Echoes and Collisions: Haitian Art and the Fluidity of Cultural Dialogue

Lily Mellitz ’26

Executive Arts Editor

“What happens when artistic legacies and contemporary visions meet, but do not always fit? How can moments of dissonance be as generative as moments of unity?” — Frantz Patrick Henry, “Echoes and Collisions.”

The walls of Trinity College’s Widener Gallery come alive with vibrant color and thought-provoking imagery as “Echoes and Collisions” opens to the campus and Hartford community. Students and faculty gathered on Jan. 30 for the exhibit’s opening reception, where Frantz Patrick Henry’s installation work and selections from the Edith A. Graham Collection of Haitian Art come together in a compelling dialogue between past and present.

Curated by Trinity’s Studio Arts program and sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts and the Center for Caribbean Studies, “Echoes and Collisions” features a diverse range of media, from mixed-media installations and digital art to large-scale oil paintings and sculpture. It explores the interplay of harmony and tension, inviting viewers to consider how art bridges histories while shaping imagined futures.

The Graham Collection, donated to Trinity in 2008 by the family of Edith A. Graham, reflects a deep commitment to Haitian art spanning over four decades. Featuring paintings, sculptures and ceremonial objects, the collection embodies themes of spirituality, resilience and cultural identity, offering a vision of Haiti that transcends historical constraints and reimagines tradition.

“This is a unique exhibit because the others were exhibits strictly from the [Graham] collection,” said Pablo Delano, Trinity professor and director of the Studio Arts program, during the reception. “This is the first time that we’ve had a contemporary artist reflect on and comment on and go in dialogue with the collection. “

A Haitian-born artist now based in Montreal, Frantz Patrick Henry has established himself as a multidisciplinary creator working in sculpture, painting and installation. His work often repurposes everyday objects, transforming them into sites of reflection and self-reconstruction. With an MFA from Yale School of Art and a current fellowship at NXTHVN, Henry continues to push the boundaries of artistic discourse. His accolades include the McAbbie Foundation Sculpture Excellence Grant, the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant and the Canadian Council for the Arts’ Explore and Create Grant.

Henry’s work engages with these artistic legacies in a way that is both reverent and disruptive. His installations don’t just echo the collection’s themes; they challenge and reframe them, creating moments of collision that reshape meaning. This tension fosters a space where cultural narratives intertwine, misalign and transform, inviting viewers to reconsider how art moves through time and place.

“Echoes and Collisions” not only honors Graham’s legacy but also underscores the evolving nature of cultural storytelling. In this exhibition, art serves as a conduit for dialogue — one that is as unpredictable as it is illuminating. 

The exhibit will be on display through April 30. The Widener Gallery is open to the public and admission is free. For more information, visit the Austin Arts Center website.