About the Exhibit

The Caribbean: Legacy of the Spirit brings the Bryant West Indies Collection into the digital age. A virtual exhibit provides an ideal setting to showcase and make available the rich resources the collection holds for the study of the region.

The first exhibit, "Our Island Homes", was first launched as a physical exhibit on May 19, 2006. The paintings illustrate typical dwellings found in the West Indies. The vernacular style homes include Chattel, Cunucu and Shotgun styles. The materials and techniques of these structures blend native, European and African architectural styles, reflecting the heritage of the islanders. As this selection of the paintings from the collection showcases, these homes have provided inspiration and appear often in the pieces.

In subsequent phases, additional exhibits will be added that provide thematic interpretations of the collection. The Caribbean: Legacy of the Spirit will also include a searchable database linking to images and metadata for many of the monographs, paintings, objects, textiles, sound recordings and slides in the collection. The digitization of the materials will help bring the vibrant culture and folklife of the Caribbean documented in the Bryant West Indies Collection to the World Wide Web.