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Title
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Behind the Trees
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Description
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The center image of this block provides the viewer with a window into the world of Haiti before the revolution. Framed by lucious trees, this view shows the rolling hills and lush landscape of the island, including an expansive plantation near the bottom of the frame. In the foreground stands a muscular plantation worker, squinting up at the viewer from beneath his straw hat. This image is one of many prints and paintings that were circulated in Europe in the 18th century depicting the colonization of the island of Hispaniola, one of many Caribbean islands whose people were enslaved by French and British colonizers for the mass production of sugarcane and molasses. As we peer into this scene, we are put into the shoes of the Europeans who confronted slavery and racism from thousands of miles away. Some endorsed this violent exploitation and commended the officers deemed brave enough to consort with savages, while others silently disapproved, and even fewer spoke out in opposition. Today, as we confront issues of privilege and race in different and more nuanced ways, we must stop and think: are we content to quietly oppose, or is it our duty to speak out against racism and violence? As artists, activists, and students we must push aside the lush leaves and trees and see racism and oppression for what it really is.
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Date Created
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2017
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PID
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grinnell:25504
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Title
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Currency
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Description
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The story of Haiti since 1492, in broad strokes, is the story of export-oriented exploitation and the politics that come with that commerce. The extinction of native peoples due to hard labor, and the clearing of the land to produce sugar and other export crops, is marked by the totem in the lower-left corner of this block. Coins also contribute historical significance to this block, serving as markers for the economic interests of various global powers in this small nation and the interaction of Haiti’s history with neighbors in the New World. In some cases, these former colonies started their revolutions with support from Haiti. Currency also captures historical events, people, and cultural relations between nations. Jean-Pierre Boyer, Charlemagne Peralte, and monarchs of France are displayed. Some coins have specific years or are from periods of historical significance to the development of Haiti.
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Date Created
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2017
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PID
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grinnell:25507
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Title
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Growing Up
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Description
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In this block, the artists have chosen to call attention to the experiences of children during the Haitian Revolution. Two of of Toussaint L'Ouverture’s sons, named Isaac and Saint-Jean, are featured prominently in this piece. Growing up with a famous and powerful father, these children enjoyed many more luxuries than most Haitian children, for the two boys were fortunate enough to be sent to France in 1797 to receive education in foreign languages and the arts. However, even relocation to Europe did not save the boys from meeting the same ill fate which met the other nine of L’Ouverture’s children, many of whom died before their father. Above the portraits of the L’Ouverture sons, the artists have included a depiction of children harvesting sugar cane in a pre-revolution Haiti. These children were exploited under the relentless control of plantation owners, seen here in suit jackets and straw hats, who robbed children of their childhood, education, families, and often their lives.
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Date Created
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2017
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PID
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grinnell:25510
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Title
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Portrait
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Description
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This piece aims to honor the service of black and Haitian military men. When considering the Haitian Revolution we often tell the stories of men such as Toussaint L'Ouverture, one of too few symbols of black military power. This block places a black military leader at the center of attention, and also aims to connect his story with slavery in Haiti, America, and beyond. In this block, the image of the Haitian militia man appears beside an illustration of a cotton plant. Although slavery in Haiti was fueled by sugarcane, not cotton, an image of a cotton plant is placed here to remind the viewer that slavery is and shall remain a hallmark of American history, and issues of injustice in the military still occur today. When we consider the history of the transatlantic slave trade, we do not often think of its impact on how black people are treated in the military. Erased from history and celebration, black bodies were catalogued as equipment much like weapons and protective wear. While great progress has been made since the abolition of slavery and the integration of the military, we still have a long way to go in our quest for equal treatment of people of color as well as gay and transgender people in the military.
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Date Created
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2017
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PID
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grinnell:25490
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Title
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The Fire
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Description
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On August 16th 1791, in the eleventh month of the Haitian Revolution, slaves from the Limbé district set fire to a wealthy French estate. During their subsequent interrogation they revealed the names of rebellion leaders, further advancing the story of the revolution. As the story of the rebellion spread over the island, slaves vowed to burn as many plantations as possible. Fiery acts such as these became more common as the revolution gathered steam, harming humans and animals alike and leaving the once beautiful Haitian landscape black and smoldering. In this block, the artist has used fake flower petals, red marbles, and enlarged images of orange microscopic organisms to create the sensation of heat and flames while also incorporating allusions to nature. The block revolves around an image depicting a burning plantation and a rioting mass of people running with arms raised, a scene from the 1791 revolt. On the left, a figure wearing a crown hangs from a tree, perhaps symbolizing the persecution of the Haitian people at the hands of French colonists.
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Date Created
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2017
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PID
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grinnell:25506
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Title
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The Man, The Machine
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Description
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This block depicts the transformation of the cotton and slave industries after the invention of the cotton gin. It aims to capture small sober reminders that enslaved peoples were commodities in the eyes of the United States, their only intended purpose to advance capital and power within the nation. When considering how to visualize freedom we must also consider how to re-imagine profit. Representing the intersection between bodies and profit, this block asks observers a simple question: Is the slave nothing more than an outdated cotton gin?
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Date Created
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2017
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PID
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grinnell:25491
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Title
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Veneer
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Description
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At the center of this block is a photograph of Haitian slaves harvesting sugar cane before the revolution. Look closely at the image and focus on the people’s faces. How is this photograph different from other images of plantation slavery? Look closer and you may realize that the photograph is placed on top of another image, covering everything but the outer edges. The pictures we see and the stories we tell may not reveal the entire truth, and some narratives of the past mask another’s reality. Perhaps history should not be viewed as a timeline, with one image placed next to another, but should look more like an overused scrapbook; you must peel one image away to reveal another.
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Date Created
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2017
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PID
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grinnell:25497