Conjuring Cane: Art of Colonial Jamaica
At the turn of the 19th century, Jamaica could be summed up in one word: sugar. In 1805 the colony was exporting more sugar than any other place in the world; in many ways, the history of sugar in the Caribbean is the history of modernity. Brutal enslavement of Africans and African-descended people on sugar plantations dominated all facets of life, as nine out of every 10 people on the island were enslaved. This talk examines art that was produced in Jamaica between the late 18th and early 19th century, comparing works by artists who sought to erase the brutality of enslavement and others who highlighted the lives of enslaved Africans through their art.
Speaker: Dr. Rachel Grace Newman, Assistant Professor, Art History, Tyler School of Art and Architecture