Current Exhibition
Light Within Ourselves
Haitian Art in Iowa
Myrlande Constant (Haitian, born 1968), “Dambalah Wedo Et Ayda Voir Preeace” (detail), 2000-2010
Thousands of miles from the island of Haiti, Iowa has become a beacon for the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.
Organized in partnership with the Waterloo Center for the Arts (WCA), “Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa” showcases a selection of the rich holdings of Haitian Art in the WCA’s collection—the largest public collection of Haitian Art in both Iowa and the United States. Founded in 1977 with a donation of work acquired by Dr. and Mrs. F. Harold Reuling during their travels in Haiti, the collection has since grown to include more than 2,000 pieces.
This exhibition explores the vibrant diversity of Haitian artwork, featuring paintings, metalwork, sculpture, and drapos (beaded and sequined banners). Rooted in historical themes, it considers the influence of the African diaspora and the enduring impact of colonialism on the Haitian people. The exhibition maps spheres of influence between artists of different generations and explores imagery in which spiritual traditions intersect with everyday life. Thousands of miles from the island of Haiti, Iowa has become a beacon for the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.
“Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa” is co-curated by Beth Gollnick, associate curator at the Des Moines Art Center, and Chawne Paige, executive director of the Waterloo Center for the Arts.
Please click here to learn more about these artworks through the research of students in Grinnell College’s Haitian Art & Digital Culture course.
Support for this exhibition is provided by:
Haitian Family Portraits: Home in Iowa
Discover the stories of Haitian families who have built their lives in the heartland through this series of portraits and the sitters’ own words.
In concert with “Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa,” the Des Moines Art Center collaborated with local photographer Brittany Brooke Crow and Dr. Inbal Mazar, Associate Professor of World Languages and Cultures at Drake University and volunteer with Des Moines Refugee Support, to illuminate the experiences of ten families who have recently immigrated from Haiti to the Greater Des Moines area. Together the pictures and words capture journeys that were both psychological and physical in nature and honor these families’ place in the Midwest’s cultural fabric. They also bring life to the related exhibition, demonstrating the relevance of the art on view to our local and regional community.
The interviews and portrait sittings took place in the participants’ homes. They bear witness to joy and resilience, but they also reflect the realities of separation and the longing for reunion. Absent from the photographs, for instance, but mentioned in many of the quotations are family members who were unable to join either because they still reside abroad or due to busy work schedules outside the home.
When asked what they love most about Iowa, everyone interviewed by Dr. Inbal Mazar answered without exception “the people.” Mirroring their sentiment about their adopted community, the families we met welcomed us with warmth and generosity, sharing their homes and stories with openness and grace. Their strength, kindness, and perseverance shine through, enriching the Greater Des Moines area, which they now call home.
Myrlande Constant (Haitian, born 1968)
Dambalah Wedo Et Ayda Voir Preeace, 2000-2010
Sequined flag
On loan from the Waterloo Center for the Arts Haitian Collection, 2015.0109, Gift of Ted Frankel and Bill Gilmore
