Table of Contents
Spotlight on Latin America
Resilient Visions: Haitian Art
Jamini Raj and Modern Indian Art: How to Conserve Treasures
Works cited
The University of Florida is home of a diverse population. It’s no surprise that Harn Museum of Art, which is located outside the campus, captures and represents this diversity through its international exhibitions. The Harn Gallery of Art acts as an ambassador for Gainesville’s multicultural diversity with its exhibitions, such as Peace, Power and Prestige in Africa, Resilient Visions in Haitian Art, and Modern Indian Art.
Hispanics and African Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans make up 43.3% of students at the University of Florida. This is a significant number of students and staff from minority communities. People who fall into this category often have difficulty connecting with others when they don’t have the same cultural environment as their parents. The Harn museum of art provides an opportunity for Gainesville students, staff, as well as Gainesville residents to view, learn, understand, admire, and appreciate different types of art. It is a place where people can learn more about other cultures. The Harn Museum of Art’s Mission Statement states ‘… “The museum brings joy to experiencing great art to diverse university and community audiences through relevant and enriching art collections and exhibitions, as well as learning opportunities.” Harn Museum Of Art’). In this paper, we will explore these diverse exhibits and discuss their relation to the diversity found in Gainesville.Spotlight: Latin AmericaSouth America is a culturally rich continent that consists of several Latin-American countries such as Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Venezuela, and so forth. Latin-America has a wide range of ethnicities and 600 million inhabitants. This makes it rich in culture, tradition, diversity and culture. Latin-America’s culture and traditions are reflected in the food, dance, and landscapes it is famous for. Despite the fact that there is a large Latin-American population, just 20.7% of University of Florida’s student population identify as Hispanic/Latinx (roughly 9923 students) (Florida & Population). With this small student population in combination with the few Hispanic/Latinx-influenced areas in Gainesville, it is often difficult for Hispanic and Latinx students to connect with Gainesville using their cultural roots. The Harn museum of art plays an important role in this. The Harn Museum of Art had an exhibition from November 2016 until November 2017 that showcased and celebrated South American artists. These works included paintings, photographs and paintings that focused on broad themes. Harn Museum Of Art’)[image: ]. The piece shows two groups of people in conflict, one of which is Christopher Columbus. It is rich in color and detail, but also contains a lot of emotion. Botello was a Spanish-Puerto Rican artist who is known for using bold colors and portraying island life. Botello traveled extensively throughout his life to different parts of the globe, including Cuba and Haiti, to gain a better understanding of how life is in these areas. Botello’s work may be a cultural medium for many students who identify with him. Botello’s Spanish descent may give Hispanic/Latinx an opportunity to feel connected with Botello. His art is also heavily influenced and influenced by Latin culture. Individuals who hail from Haiti may feel that Botello’s culture is reflected in his works. Botello was heavily influenced and traveled to Haiti during his lifetime. The Latin-American exhibit, which only has 50 pieces, is incredibly rich in culture and can be gleaned from one single piece. ResilientVisions: Haitian ArtHaiti. A mountainous country, Haitian ArtHaiti influences French and African culture. It is home to nearly 7,000,000 people. Haiti has strong cultural ties, but it is well-known for its independence. It retains its own traditions in music, food, rituals and dance. According to some, Haitian culture is unique from other African and New World cultures. This is why it is easy to see that Haitians are very proud of their culture. However, even with a population of roughly 7 million people, almost 50,000 leaving the country every year to travel to the United States, the student population of those who identify as Black/African-American at the University of Florida is only 6.6% as of 2019 (Florida, and Population). With only a small influx of students who identify as Black/African-American, it can be hard for individuals to truly connect with their distinct cultures in Gainesville. Despite their feeling of not having representation, Harn Museum of Art is open to all cultures. The museum serves as a bridge between African and Haitian peoples. In the past, the Harn Museum of Art presented an exhibit honoring different pieces of Haitian art that spans from 1969 to today. These pieces gave insight into Haitian culture. It also allowed for discussion of historical and political scenes in Haitian society. Unknown artist created one of the exhibit’s pieces, Bottle for Vodou Spirit Damballah. It depicts a snake wrapped around an attractively-colored bottle. Haiti, along with other African-influenced nations, is well-known for its religious belief, which is commonly called ‘Vodou’ or ‘voodoo to the outside. This faith combines African and Catholic beliefs, and focuses on healing