During the spring semester of 2022, undergraduate and graduate Art History and Arts Management students in Dr. Michele Greet’s “Curating an Exhibition” seminar partnered with Gillespie Gallery to organize the exhibition La vie quotidienne: Haitian Paintings from the David A. Kravitz Collection, 1970-2000, at George Mason University’s Gillespie Gallery, Art & Design Building, from April 8-30, 2022. Working in a real gallery setting with the unique artworks in the University Art Collection was an unprecedented opportunity for both the students and the faculty. Students participated in every aspect of the curating process, including choosing the exhibition theme, writing the exhibition proposal, creating a checklist and selecting objects, designing the exhibition layout, conducting archival research, writing wall text, designing and writing a short exhibition catalogue, creating marketing materials, planning educational programs, installing and de-installing the show, and giving gallery tours.
The exhibition presented 29 painting and 2 sculptures by 23 artists from Haiti, donated or on loan to George Mason University by retired Professor David A. Kravitz. Made by a range of internationally renowned, nationally respected, and virtually unknown artists from Haiti, the paintings in the exhibition showcase a small sampling of modern Haitian art. Painted in vibrant colors, the works present an idyllic vision of Haiti, emphasizing lush tropical landscapes, picturesque maritime imagery, quaint scenes of everyday peasant life, and themes from Haitian Vodou rituals. Created primarily for the tourist market, the works belie any hint of political turmoil, poverty, or religious conflict that marked Haiti’s history and instead present timeless vistas of Caribbean life. To complicate this narrative, students researched Haitian history and religion, the history of art making and scholarship in Haiti, and the impact of the tourist market on artistic production in the region.
