En Voyage – Hybridity and Vodou in Haitian Art

En Voyage: Hybridity and Vodou in Haitian Art was a unique endeavor amongst Grinnell College students. As part of the Exhibition Seminar in Grinnell’s Department of Art History, the advanced level seminar permitted students the opportunity to produce a full-scale exhibition. Completed within the time frame of one semester, the nine student curators worked with museum and college staff in the production of every component of an exhibition, including programming and education, exhibition design and the creation of a publication. The idea for the exhibition’s focus on Haitian art came from Prof. Rivera’s previous engagements with artist Edouard Duval-Carrié, who lent works to the exhibition. In proposing the exhibition seminar, Rivera worked directly with the Waterloo Center for the Arts (WCA), which opened their collection to the student curators. The students themselves chose the works from WCA for the checklist, and established the thematic focus of the exhibition. The seminar employed a critical and creative practice that became a catalyst for the HADC project. It was during an exhibition planning trip to Waterloo with the student curators that the idea of HADC was fomented. The exhibition En Voyage shows the power of collaboration to rethink the reframing of Haitian art, and imagine new horizons. We are excited to present you with part of the catalog from the exhibition.