sick people. These beliefs are revered and people often make pilgrimages in order to practice them. This piece shows the serpent, which is known as the ‘Damballah. It is believed that he is the life force responsible for creating the universe. He is believed to be the one who creates life and sustains the world. The Damballah is believed to live in water sources, which may explain why the piece depicts a serpent wrapped around an empty bottle that could contain some liquid. This one-piece provides a wealth of information about Haitian culture. With the little representation of Black/African-American culture that is found in Gainesville, the Harn Museum of Art does its part in representing all cultures and serving as a link to various cultures with the exhibits they include in their museum. Jamini Ray and Modern Indian Art: Conservation Treasures Many believe India is the greatest culture, with its diverse religions and unique foods, textiles and architecture. As of 2019, only 8.3% of University of Florida’s student population identified as Indian, despite India having a large population. Gainesville (Florida), and the Population have very few representations of Asian culture. Students who identify as Asian may feel isolated and disconnected from their roots. The Harn museum of art hosts several exhibitions that showcase and represent Asian culture. The Harn Museum of Art had an exhibition in the past that featured the works of Jamini, one of India’s most influential and significant figures. It was held from March 2018 until August 2018. The 45 pieces of Roy art are representative of the Indian culture. These pieces were called Saint Francis and Gopini. They featured Indian-styled individuals. Indian culture is closely associated with intricate and vibrant clothing. Indian clothing is known for its eye-catching colors and variety of textiles, patterns, and fabrics. Indian culture relies on clothing to allow people to express themselves in traditional ways. These images depict people in traditional Indian clothing. The dhoti is traditionally worn by men on special occasions and tied around the waist. Jamini Roy, who created these pieces, was a traditionalist when creating his artwork. Roy was likely to have been influenced by traditional clothing as a man. These pieces can tell and show much about Indian culture, including the traditional clothes and patterns that are associated with it. Many pieces, such as those mentioned above, are held at the Harn Museum of Art. They teach and showcase the cultures of various countries and ethnicities as well as provide representation for people who identify with these cultures. The Middle East covers large areas like Lebanon, Syria and Tunisia. The Middle East is home to 300 million people. It also has many cultures, including Turkish, Iranian, Arab. The Middle East is, historically speaking, considered the cradle of civilisation’ and the origin of many of the major religions of the world, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism. Despite being rich in culture and religion, foods and clothing, as well as languages, the University of Florida’s Middle Eastern students is only 3.5% (Florida, Population). This percentage is inaccurate as many Middle Easterners are considered to belong to the “White” ethnicity. Middle Eastern people do not have a specific ethnicity. This means that there is a very small number of Middle Eastern students at Florida. However, there are also Middle Easterners who aren’t considered Middle Eastern, as there is no ethnicity. This unfairly describes Middle Easterners as people who feel disassociated from their culture, history and culture. The Harn Gallery of Art has been set up to exhibit artifacts from the Middle East. This allows individuals who identify with Middle Eastern culture to feel more connected to their heritage and can be represented. The Harn Museum of Art featured a show that highlighted cloth, metalworks, as well as calligraphy created by Arabic artists. Yelimane fell created Jawartu. The painting featured Arabic calligraphy in bold colors. The Arabic language, writing and culture are sacred. Each letter has intricate calligraphy. I find it beautiful and complex. Yelimane Fall is a master calledigrapher. She discovered beauty in Arabic writing. She creates paintings that are based on the lyrics of the poem ‘Jawartu.’ This poem promotes and protects those who have read it. Fall illustrates one verse in each of his paintings. This piece is mostly in calligraphy but it is an important and sacred part Middle Eastern culture. This piece of art, along with the others in the exhibit, has a lot to offer. The exhibit and its contents will appeal to people who are influenced by Middle Eastern culture. As it contains many pieces that celebrate and respect different cultures, the Harn Museum of Art can be seen as an effective ambassador of cultural diversity. These artworks can give minorities the impression that they are being praised by the Harn museum of art. Even people who aren’t ethnically and culturally related can still learn from the Harn Art Museum of Arts. The Harn Museum of Art is a representation of Gainesville, despite the fact that Gainesville has few areas of cultural diversity. The Harn Museum of Art is a direct link to Gainesville’s cultural diversity. Works citées
Harn Museum of Art, harn.ufl.edu/about.
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