"Haiti in the Collective Imagination" Exhibition
The Gallatin Gallery
This event has ended.
Many conversations about Haiti are often informed by two ideas: that it is 'the poorest nation in the western hemisphere' and 'the first liberated post-colonial country of the African Diaspora.' The implications of each of these statements underscores the historical, cultural, and political complexity represented by the many possible answers to the question, "What is Haiti?" Haiti in the Collective Imagination makes no attempt to answer this question fully but instead suggests some possible responses. Images as disparate as those of Vodou or the paramilitary Tonton Macoutes (Creole for Boogey Man or "Uncle Gunneysack") reveal a confluence and clash of the history that gave birth to modern Haiti: the influence of the African tradition, the colonialist European legacy, and the specific nature of the Caribbean experience. This makes clear how much deeper Haiti is than the earthquake of 2010, which killed over a quarter of a million people and left over one million homeless. At the same time, the immensity of the catastrophe, the frailty of the infrastructure and the many failures in response, both nationally and internationally, have made clear both the challenges for, and understanding of, Haiti.
Media
Schedule
from February 14, 2011 to March 03, 2011
Opening Reception on 2011-02-14 from 18:00 to 20:00
Artist(s)
Isaiah King, Hannah Daly, Engels, Makayah Lewis, Kishan Munroe, Johnny Sandaire