Week 10: Exhibit? Installed. Research? Activated. Blog? Published

Hello Reader,

This week at Bonnet House was one of wrapping things up and diving into something entirely new. I finalized the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit, took on a meaningful research project about two Haitian paintings in the Haitian Loggia, and even wrote a blog post for the official Bonnet House website. Here's how it all unfolded:

The Exhibit Is Officially Open

Completed Exhibit in the Music Room

On Wednesday, I brought all three components of the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit (the panel, the table display, and the travel trunk) down to the Music Room for final installation. There was a small hiccup when we realized that placing the trunk too close to the mirror might cause damage, so we adjusted the layout of the room to accommodate everything safely.

Once the layout was finalized, I completed the last pieces of signage and labeling, and the exhibit officially opened to the public. After weeks of research, planning, mounting, editing, and rearranging, it was incredibly rewarding to see it all in place, ready for guests to enjoy.

Researching the Haitian Paintings

The Two Haitian Paintings

With the exhibit complete, I shifted to a new task: researching two paintings displayed in the Haitian Loggia by Sully Obin and Edouard Jean. A couple considering Bonnet House as their wedding venue expressed concerns about the paintings, particularly about how they might be perceived in terms of racial representation. My job was to verify the origin, context, and intention behind the works to ensure they weren't offensive or misrepresentative.

I compiled historical and biographical research on both artists and the Cap-Haïtien School of painting. This movement, founded by Philomé Obin, emphasizes Haitian history, everyday life, and national pride (qualities reflected in both works). With support from institutions like the Haitian Heritage Museum and the Journal of Haitian Studies, it became clear that the paintings were dignified examples of self-representation in Haitian art, not caricatures or colonial misinterpretations.

Once we learned that Edouard Jean was still living, I was also tasked with trying to find and contact him. I left a voicemail for Galerie Macondo (a gallery that represented his work), drafted an email and LinkedIn message to their founder, and found several Instagram accounts based in Cap-Haïtien (some of which are affiliated with Église Sacré Cœur, where Jean once played the organ and piano). It’s still an open-ended search, but the outreach has begun.

To help provide transparency and context for guests, I created signage to accompany the paintings, along with two carved monkey statues nearby that had raised additional concerns. The new signage explains the background of the paintings and introduces visitors to the Cap-Haïtien School and the European artistic tradition of singerie (a whimsical style of depicting monkeys in human clothing and behavior). The goal was to make sure patrons understood the cultural significance and intention behind these pieces, and that nothing in the space was intended to be offensive or inappropriate.

Writing for the Bonnet House Website: Click Here

As a final reflection on the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit, Katie asked me to write a blog post for the official Bonnet House website. I pulled together everything I’d learned over the past few months and highlighted what went into developing and installing the exhibit, from archival research and signage design to preservation work and object handling.

I ended the post with an invitation for guests to visit the exhibit, now on display in the Music Room for the next year. It was an honor to write something for the museum’s public blog and contribute a lasting record of the work I’ve done here.

More soon,
Maria Formoso