Field trips are always a good idea, especially when it’s for my Haiti senior studio class.  Today we visited the King- Tisdell Cottage Foundation’s Beach Institute African American Cultural Center gallery to see Lavar Munroe’s YES WE CAN exhibit.  It is an absolutely incredible body of work, and beautifully captures the mix of history, religion, culture, struggle and strength of Haiti.  If you are in Savannah, go see it!  The gallery is on the north-east corner of Price and Harris. It’s free, and the exhibit will be there until June 12th. Lavar, a SCAD alum, grew up in the Bahamas where there are a lot of Haitian migrants.  In his artist’s statement he says his goal was to tell the Haitians story… after 6 weeks of research on Haiti I can say that his story-telling skills are off the charts.   The piece shown here is his Death Mask, which was one of my favorites. If you need more motivation to go see his work, there is also a permanent collection of work there by Ulysses Davis.  Ulysses was a barber and in Savannah, who “cut hair and whittled”.  His wood work is amazing.  It’s so detailed, and raw. The collection also features some of the tools he used.  My favorites were his crucifixes, which are all individually stylized and have a surprising use of typography.  His home, which also has his old barber shop in it, is still empty… I’m calling on SCAD and SCAD students to preserve it.  Do it! It’s the white and red house on the corner of Bull and 45th.

Field trips are always a good idea, especially when it’s for my Haiti senior studio class.  Today we visited the King- Tisdell Cottage Foundation’s Beach Institute African American Cultural Center gallery to see Lavar Munroe’s YES WE CAN exhibit. 

It is an absolutely incredible body of work, and beautifully captures the mix of history, religion, culture, struggle and strength of Haiti.  If you are in Savannah, go see it!  The gallery is on the north-east corner of Price and Harris. It’s free, and the exhibit will be there until June 12th.

Lavar, a SCAD alum, grew up in the Bahamas where there are a lot of Haitian migrants.  In his artist’s statement he says his goal was to tell the Haitians story… after 6 weeks of research on Haiti I can say that his story-telling skills are off the charts.   The piece shown here is his Death Mask, which was one of my favorites.

If you need more motivation to go see his work, there is also a permanent collection of work there by Ulysses Davis.  Ulysses was a barber and in Savannah, who “cut hair and whittled”.  His wood work is amazing.  It’s so detailed, and raw. The collection also features some of the tools he used.  My favorites were his crucifixes, which are all individually stylized and have a surprising use of typography.  His home, which also has his old barber shop in it, is still empty… I’m calling on SCAD and SCAD students to preserve it.  Do it! It’s the white and red house on the corner of Bull and 45th.