Curator Talk: Altars, Saints, and Sacred Forms Across the Americas

The Fowler Museum recently installed three new kiosks that explore the devotional practices in Haiti, Guatemala, and Mexico. Each kiosk highlights artistic traditions and religious objects from the museum’s collection, honoring living belief systems and communities that sustain them. In this online presentation, Patrick A. Polk, Lilly Endowment Curator of Art and Religion, will offer insights into:

• The Vodou kiosk featuring an altar assembled by oungan and Haitian art specialist Jean-Daniel Lafontant in honor of the fiery Petwo spirits and their enduring relevance as symbols of transformation, resistance, and resilience.
• Devotion to San Simón, the Guatemalan folk saint venerated in both Guatemala and Los Angeles. Through photographs and sacred objects, this installation explores the complex blend of Indigenous and Catholic belief systems and the vibrant ritual life surrounding this powerful and often misunderstood figure.
• Mexican Trees of Life and Death—intricately crafted ceramic sculptures that combine pre-Hispanic and Catholic imagery. Traditionally used in weddings and Day of the Dead celebrations, these pieces have evolved into powerful visual narratives addressing themes from creation and mortality to contemporary social justice.

Through these immersive displays and Polk’s expert commentary, the online program will explore devotional art as a living, dynamic force, connecting people across generations, geographies, and cultural identities.

Patrick A. Polk’s research interests encompass material religion and visual piety, religion and healing, popular religion in North and Latin America, and African diasporic sacred arts. He has curated several Fowler exhibitions, including: The House Was Too Small: Yoruba Sacred Arts from Africa and Beyond; Botánica Los Angeles: Latino Popular Religious Art in the City of Angels; Sinful Saints and Saintly Sinners at the Margins of the Americas; and Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis.

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