MIAMI GARDENS – Archbishop Curley Notre Dame Art Gallery and St. Thomas University present the Haitian Women Artisan Exhibit, consisting of artwork from Jean Rabel, Haiti, on January 14, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at ACND Art Gallery at 4949 NE 2nd Avenue, in Miami.
St. Thomas University Art Management graduate students Marcia Guerrero, Fanny Fraynd and Nathalia Bonnery are the curators of the Haitian Women Artisan Exhibit and will introduce the delightful work of the Haitian artisans from Jean Rabel, Haiti. The story of the art of the Haitian women is the story of a loving community of hope who portray, through their paintings and handcrafts, scenes from their daily life using the indigenous materials they have on hand.
The exhibit embodies artwork that allows artisan women to support their families with food, clothing, and an opportunity to go to school and expand their cooperative with equipment and supplies. This project is coordinated in the United States entirely by volunteers from St. Thomas University, Amor en Accion, and Catholic Charities, which represents an alternative approach to trade that is rooted in the Church’s commitment to uphold the dignity of every person to build mutually respectful long-term trading
relationships.
The Forest of Artists, as they call themselves, have created a unique Haitian cross on which a brown Christ is surrounded on four sides by the causes of the terrible suffering of the Haitian people: hunger, the situation of women, the harsh condition of infancy, lack of homes, deforestation, the death by drowning of those attempting to flee the island for Nassau or Florida. The vibrant colors signify the resurrection in the midst of so much death: the hope and joy of the knowledge of salvation.
The exhibit will be preceded by an Eucharistic celebration starting at 6:00 p.m. to commemorate the artwork from the Haitian women. The gallery will open at 7:00 p.m. followed by the screening of the documentary film Blooming Hope: Harvesting Smiles in Port-de-Paix, which features three long term sustainable projects in the North West
department of Haiti, including a fair-trade Coffee Cooperative, the Haitian Artisan
Initiative and a solar energy project. The documentary chronicles the life of Tata
Dumasie, an artisan woman who supports her family with her handcrafts.
This Haitian Women Artisan Exhibit is free admission.
Paintings and handcrafts will be available for sale. Also, COCANO coffee will be offered for tasting. This coffee is produced in the rich mountains of the North West of Haiti by the Cafeiere et Cacaouyere du Nord’Ouest (COCANO) cooperative.
