Episcopal Press and News

Search the Episcopal Press and News

Year

All 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962

Enter search query

Haitian Art on American Tour

Diocesan Press Service. January 6, 1967 [50-2]

An outstanding exhibit of Haitian paintings and sculpture, loaned for two years by the College St. Pierre of the Episcopal Church of Haiti and the Rt. Rev. Alfred Voegeli, is touring the United States under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution Travelling Exhibition Service.

It is no mere accident that the 40 paintings and three pieces of sculpture in the exhibit are from two collections in Episcopal hands, for Haitian art and the Church have been intertwined since the 1940's when Haitian art began.

It was then that DeWitt Peters, American watercolorist and wartime English instructor in Haiti, opened the Center d'Art in Port au Prince. Until that time painting was limited almost exclusively to the decoration of buildings, doors, walls and even cars.

Realizing the possibilities, Mr. Peters instructed, encouraged and distributed materials to fledgling artists and provided them with a place to show their works. He continued this work until his death in 1966.

The Episcopal Bishop of Haiti, Alfred Voegeli, felt that the Church should encourage these artists and, through Mr. Peters and the Center d'Art, commissioned several Haitians to decorate the walls of Holy Trinity Cathedral with murals of Biblical scenes, and privately purchased notable examples of this art. The joint effort of Mr. Peters and Bishop Voegeli enabled many Haitian artists to devote more time to their painting and to the improvement of their skills.

Through Bishop Voegeli's support, two of the four collections of Haitian primitives now in Haiti are in Episcopal hands. It is selections from these collections that are being exhibited.

A group of Americans and Haitians is attempting to raise funds to house all four collections, all to be the property of the Episcopal Church. This effort is being undertaken in the belief that Haitian art should remain in the country of its origin, rather than be scattered throughout the world, and that the Church has an obligation to aid this effort of the Haitian people, for beauty, like truth, is an instrument through which man is redeemed.

Contributions for the museum, which are tax-deductible, should be made through the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10017. Checks should be made payable to Lindley M. Franklin, Treasurer, and marked for the Building Fund of the Haitian Museum.

NOTE TO EDITORS - A schedule of the exhibit is enclosed so that you may inform your readers when the exhibit will be in your area.

NAIVE ART FROM HAITI

AVAILABLE DATES

1967

January 7 - February 5, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, Florida

February 18 - March 19, B. Carroll Reese Museum, East Tennessee State College, Johnson City, Tennessee

April 1 - 30, Corpus Christi Art Foundation, Inc., 902 Park Avenue, Corpus Christi, Texas

May 13 - June 11, Illinois Institute of Technology, Technology Center, Chicago, Illinois 60616

June 24 - July 23, The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning Glass Center, Corning, New York 14832

August 5 - September 3, Roberson Memorial Center, 30 Front Street, Binghamton, New York 13905

1968

January 20 - February 18, Paterson State College, 300 Pompton Road, Wayne, New Jersey

May 25 - June 23, Charles & Emma Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry at Cherry, Seattle, Washington