tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100210832024-03-06T23:29:37.292-05:00Haitian ArtThis is a place where I will post information about specific Haitian Art interests.Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-61608748675621591522012-12-05T16:43:00.002-05:002012-12-05T16:43:37.304-05:00COME TO HAITIAN ART SHOW!Please call 954-792-9887 for directions to my home in west Broward County, Florida on Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9 or the following weekend -- Saturday, December 15 and Sunday, December 16 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. all days.<br />
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This is when I sell special Haitian artwork from my personal collection, along with new artwork -- exquisite metal sculptures both painted and unpainted, gorgeously embellished Vodou flags (sequined and beaded sacred textiles), and small paintings, perfect for gift-giving. In addition, there are outstanding paintings by the Saint Soleil artists and others like the under-sung Jacques Valmidor.<br />
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If you cannot make it to the annual show, please ask me for a photo packet, customized to your taste and budget. Mention what style of art and what medium most interests you and we can proceed with a free photo packet, with sizes, descriptions and prices.<br />
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Come and be dazzled by what you find. -- Candice Russell Candice Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06716624218124183589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-82747857764633079352010-10-07T13:58:00.002-04:002010-10-07T13:58:46.975-04:00Haitian Artists Get a BreakMacy’s, the well-known department store, is launching its Heart of Haiti Collection, with an average of thirty-five per cent of each sale going directly back to Haitian artists. We’re talking about paintings and metal crafts to be sold at branches of Macy’s. There are forty items available, including a $10 metal pendant, a $275 oil painting, and many items priced more reasonably from $25 to $60, with the idea being that almost anyone could afford an original piece of Haitian art. Candle holders, clutch purses, napkin rings, trays, mirrors, coasters and fruit sculptures are among the offerings. Roughly 350 artists have been employed in this effort.<br />
Highly acclaimed metal sculptor Serge Jolimeau has work in the Heart of Haiti Collection. With ten employees, according to a Sunday story in the Miami Herald, he was quoted as saying that the order from Macy’s has been a boon to him and his staff: “A lot of people are working.”<br />
The project grew out of a May meeting convened by the William J. Clinton Foundation to figure out how to revive the Haitian art community. Good for Clinton and good for Haiti, where so much progress after January’s earthquake seems to be in pathetic slow motion. And this first collection is not just a one-shot deal. A spring collection is already in the works. <br />
If you want to attend a launch partying South Florida, head to Dadeland Macy’s Home Store at 7675 North Kendall Drive in Miami this Thursday at 6 p.m.. Several Haitian artists whose work is featured in the collection will be on hand to show and discuss their work. <br />
--Candice Russell<br />
-30-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-53023897732791826282010-08-16T19:52:00.000-04:002010-08-16T19:52:05.973-04:00Haitian Art Show in Miami, Florida“Tap-Tap: Celebrating the Art of Haiti” is currently on view at the Frost Art Museum located on the campus of Florida International University in Miami, Florida. This modest show, drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, features a papier-mache tap-tap, a colorful bus topped with fruits and vegetables and people riding on the back end, and wonderfully primitive paintings by the under-rated Wagler Vital, including one titled “Fishing Boats.” As written about by Tom Austin in Sunday’s Miami Herald newspaper, the exhibition also displays work by papier-mache master Lionel Simonis, painter Gerard Fortune, and Edouard Duval-Carrie, unarguably the best-known living Haitian expatriate artist. <br />
A brochure accompanies the exhibition. It is free to all visitors, as is the show, which continues through September 5. For more information, telephone 305/348-2890 or visit the museum at 10975 Southwest 17th Street in Miami, Florida 33199. <br />
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--Candice RussellRayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-48869545572713387062010-08-10T19:25:00.002-04:002010-08-10T19:25:54.361-04:00Aid to Haiti and QuestionsFood for the Poor, a non-profit organization based in Coconut Creek, Florida with a big hand in Haiti’s post-earthquake recovery, mailed out this week a full-color, oversized brochure highlighting its achievements. It was refreshing to read what this charitable entity has accomplished so far -- the building of 802 housing units, 45 water projects, 361 tractor-trailer loads of food and water distributed and 449 tractor-trailer loads of various other relief supplies delivered. But the work is far from done. <br />
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To learn more about Food for the Poor or to donate to its continuing efforts, telephone 954/427-2222. The mailing address is 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073. <br />
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While it is good to know that someone is doing something about providing substantial help in Haiti, rather than just promises of money, what rankles me is the absence of any entity willing or able to coordinate efforts to help the future of Haitian art and artists in Haiti, both living and deceased. Is anyone in the Haitian government coordinating an effort to preserve the paintings and other art objects damaged but still salvageable from the earthquake? What about the Biblically inspired murals at the Saint Trinity Episcopal Church in Port-au-Prince? Is there a register of artists who passed away during the tragedy and a list of who survived? <br />
