From Vodou and Islam to Santeria and Christianity, South Florida is home to various religious and spiritual beliefs.
in the latest exhibit at the HistoryMiami Museum, “Sanctuary: Our Sacred Place,” Little Haiti photographer Woosler Delisfort dives into the religious and spiritual roots of Miami’s Indigenous, Caribbean and African communities.
Delisfort photographs the moments of divine connection that link these communities in mosques, temples and churches. The pandemic inspired Woosler to find the places where people sought solace during tumultuous times.
Delisfort isn’t new to documenting spiritualities — he’s been doing so in South Florida for about 10 years. However, this project still drew him out of his comfort zone.
This was his first time going into spaces people call their sanctuaries. Before photographing anything, Woosler spends time with his subjects without his camera.
It’s his way of showing respect for what he is about to observe.
“There are times where it'll be maybe a day or two, and there are times it'll be like a couple months of me going in with nothing … Because at the end of the day, I'm also telling your story, so I want you to feel comfortable because I’m coming to your space.”
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Woosler would spend time in the various religious communities without his camera to show his respect for the sanctuary and the rituals.
The exhibit combines Woosler’s photography with the physical elements of various sanctuaries. When you walk up the stairs to the exhibit, there's an actual church front inspired by Mount Sinai Baptist Church.
Past the front, you’ll see a huge potomitan, an important feature in Haitian Vodou. Potomitan in Haitian Creole means center or central pole and serves as the practitioner’s connection to their ancestors.
Marie Vickles, the director of education at the Perez Art Museum Miami, is one of the exhibit’s co-curators. She says having these physical representations available helps ground visitors.
“During COVID, I know a lot of museums, galleries, tried to create online exhibitions and they were successful doing it, but there's still something that you don't experience out of a physical space,” she said.
Another major part of the exhibit is the involvement of the community’s spiritual leaders. Woosler felt it was important that they play a role in creating the physical elements.
Ireọlá Ọláifá is the exhibit’s other co-curator and says it’s important that the audience understands that this is a story about spirituality and people’s way of life.
“If we can all open our minds and open ourselves to learning more and understanding more about people's paths, it does create a level where we can begin to be more empathetic toward people … it does help us to understand things a bit better,” she said.
You can experience “Sancutrary: Our Sacred Place” at HistoryMiami Museum until Jan. 26, 2025. On Saturday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m,. choreographer Michelle Grant-Murray will lead an open discussion on the role of movement in healing, justice, and liberation. Afterward, the Olujimi Dancer Collective will perform.
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