ARTS230

Ramapo College has the largest collection of Haitian art of any public institution in the United States. A painting from the Rodman Collection at Ramapo College is on the cover of an important new book about Haitian art. International scholars come to Ramapo College to see the Collection. Sydney Jenkins, Director of the Ramapo College Art Galleries, is a recognized, often quoted expert on Haitian art. Haiti is an excellent case study to help students see the connections between art, literature, politics, science, and economics. Our students are in the rare position of having access to examples of work by the most important historical and contemporary artists representing Haiti.

Africa is the foundation for Haitian art and culture. Haiti is sometimes called the most African country in the Western Hemisphere. But there is also still a strong French influence and strong stench emanating from a series of occupations by the United States and the United Nations. To begin to understand Haiti, one must start with African geography, history, and complicity in the slave trade. Using essays by the British anthropologist R.S. Rattray, students will learn especially about the Akan, the largest tribal group in West Africa, and the Ashanti, its most powerful entity. Students will learn about the religious rituals, cultural traditions, and artistic styles of the Ashanti kingdom before and during the slave trade.

Students will learn about the French role in Haiti through the book All Souls Rising by Madison Smartt Bell, the first historical fiction in a trilogy about the Haitian revolution from shifting perspectives, including French landowners, ordinary slaves, and the leaders of the first successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. The turbulent history of the nation since its freedom will be told by some of the art in the Rodman Collection, films like Sankofa by Haile Gerima, The Divine Horsemen by Maya Deren, and Paul Robeson’s The Emperor Jones.

Finally, student will become intimately familiar with the deeper meanings of the extraordinary art in the Rodman Collection and most will develop an admiration and appreciation of Selden Rodman and his major contribution to Ramapo. They will tour and learn about the collection from Sydney Jenkins; meet with visiting scholars who are at Ramapo to study the Collection; write an essay about the exhibition; and write a critical analysis of up to three art works of their own choice. These essays will be evaluated based on student's ability to interpret a cultural product and creative expression using the intersections of issues that impact Haiti's existence as part of the world culture.

Arts, Humanities and Education

Gen Ed 18-Global Awareness (GEGA), Gen Ed 2018 (GE18)