The Miller Collection of Haitian Art

FEBRUARY 13 - APRIL 30, 2016

These paintings are from the Meadows’ collection of 82 Haitian artworks donated in 1996 by Dr. Henry K. and Mrs. Katherine LaCour Miller of Baton Rouge. Dr. Miller, a Byrd graduate, stated, “I feel close ties with Centenary College because I was born in Shreveport. Katie and I are very pleased that our Haitian art collection will be used for educational purposes. We hope that many people will enjoy and learn from the art.” 

The Millers collected art directly from Haitian artists during more than forty years of service trips to Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, Haiti, where Dr. Miller volunteered annually. They amassed a collection of over one hundred artworks. It is apparent from this gallery that they were particularly fond of representations of the Tree of Life. 

The Tree of Life is a very common, but academically unexamined, icon in Haitian art. It may hold religious significance, referencing the Garden of Eden or the frequent site of Vodou ceremonies. It often shelters wildlife and mystically bears an abundance of ripe fruit and even vegetables. 

When these works were painted, Haitian agriculture—once the economy’s driving force—was already in steep decline. In the late 20th century, ecological problems, such as deforestation, erosion, flooding, and natural disasters, as well as economic threats, like embargos and cheap imports, began to endanger Haiti’s future and food production. Could these paintings be memorials to Haiti’s rich agricultural history, to its missing forests and animal habitats?