Moise, Petrouchka
As part of the inaugural DDes cohort, Dr. Petrouchka Moïse’s research focused on the identity and role of the Haitian artist. Her dissertation and exhibition are titled “Mitan-Morphic: The Evolution of the Contemporary Haitian Artist in Relation to Trauma”. Her work showcased contemporary artists who no longer allow the lens on the Haitian culture to be out of focus or limited in its range. In the Spring of 2020, Dr. Moïse became the first doctoral graduate of the state of Louisiana. Her post-doctoral research focuses on contemporary art in consecrated Vodou spaces.
Dr. Moïse was awarded a 2020 CLIR/Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Data Curation for Haitian Visual Arts. Dr. Moïse is central in coordinating the Haitian Art Digital Crossroads project (HADC). She works jointly with the Grinnell College Library and the Waterloo Center for the Arts. The HADC aims to make the Haitian art collection of the Waterloo Center for the Arts, the largest publicly held collection of Haitian art in the world, digitally accessible as a preparatory study for creating a digital hub for a network of online resources in Haitian and Caribbean studies.
As of 2022, Dr. Moïse accepted a position as Assistant Professor and Cultural and Community-Based Digital Curator at Grinnell College. In her role, she looks to develop interdisciplinary initiatives to enhance the learning experience of the academic and cultural community. She also expands her scholarship as an artist/scholar by investigating the narratives surrounding identity through resin, wood, word, and water. Being treated as an outsider, “I understand how important it is for an individual to have a sense of ownership in their identity, agency, and expression of their truths.” She aims to continue her research and work with others in art, culture, and education.