing,&uot; Williams said.