Haitian Art Exhibition Grew Out of Love of Nations Culture, People

The colors are the first things to hit you vibrant reds, blues, and yellows, bright oranges and pinks that leap off the canvas.

I can usually tell a Haitian painting from 200-300 feet away, Glenn Stokes says. Nobody uses those colors in that way, to that extent.

You will never see the primary colors used better than they are in Haitian art.

Stokes is explaining the appeal of the art from a purely aesthetic perspective, but that is only one aspect of his appreciation for Haitian art. Sit with him for any amount of time and he will give insights into the countrys history, political climate, dominant religions, and people, all of which feed into the art.

Haitian art is the equivalent of the artists keeping a biography, Stokes says, noting that many paintings are scenes from an artists life, the lives of his countrymen, or history and traditions.

The blend of cultures stretching back through colonial occupations, war, natural disasters, and slavery to the peoples roots in Africa inform the artwork now on display at The Art Gallery at Collin College. An exhibition of works from the Yvonne and Glenn Stokes Collection titled Reign of Colors: A Pictorial History of Haiti will run through April 7 at the Plano Campus.

You can see that this mixture of people and their experiences have resulted in this wonderful type of art that tells a complete story, he says.

Now an internationally regarded collector of Haitian art, Stokes story began in Texas. Born in Houston, his family moved a few times in his youth before putting down roots in South Louisiana.

The grandson of the first plant nursery owner in Louisiana, he became interested in biology and botany at an early age, soaking up as much information as he could on the subjects in high school and ultimately college. He attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on a football scholarship before moving on to the University of Nebraska, Harvard, the University of Florida, and Louisiana State University. Scholarships paid for most of his academic career, he said.

I probably wouldnt have gone to college (without scholarships) because my parents didn't have enough money to send me, he said.

After graduation, Stokes used his knowledge of entomology, the study of insects, to form a mosquito control district the third of its kind in Louisiana. He went on to establish four other mosquito control programs in the state and a private company called Mosquito Control Contractors.

His work in insect control led to involvement with state and international mosquito control associations, as well as consulting work for the Walt Disney Company and development firms building island getaways. It was his consulting work with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that first led him to Haiti and several other island nations south of the United States.

Every month for 25 years, I would make a circle, going to the Bahamas, to Puerto Rico, to Curaao, and Haiti, he said.

Even at that time, Haitian art was a powerful draw for visitors to the island and a significant source of income for its people. Art was and continues to be sold virtually everywhere visitors travel at airports, along the streets leading into the capital Port-au-Prince, in hotels and restaurants.

One of the few things they could make money at was art, Stokes said. If it werent for Haitian art, the people would be even more impoverished. Right now, it is a way out of poverty for some of the best artists.

Stokes bought a few paintings because he liked them. Then, as he got to know more people in the country, he was introduced to artists and gallery owners.

Stokes commissioned paintings from one of the early masters of modern Haitian art, Philome Obin, who was 90 years old at the time.

 

He purchased 28 paintings by Wilson Bigaud from the estate of a hotelier.

He became friends with Frantz Zephirin, an artist featured in Smithsonian Magazine and The New Yorker after the 2010 earthquake, helping bring him to the United States to visit family in Florida.

He recently commissioned a painting of the original Haitian Flag from 1803 to be displayed in Paris this May in a Haitian Flag Day celebration by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). It will then be displayed in Germany, which has strong ties to the island nation.

All the while, Stokes has invested in the arts in Haiti, providing art supplies for artists and a much-needed influx of money. As his collection grew he has purchased about 1,000 paintings in the past few years and now has more than 2,000 pieces in his collection his ties to the artist community grew as well. He recently started the Stokes Haitian Relief Fund, with 10 percent of the sales price of art from his collection going to needy artists.

I think (Haitian art) has made a major imprint on the world, Stokes said. I want to do everything I can to help the artists.

 

The show at Collin College contains pieces in nave (self-taught) and modern styles in media, including paintings, metal carvings, wood carvings, and bottles. Drawing from African and European influences, the pieces on display depict historical events, natural scenes, religious themes, and more, providing insight into Haitis optimistic and resilient culture.

Stokes gave lectures about the history of the island and its art to students and a group of about 50 people in the opening days of the exhibition. Stokes will make presentations and give more lectures on Haiti and its art at a special event on March 17 and at the exhibitions close on April 7. He plans to give away 10 paintings during the shows run and said that some of the paintings may be purchased after the shows close.

More information about the show is available on The Art Gallery at Collin Colleges webpage: www.collin.edu/department/artsgallery.