Little Haiti Photographer Ponders ‘Our Sacred Place’ at HistoryMiami

Woosler Delisfort’s “Holy Week” is one of more than 100 photographs on view by the Little Haiti-based photographer at HistoryMiami Museum through Sunday, Jan. 26.  (Photo courtesy of Woosler Delisfort)

More than 100 pictures were taken over a two-and-a-half-year period, but there is one that is a clear favorite, captivating  Woosler Delisfort to this day.

It’s called ”Holy Water.”

“You see two women, two mothers, two Mambos holding this child in front of the ocean,”  explains Delisfort describing the Haitian Voodoo priestesses.

He becomes transfixed and as the ripple in time slowly, deliberately erupts before him, he reaches out and captures it, then promptly funnels it through a photo lens, forever bottling the scene.

It was, for him, simply magical.

“Holy Water” features two Haitian Mambos and a child by the ocean. This image, one of the artist’s favorites, will be on view at HistoryMiami Museum through Sunday, Jan. 26. (Photo courtesy of Woosler Delisfort)

“I remember just standing there and just allowing the picture to actually create itself . . . but just that moment between those three individuals connecting with each other and having the ocean and actually seeing the sunrise coming out. It really tells a story of what a sanctuary is.

“It also tells a story of the way we practice when it comes down to our African spirituality, he continues. “How we use nature, a form of not only sanctuary,  but also our connection to our divine self. So when I see that image today it will always hold a piece of my heart.”

Delisfort, a self-taught Little Haiti-based photographer, is willing to share these sentiments with a wider audience during HistoryMiami Museum’s newest display, “SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place.”

The image is just one of many entries in Delisfort’s pictorial diary on Miami’s Indigenous, African and Caribbean communities.

In the exhibit, he uses his camera as a conduit. A way of offering an intimate tour of various cultures, the ways they sip from cups of redemption brimming with spirituality.

“Remembrance” is just one of many entries in Woosler Delisfort’s pictorial diary on Miami’s Indigenous, African and Caribbean communities.
(Photo courtesy of Woosler Delisfort)

The exhibition continues through Sunday, Jan. 26.

Ireọlá Ọláifá, who co-curated the showing along with Marie Vickles, an independent curator and senior director of education at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, has worked with Woosler Delisfort since 2018 curating exhibitions that include “I Am My Ancestors Wildest Dreams” and “GODMama” at the Little Haiti Cultural Center and M.U.C.E. respectively.

Vickles was the lead curator for “SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place.”

Ọláifá says that there will be those who will be astonished at what they see and especially true given that God often shows up in the most unexpected places.

“I think that there will be an element of shock for the audience,” says Ọláifá.

“Rhythms of the Sermon” is on view in “SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place” at HistoryMiami Museum. The exhibit by Woosler Delisfort, a self-taught Little Haiti-based photographer, will feature over 100 images.
(Photo courtesy of Woosler Delisfort)

“‘We see that at the end of the day, everyone is seeking a connection with this Higher Power, with Spirit. And each community has a different name for what they deem as Spirit, and they have a different structure. And I think that’s because we’re so entrenched in these different practices.”

Ọláifá also pointed out that if a viewer takes a deeper look, parallels between various forms of worship are not only striking, they are clearly evident.

“In the exhibition, for example, ‘Holy Week’ follows the Coptic Ethiopian Church alongside a Haitian Catholic Church, and we see how they both deal with the week of Jesus, what they would call Easter in their religion. And so people are going to be looking at these two different practices, but then seeing so many similarities.”

In addition to Delisfort’s exploration of sacraments and the sanctified, Vickles is proud of the exhibit’s “local arts connection to South Florida’s past and present.”

This is fitting given Delisfort’s dedication to his craft and active presence in a community where he was born and raised.

“The Moon & Star” by Woosler Delisfort.  (Photo courtesy of Woosler Delisfort)

In 2018, he was recognized for his efforts when he was given one of Oolite Arts’ Ellies Award in film for “This is Little Haiti.”  The project consisted of a documentary film and website that sought to peel back the layers, taking a look at the people and culture of those who reside there.

Recently, he was also selected as the inaugural recipient of HistoryMiami’s photography fellowship.

Sponsored by its Center for Photography, the fellowship encourages emerging documentary photographers who focus on local stories. Recipients are also given an opportunity to mentor Miami students enrolled in the museum’s Youth Photography Fellowship.

His most recent exhibit “SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place”  falls right on the heels of his selection for the fellowship and is just the latest example of a continuous effort of Delisfort’s to use photography in a thought provoking way.

“San Lazaro” will be unveiled at the opening night of the exhibition on Thursday, Aug. 22. (Photo courtesy of Woosler Delisfort)

Ọláifá hopes that his images will spark a path, opening the doors to meaningful discussions.

“Part of Woosler’s work with this exhibition was to make sure that everyone in the Miami community and beyond could visit this exhibition and feel a sense of likeness and be more open to understanding other people’s spiritual path.”

She also discusses the current divisive climate in today’s America.

“I think that a lot of times the conversations are divisive because people don’t understand,” she added. “They don’t know. And a lot of us are tricked and instilled with so much fear that we even think that the act of asking and discovering and exploring in itself is a sin.”

Ọláifá says that reaching an understanding sometimes involves a willingness for someone to step outside of  their comfort zone.

Besides, she believes that you might be surprised at what you see.

“(Woosler) did a great job in weaving together different themes so that people can see a glimpse of what your neighbors might be practicing. And guess what? “It doesn’t look too far off from what you’re practicing.  So when they invite you to a service, maybe you should just go . . . to go and just see why this person has chosen this sanctuary as their sacred place, as opposed to yours.”

She speaks of empathy as opposed to indifference.

“I think that overall, that is what gives humans a sense of compassion for one another, and it really starts to break down this wall of divisiveness that is so rampant in our culture.”

WHAT: “SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place”

WHERE: HistoryMiami Museum, 101 West Flagler St., Miami

WHEN: 7 to 9 p.m., opening on Thursday, Aug. 22. Regular hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Through Sunday, Jan. 26.

COST: $15 general admission, $10 for seniors and students with ID, $8 for children 6 to 12 years old, children under six free admission. Also free for active-duty military personnel and their families, History Miami members, visitors with disabilities and their accompanying caregivers, Miami-Dade County employees,  veterans and teachers with registration. SNAP EBT cardholders allow up to four people at no cost. Contact the museum for school and group rates.

INFORMATION: 305-375-1621. or historymiami.org

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