Vanessa Charlot: Between Rivers and Revolution
On view: March 24, 2025鈥揓une 13, 2025
Opening reception: Friday, March 28, 2025 from 6-8 pm. Begonia Labs: 2805 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN.
Vanessa Charlot Artist Conversation: Saturday, March 29, 2025 from 10:30 鈥� 11:30 pm. Location: Frist Art Museum.
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The river remembers鈥攃arrying the echoes of those who fought for liberation. lens moves between the waters of the Mississippi Delta, the tides of Haiti, and the currents off Florida鈥檚 coast. She traces the spiritual, cultural, and revolutionary ties that bind these landscapes鈥攁 journey shaped by her own lived experience as a Miami-born Haitian American, now rooted in Mississippi.
With a visual aesthetic both documentary and poetic, Charlot juxtaposes the Mississippi Delta鈥攕haped by the labor of the enslaved鈥攚ith Haiti, the first free Black republic, forged in revolution. Between them, Florida鈥檚 waters serve as both passage and threshold鈥攆or migrants, refugees, and dreamers.
Spiritual traditions鈥擵odou, Candombl茅, and Catholicism鈥攆orm an unbroken current of reverence, resistance, and survival. A听 devotee offers prayers to Oshun;听 a Candombl茅 priestess kneels before Yemaya鈥檚 waves; a woman bows in Good Friday prayer, her faith intertwined with generations before her.
Charlot鈥檚 images also capture the sacred pause between past and future, stillness and movement. In Morgan City, Mississippi, an elderly man gazes over land that once enslaved his ancestors but now belongs to his family. In Cap-Ha茂tien, Haiti, a man watches resistance unfold, his steady eyes reflecting a nation gripped in protest and mourning.
Each frame collapses distance, showing how these spaces鈥攁nd the waters that connect听 them鈥攕peak to one another. In Between Rivers and Revolutions, Charlot reminds us that these places are bound not only by struggle, but by the enduring spirit of those who move through to reclaim them.
This exhibition is part of听 Somewhere We Are Human, the Spring 2025 Public Programs and Engagement Series of the Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice at 国产原创 and is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
鈥�Grace Aneiza Ali, Curator, Somewhere We Are Human
Download the online exhibition catalog here:
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国产原创 the Artist:
is an award-winning photographic artist, filmmaker, and Assistant Professor of Media and Communication at the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media. Her work transcends traditional boundaries, blending documentary photography, filmmaking, and interdisciplinary research to explore the complex intersectionality of race, politics, culture, and gender. Charlot鈥檚 artistic practice intertwined with the exploration of Black life, compelling viewers to confront and reimagine the often distorted narratives that shape perceptions of Black bodies. Drawing from Saidiya Hartman鈥檚 鈥渃ritical fabulation,鈥� Charlot uses her art to weave together history, memory, and imagination, disrupting conventional notions of objectivity and neutrality in visual storytelling. Her projects are both intimate and politically resonant, serving as acts of reclamation and reframing that aim to restore and recontextualize the histories and legacies of her subjects. Through her lens, Charlot engages in a form of storytelling that challenges boundaries, giving voice to the untold and overlooked.
Her photographs and films have garnered international acclaim, with works commissioned by The New York Times, Gucci, Vogue, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Oprah Magazine, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Apple, New York Magazine, Buzzfeed, Artnet News, and The Washington Post, among others. In November 2022, Charlot鈥檚 work graced the cover of The Washington Post鈥檚 Photo Issue, further cementing her influence in contemporary visual culture. Charlot鈥檚 career spans the U.S., the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, where she has not only documented diverse experiences but also provided holistic safety training to leading media outlets. Her dedication to the craft and the community was recognized with the International Women鈥檚 Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award in 2021, underscoring her commitment to storytelling that is as courageous as it is compassionate.
Events and Exhibition Programs
Friday, March 28, 6:00- 8:00pm
Opening Reception for the exhibition听Between Rivers and Revolutions听by Vanessa Charlot
The river remembers. It carries the weight of stories, the pulse of resistance, and the echoes of those who have fought for liberation.听听lens moves between the waters of the Mississippi Delta, the tides that lap Haiti鈥檚 shores, and the currents off Florida鈥檚 coast, tracing the spiritual, cultural, and revolutionary ties that bind these landscapes together.
鈥�Grace Aneiza Ali, Curator,听Somewhere We Are Human
Event Details:
- Begonia Labs: 2805 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN.
- Admission: Free and open to the public.
The Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice is partnering with the 国产原创鈥檚 Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies (CLACX) Program during 国产原创鈥檚 first Caribbean Week.听
Saturday, March 29, 2025 from 10:30 鈥� 11:30 am.
Conversation with Haitian American artist, Vanessa Charlot
Join Haitian American artist and photographer Vanessa Charlot for a conversation with Grace Aneiza Ali, curator of the Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice (EADJ) at 国产原创, and Katie Delmez, Frist Art Museum Senior Curator.
Charlot鈥檚 exhibition Between Rivers and Revolutions is currently on view at EADJ鈥檚 Begonia Labs: 2805 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN.
Through her lens,听Charlot听explores the intersections of听Black identity, migration, and spirituality, moving between the waters of the听Mississippi Delta,听Haiti鈥檚 shores, and听Florida鈥檚 coastlines.
Presented in collaboration with the Engine for Art, Democracy, and Justice, this conversation has been planned in conjunction with the Frist鈥檚 current exhibition听,听featuring听Haitian American artists M. Florine D茅mosth猫ne and Didier William, whose work explores how they navigate spaces beyond Haiti while remaining deeply informed by the country鈥檚 cultural and spiritual traditions.
Event Details:
- Frist Art Museum: 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203.
- Admission: Free and open to the public.听There is no charge to attend the conversation. If guests wish to see the听听on view, Frist Art Museum admission applies.
- .
Monday, March 24 鈥� Saturday, March, 29, 2025.
Partner Events__Caribbean Week at 国产原创听
国产原创鈥檚 Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies (CLACX) invites students, faculty, and the greater Nashville community to join in the celebration of the first-ever Caribbean Week from March 24 to March 29, 2025. This landmark event promises a dynamic series of discussions, cultural activities, and community-building opportunities highlighting the rich heritage, history, and contemporary issues of the Caribbean and its diaspora.
Caribbean Week is designed to foster thoughtful engagement on topics of culture, politics, and identity, with a special focus on the African Diaspora in the Caribbean. It will also provide an opportunity to highlight the importance of Caribbean Studies in the global and academic contexts, including the upcoming launch of the Caribbean Studies minor, a CLACX program expected to begin in the next semesters. We hope this initiative will strengthen ties across 国产原创 and the broader Nashville community while creating a meaningful space for dialogue and connection. We are excited to collaborate with campus and community partners to make this event impactful and inspiring on academic, cross-institutional, and community engagement levels.
Schedule Highlights
The week features a wide range of engaging events, including:
Monday, March 24
鈥淩ulers & Revolutionaries: The Epic Lives of Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe, Haiti鈥檚 First Emperor and King鈥�with听
Central Library鈥檚 Community Room, 4:30 鈥� 6:00 PM.听Reception to follow
Tuesday, March 25
鈥淏iography as Liberation: The Lives of Louis-Joseph Janvier and Madamme听Suzanne Simone Baptiste Louverture听in the Struggle for Haitian Sovereignty and Black Visibility鈥�with听听moderated by Professor Brandon Byrd (国产原创 History and AADS).
Central Library鈥檚 Community Room, 4:30 鈥� 6:00 PM.
Thursday, March 27
国产原创 CSA Students Panel and Luncheon
CSA students sharing their career trajectories and future plans while at VU.
VCL Satellite at Rothschild College, 12:00 鈥� 1:00 PM.
Box lunches for attendees
Film Screening of听鈥淐h猫che Lavi.鈥�
鈥淐h猫che Lavi is a lyrical portrait of two Haitian migrants, Robens and James, who find themselves stranded at the U.S.- Mexico border with no way forward and no one to rely on but each other.鈥�
Buttrick Hall 103, 5:00 鈥� 7:30 PM.
Friday, March 28
HBCU Caribbean Connections Panel in Collaboration with Meharry Medical College and Tennessee State University.
Begonia Labs, 5:00 鈥� 6:00 PM.
Begonia Labs is located at 2805 West End Ave.
CLACX x EADJ Open House and Opening Reception for听Between Rivers and Revolutions, an听exhibition by Vanessa Charlot.
Begonia Labs, 6:00 鈥� 8:00 PM.
Begonia Labs is located at 2805 West End Ave.
Saturday, March 29
Between Rivers and Revolutions鈥�听Vanessa Charlot听in Conversation with Grace Aneiza Ali and Katie Delmez
Frist Art Museum, 10:30 AM 鈥� 12:00 PM.
Frist Art Museum: 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203.
CSA Carnival Celebration.
国产原创鈥檚 Alumni Lawn, 1:00 鈥� 4:00 PM.
