NEW ORLEANS — The Nous Foundation and the Historic BK House & Gardens have announced that their exhibit of Haitian and Louisiana art titled “Haiti-Louisiana: Tides of Freedom” will be displayed May 17-24 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City in honor of Haitian Heritage Month.
Curated by Haitian-born curator Max Jean-Louis, with the support of co-curators Scott Tilton, Rudy Bazenet, and Annie Irvin, the exhibit opened earlier this year at the Historic BK House & Gardens in New Orleans. The exhibition features over 40 original commissions from eight Haitian and Louisiana artists honoring Haiti’s legacy of independence and its deep influence on Louisiana, including the 1811 German Coast Uprising, the largest rebellion of enslaved people in the United States of America. The collection brings together works across artistic media, including paintings, photography, and beaded flags (called drapo).
The exhibition’s opening at the United Nations will be inaugurated by a reception on May 17 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York co-hosted by the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie and the Embassy of Haiti to the United States.
“This exhibit was groundbreaking in Louisiana, bringing together over one thousand people in just over two months,” said Scott Tilton, executive director of the Nous Foundation. “It’s truly amazing to see an exhibit originating in Louisiana being shown in halls of the United Nations before 193 countries. In a time when barriers keep being built, this exhibit speaks to how the world takes notice when we collaborate across cultures and build bridges between places like Louisiana and Haiti, which have a deep, if often overlooked, connection. The values of human rights and freedom embodied in the Haitian Revolution continue to speak across the centuries, and we’re proud this exhibit resonates so strongly.”
Exhibit sponsors include the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, the State of Louisiana’s Office of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, and Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques. Jane Hill, Delaney George, and Katya Vaz served as assistant curators.
