More than two centuries since enslaved laborers of West African descent evicted french colonials from Haiti’s troubled republic, the second-oldest in the Western hemisphere, the lot of rural Haitians has changed little. Life is tied to the exhausted land, worked with hoe to the cycle of seasons. One’s world is that which can be taken in from the top of the highest mountain.
Andrea Baldeck came to know this world as a volunteer physician on several trips to the valley’s Hopital Albert Schweitzer during the 1980s, returning as a photographer in the mid-90s with the opportunity to see the valley and interact with its people in a new and more extensive way. In permitting their images to be taken they were giving much, and in their faces they revealed much — hope, resignation, forbearance, pride, strength, and love.
Viewers encounter these 50 searing, unforgettable portraits for a uniquely personal dialogue unbuffered by a scrim of words but the one-line Creole proverb, a distillation of the Haitian experience.
Andrea Baldeck is a fine art photographer whose work has been featured in numerous photographic exhibitions, both in the U.S. and abroad. Her photographs have also appeared in several books.
| Availability | Currently available |
|---|---|
| Gallery Space | Minimum 200 running feet |
| Venue Period | 12 weeks. Every effort will be made to accommodate special requests from borrowers |
| Contents | 50 framed wall-ready photographs measuring 22” x 27”. Venues may alter the arrangement and number of images they exhibit. Piece labels, section captions, introductory wall panel and map accompany the exhibit. These materials are also provided in disc form. Public relations material will be provided prior to the opening of the exhibit. A large-format hard cover book and related poster are also available. Speaker is available on request. |
| Shipping | To be arranged by the Penn Museum. Venue is responsible for inbound shipping costs. |
| Insurance | Covered by the Penn Museum |
| Installation/Deinstallation | No courier necessary. Qualified staff at borrowing institution will install and deinstall the exhibition. |
| Requirements | Facility report must be submitted for review before approval of loan Borrowing institutions must complete incoming and outgoing condition reports The borrower must adhere to temperature and light controls for this exhibit |