FWD: Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou opens at Detroit Museum

[Racine125]

DETROIT, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting October 11, 1997
through December 28, 1997, the Museum of African American
History will host, "Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou," the first comprehensive
exhibition ever to explore the arts produced within this religion.
Developed by the Fowler Museum of UCLA, the touring exhibit
highlights Vodou ritual art in lively context, illuminating a legacy
of consummate imagination and creativity. This traveling exhibit is
sponsored by IBM Corporation.

"IBM is honored to sponsor this spectacular exhibition that tells
the story of a nation's history while giving all of us a broader view
of Haiti's cultural heritage," said Gregg A. DeMar, general manager,
Great Lakes Area, IBM Corporation. "Through the study of diverse
cultures we often learn more about ourselves, our beliefs and values,
as well as gain insight into those whose heritage is represented in
an exhibition such as Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou."

Sacred Arts features a wide spectrum of art objects -- some 500 --
including sequined flags, sacred bottles, pots, painted calabashes,
beaded rattles, bound medicine packets, dolls, cosmographs,
musical instruments, multi-media assemblages and contemporary
paintings. For clarity, objects are first presented thematically, then
dramatically re-assembled in the context of a recreated Vodou
temple or "ounfo," complete with three altars expressing the major
rites of the religion. The altars themselves are to be carefully
recreated by Haitian ritual experts, based on working altars in
Port-au-Prince.

"This exhibition is a look at the secular arts of a little understood form
of African based religion. Popular culture through movies and television
has distorted our understanding of the Vodou religion. It contains some
of the most exquisitely beautiful objects ever seen -- all made in the
service of a religion whose roots can be traced to ancient belief systems
in West Africa. Visitors are encouraged to learn more about the diversity
of spiritual expression born out of our African ancestry and learn about
the impact European, Taino and African cultures play on the formation
of new world religious traditions through the splendor of this magnificent
art," said Kimberly Camp, president of the MAAH. The introductory section
unfolds Haitian history as passionately interpreted by some of Haiti's
most brilliant painters, whose works are nourished by a common
cultural aesthetic. One section of the exhibition explores the creations
of four artists working in different media -- iron, paint, sequins and
assemblage -- who are directly inspired by the culture of Vodou.
Sacred music as well as the liberal use of slides, video and photo
blow-ups enhance and further contextualize the presentation. The
predominant religion of the Haitian people, Vodou was created out
of several closely-related traditions transported across the Atlantic by
enslaved Africans who transformed their beliefs and rituals according
to the conditions they had to face in the New World. These African
traditions encountered European traditions -- the art and ritual practices
of Roman Catholicism and various hermetic and spiritist traditions -- to
emerge in an original form, Vodou. The word "Vodou," meaning "sacred,"
was borrowed into Haitian Creole from the Fon language of West Africa.
Parallel African-derived religions now flourish in the Caribbean, South
America and major cities of the United States and Canada.

"This exhibit provides a rare opportunity for people in the Detroit area
to experience and understand the rich artistic, philosophical and cultural
traditions of the African Diaspora in Haiti," said Julio Bateau of Espoir,
Haitian American Organization. "Haiti's cultural heritage is particularly
important since Haiti is the only nation in which slaves successfully
gained their independence through revolution and a nation which, primarily
because of this revolution, has retained a large share of its West African
social, cultural and philosophical heritage. The Board of Directors and
membership of Espoir, Haitian American Organization, are pleased and
honored to assist the Museum of African American History in programming
educational and cultural events in association with the Sacred Arts of
Haitian Vodou."

The exhibition draws on objects from the UCLA Fowler Museum's large
collection, as well as those borrowed from Haitian, American and
European museums and distinguished private collections.

The project was undertaken in collaboration with the national museums
and the Centre d'Art in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and UCLA's African Studies
Center and Center for African-American Studies. The wide, interdisciplinary
scope of the project has required contributions from specialists in art
history, folklore, history, anthropology and sociology as well as priests and
priestesses, who offered their personal, intimate views of Vodou. Plans
for the design and presentation of the exhibition were further developed
through meetings with scholars, artists and Vodou practitioners in
Port-au-Prince Haiti, in 1993, and at the Fowler Museum in 1994. A 450-
page book, "Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou," is published in conjunction
with the exhibition and will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.
This 16-chapter anthology is comprised of ground-breaking essays by
Haitian and American scholars, interviews with artists and Vodou
practitioners and lavishly illustrated with 500 photographs. The publication
is edited by Donald J. Cosentino, who is also the major writer. The
exhibition and accompanying publication were generously supported by
funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the
Rockefeller Foundation. Also to complement the exhibit, our Museum
Store has stocked the shelves with sequined flags, cedar boxes, Haitian
drum art candleholders, colorful magnets, rag dolls, cards, journals and
books at affordable prices ranging front as low as $2 to $500.

The MAAH has planned public programming to complement the
exhibition, including a lecture series, gallery talks, workshops and
a variety of performances to be announced at a later date.

Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou will be on view at the Museum of African
American History Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The exhibit is rated PG-13. Some of the images in Sacred Arts of Haitian
Vodou may not be suitable for children (age 13 and under) or individuals
sensitive to graphic images. Adult supervision is suggested. The museum
is located at 315 E. Warren Avenue at the corner of Brush Street in Detroit's
Cultural Center. Museum admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children
12 and under. For general Museum information, call 313-494-5800.
Mambo Racine Sans But

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