It is a particularly dark time in American history; when the human rights of thousands of people of Haitian descent living in the United States are being trampled by our government; when they are being forcibly returned to Haiti, a country which is now largely in the control of brutal gangs; when our own State Department warns Americans as follows:
"Do Not Travel to Haiti due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest, and limited health care.  Haiti has been under a national state of emergency since March 2024."

At this time it is a welcome beacon of light to see an exhibit honoring the artistic genius of the Haitian people open at the Springfield Museum of Art, in Springfield, Ohio.  This is the very same city in Ohio which has been revitalized by the energy and creativity of Haitian immigrants.   But these people have been rewarded by cynical American politicians with racism, ridicule and condemnation of the vilest kind.  During the same week in which the Temporary Protected Status of 300,000 Haitians was revoked, and the first flights of deported Haitians landed in Cap Haitien, gangs murdered 49 people in the idyllic Haitian mountain village of Kenscoff.  In Springfield, a despondent young Haitian student, Pierre Damas Bel wearing ICE-imposed ankle monitors took his own life.  A few days later, Haitian metal sculptor Gabriel Bien-Aimé  came to the Springfield Museum of Art and gave a demonstration before 100 eighth graders, many of Haitian descent.  "Learning of this art form was the first positive thing many had heard of Haiti", collection lender Regina Sansalone told me.

Presented for the first time, from the collection of Michael Hodesh and Regina Sansalone. Resilient Spirits presents a landmark exhibition of Haitian metalwork spanning 75 years - from the pioneering vision of Georges Liautaud (1899-1991) to the generations of artists he mentored in his village of Croix-des-Bouquets. Liautaud began his career working for the railroads as a blacksmith, repairing train tracks for the sugar industry. However, it was his elaborately forged iron cemetery crosses and VeVe cosmograms (sacred traditional symbols) that caused people to take notice of his craftsmanship. Challenged to take his craft further, but with limited resources, he began working with a readily available medium, transforming discarded steel oil drums into a new sculptural language - fe dekoupe (cut iron work). In this distinctly Haitian art form, oil drums are chiseled open, pounded flat, and etched with intricate designs of nature spirits, saints, and guardians. The artists then painstakingly cut, pierce, punch, and bend the flattened steel into luminous reliefs alive with story and spiritual symbolism. Presented in Springfield, Ohio, where immigrants are integral to the city's revitalization story, Resilient Spirits showcases a collection of works forged through resourcefulness. The exhibition's title speaks to both the resilience of Haitian spirituality and the resilience of the Haitian people. Resilient Spirits reflects transformation itself - industrial steel remade as sacred art, and communities reshaped by perseverance, faith, and creative force.

Featuring works by artists: Georges Liautaud (1899-1991); Murat Brierre (1938-1988); the Louis-Juste brothers: Sérésier, Janvier, and Joseph (1940-1989); and living artists Gabriel Bien-Aimé (b.1951) and Serge Jolimeau (b.1952)