Crealdé School of Art kicks off its new season with a comprehensive exhibi-

tion that explores Haitian heritage and culture. Co-curated by University of Florida Museum Studies graduate student Natalia Marques da Silva and Henry Sinn, director of Painting & Drawing and gallery director at Crealdé, Keeping Haiti In Our Hearts: Interpreting Heritage In the Diaspora will run from September 14 to December 29.

Housed at both Crealdé’s main campus and the Hannibal Square Heritage Center, the 62-piece exhibition will include tradi-tional artworks, such as sequin flags, sculptures and folk paintings, from the University of Central Florida’s Bryant West Indies Collection and the collection of Butler H. Smith, Jr. and Betty Ford-Smith. It will also showcase work by world-renowned contemporary artists— including Edouard Duval Carrié, Frantz Charlemagne, Jude Papaloko Thegenius and Jerome Soimaud—as well as tradi-tional paintings by Louverture Poisson, Jerome Polycarpe and Nesly-Exumé.

As an additional component, photog-raphy by Haitian and Haitian-American teens who live in Orlando’s historic Parramore neighborhood will be on dis-play. These works were created through Crealdé’s Storytellers XV, an outreach pro-gram hosted in partnership with the New Image Youth Center and funded by the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation. The goal of the program is to use documentary photography to teach students to explore and express their cultural heritage.

To both Sinn and da Silva, one of the most exciting aspects of the show, which has been more than two years in the mak-ing, is the family focus groups. Ten local, multigenerational families will engage in dialogues about what it means to be Haitian, including everything from elders’ memories of the nation to how living in the U.S. changes their identities. Dis-cussions will address intergenerational gaps in the cultural experience which have occurred between Haitians and Haitian-Americans, and will include the universal themes of hope, love, despair, fear, myth,

continuity and change as they focus on Haitian culture. Quotes from the families will be incorporated into the exhibition in both Haitian Creole and English.

The week before the opening, a Haitian “Tap Tap” bus will be driven from Miami to Winter Park to become part of the exhi-bition. A local Haitian artist will outline a design on the bus, which will be painted by members of the community.

On September 14, opening receptions for Keeping Haiti In Our Hearts will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Crealdé; and from 8:30 to 10 p.m. at the Heritage Center, where there will be a Haitian musical performance. Special program-ming, including interactive forums and panel discussions, were being planned at press time.

The exhibition is funded through a tourist development grant from Orange County and presented with support from the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance, Epple Seed Arts, Lobey Art & Travel, the Haitian Consulate of Orlando and the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce.

Art & IdentItyA duAl-venue exhibition explores hAitiAn culture through trAditionAl And contemporAry works.

Premonition, 2009, Frantz Charlemagne, acrylic on canvas, 40" x 30"

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The Triumph of the Baron, 2010, Myrlande Consant, sequins and beads on cloth, 65" x 97"

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Keeping Haiti In our Hearts: Interpreting Heritage in the DiasporaSeptember 14 to December 29

Crealdé School of Art • 407.671.1886 • crealde.orgHannibal Square Heritage Center

407.539.2680 • hannibalsquareheritagecenter.org

Agowe Rising, 2011, Edouard Duval Carrié, tinted resin, 36" x 36"

Zoe & Zo, 2010, Jerome Soimaud, diptych, 77" x 55.5"

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Banner 7, 2011, Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph, sequins, beads on cloth, 11" x 48.5"

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