Brooklyn billboard exhibit highlights Haitian diaspora art in time for Haitian Heritage Month

In honor of Haitian Heritage Month this May, a new public art exhibition titled Ansamn, meaning “Together” in Haitian Creole, will spotlight the evolving voices of Haitian diasporic artists on billboard ad space in Brooklyn.

The month-long exhibit, presented by SaveArtSpace and curated by Haitian-American curator Yvena Despagne of Art x Ayiti, features the work of Mel Isidor, a designer, urban planner and mixed-media artist whose practice bridges photography, collage, and ethnographic storytelling.

Opening April 25, the project challenges narrow views of Haitian art as solely folkloric or naïve, instead showcasing a more contemporary expression of Haitian identity through layered media and visual narratives.

Isidor’s featured piece, part of her “Roots” series, honors her late aunt Yolette and blends archival family photos with original photography. The backdrop, drawn from a road trip through Haiti, captures the country’s central landscape—from Port-au-Prince up along the Artibonite River—offering a layered tribute to both personal memory and national terrain.

In her artist statement, Isidor writes: “This piece is part of my ‘Roots’ series, a collection of mixed media collages on reconnecting with my family and the landscape in Haiti.” The imagery blends original photography with archival family photos to build layered scenes rooted in memory and heritage.

The exhibit will be displayed on billboard ad space throughout Brooklyn for at least one month.

Curator Yvena Despagne, founder of Art x Ayiti, said Ansamn celebrates how Haitian artists are redefining cultural narratives through modern mediums. “It’s about how we tell our stories, not just where we come from,” she said.

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