By M. Stephanie Chancy, Caribbean Partnerships Librarian dLOC
Produced by artists of different social and economic backgrounds, the visual culture of Haiti powerfully conveys the Republic’s long, remarkable and complex story. Paintings, textiles, and sculptures of stone, wood, and beaten metal serve as a beautiful and accessible entry-point into the study of Haiti. Outside the borders of the Republic, art brings Haiti’s religious practices, daily life, and history to the world. At the same time, and perhaps most importantly, art helps expand the narratives that exist about Haiti beyond what the news typically covers.
Books on Haitian art abound. Selden Rodman’s Where Art is Joy Haitian Art: The First Forty Years (1988), available in the Architecture and Fine Arts Library, has become recognized as a seminal text. Rodman’s work and so many others which followed reflect the respective authors’ love and admiration for the art and artists in Haiti. These publications, including the books featured in LACC’s Reading Room, and others within the collection, emphasize the breadth of Haitian art. The display includes monographs highlighting the works of Hector Hyppolite, one of the early greats of Haitian art, and Edouard Duval Carrié, arguably the best-known contemporary Haitian artist working today. Others introduce less well-known contemporary Haitian artists. Many of the latter work outside Haiti but remain focused on illustrating the landscape and history of their homeland. Exhibition catalogs, like Haïti: deux siècle de creation artistique and Transformative Visions, are some of the best sources for scholarly essays about Haitian art. Though it is always best to see art “live and in person” your next best option is a good, professional photograph as seen in exhibition catalogs. Made in Ayiti highlights Haitian ingenuity in repurposing discarded objects to make art, while Haitian art trivia, uses art to teach Haitian Kreyòl. I encourage you to explore the titles highlighted and to look for others. If given the opportunity, visit a museum. Several in the U.S. have Haitian art in their permanent collections. You can find a list on The Haitian Art Society website.
Happy Haitian History Month!
Selected books in LACC:
- Haitian art trivia : English, Creole Apollon, Marlène Rigaud; 2001. LAC (N6606.2 .A67 2001)
- Haïti : deux siècles de création artistique : Paris, Grand Palais, Galeries nationales, 19 novembre 2014 – 15 février 2015 Cuzin, Régine, editor; Pérodin Jérôme, Mireille, editor; Galeries nationales du Grand Palais (France); 2014. LAC (N6606 .H325 2014)
- Decolonizing refinement : contemporary pursuits in the art of Edouard Duval-Carrié Duval-Carrié, Edouard, artist; Niell, Paul B., curator; Carrasco, Michael, curator; Wolff, Lesley A., curator; Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts; 2018. LAC (N6608.D88 A4 2018)
- Mystical imagination : the art of Haitian master, Hector Hyppolite Hyppolite, Hector, artist; 2012. LAC (N6608.H97 A4 2012)
- Here … there and beyond : the work of 16 Haitian artists of Florida Kristo; Thomas, Fred; Reme Art Enterprises; 2009. LAC (N6606.2 .H46 2009)
- Transformative visions : works by Haitian artists from the permanent collection Ramsey, Kate.; Marcelin, Louis Herns.; Lowe Art Museum; 2015. LAC (N6606 T73 2015)
- Made in Ayiti Stephenson, Roberto, photographer; Fondation connaissance et liberté (Port-au-Prince, Haiti); 2018. LAC (N6606 .M33 2018)
- Haitian art in the diaspora : a directory of Haitian artists living abroad Viard, Emile; Mercier, Regine; Vie et Art Collections; 2003. LAC Reference (N6606.2 .H35 2003)