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Maybe with all that needs to be done in Haiti, it is too soon to be asking these questions. But my curiosity remains keen to know the answers.<br />
--Candice RussellRayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-63019194162615824782010-08-07T09:10:00.002-04:002010-08-07T09:10:52.610-04:00Great Haitian Bookstore Survives in MiamiLibreri Mapou is the centerpiece and some may even say the heart of Little Haiti, a district in Miami, Florida where Haitians live, work, and do commerce on the streets selling clothing, fruits and plants just like they do in Port-au-Prince. In a story in the Miami Herald this week, the 20th anniversary of the exceptional bookstore Libreri Mapou was the focus. It has survived the current economic recession and remains the intellectual soul of a community, as well as a gathering place for artists and others who want a strong connection to Haiti.<br />
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In years past, Libreri Mapou had Haitian paintings and crafts for sale in an upstairs room. It was always the place to buy delicious cremas at Christmas. If you want color postcards from Haiti and books in French, Creole and English about Haiti including books about Haitian art, this is the place to visit.<br />
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One of the unexpected treasures I found there was an eye-poppingly gorgeous hard-cover interior/home design book called “Interieurs d’Haiti” by Roberto Stephenson and Marie-Louise Fouchard measuring nine inches by seventeen inches. Pictured inside in full color are the homes of Haitians, rich and less than middle class. Regardless of economic circumstances, the owners of these remarkable places have employed a similar aesthetic -- an appreciation for bright colors, original paintings and other artwork, and a love of the eclectic.<br />
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So congratulations to owner Jean Mapou of Libreri Mapou for keeping the intellectual flame of Haiti alive in South Florida for those who live here and those visitors savvy enough to pay the store a visit. It is located at 5919 Northeast Second Ave. in Miami, Florida 33137. The telephone number is 305/757-9922.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-30-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-35971329850921798332010-08-05T15:11:00.002-04:002010-08-05T15:11:19.648-04:00Flying Kites for HaitiA symbol of hope and freedom, a kite is a fitting symbol for Haiti’s rebirth in the aftermath of the cataclysmic earthquake in January that changed the island forever. On August 22 in various cities throughout the U.S., Haiti and the Bahamas, at exactly 4:53 p.m. (the time that the earthquake began on January 12), kites will be flown in New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. in this country, plus other sites beyond its borders. Victims of this terrible tragedy will be honored and remembered.<br />
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Involving the participation of 200 children is the job of Plas Timoun, an organization created with the First Lady of Haiti and Haitian artist Philippe Dodard . It is dedicated to providing art education and art therapy to children affected by the earthquake. <br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end=Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-90442572826820103832010-07-29T19:31:00.000-04:002010-07-29T19:31:07.949-04:00Wyclef Jean for Haitian President?Famed singer/rapper Wyclef Jean, a founding member of the Fugees, just announced the possibility that he might run in the next election to become president of Haiti. The current president, Rene Preval, has made Jean a goodwill ambassador for Haiti.<br />
Though Jean’s political qualifications are as yet unknown, he has been a tireless advocate for Haiti, bringing attention to the hard-hit island nation long before the earthquake on January 12th. The unfurling of the Haitian national flag at concerts and performances, as in the televised benefit for earthquake survivors, is a trademark of Jean, who never forgets his roots. He takes every chance he can to celebrate Haiti at a time when Haiti is unfairly denigrated in the media. <br />
What would it mean to Haiti if Wyclef Jean became president of Haiti? It is too soon to speculate. But I am fairly certain that he would focus a laser beam of light on the arts of Haiti, from music to visual expression in all forms. Cultural tourism of the truest kind might be the result.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-7479445825887188722010-07-15T13:31:00.001-04:002010-07-15T13:33:51.860-04:00How to Assist the Arts in HaitiA very special event takes place next month in the state of Maryland. It is the first ever meeting of the Haiti Cultural Economy Forum. The theme is “Remake the Landscape, Retain the Spirit: Strategies for the Rebirth of Haiti through Her Arts and Culture.”<br />
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The event is set for August 20 to 22 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Tentatively scheduled to appear is Ambassador Raymond Joseph from the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C. The cost for early registration, prior to July 21, is $170. For more information, visit the web site <br />
<a href="http://www.haiticultureforum.com">www.haiticultureforum.com</a>. <br />
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This web site states, “The Forum is a discussion on a shared vision for Haiti and how the needs of the Haitian people can be met using Haitian arts and culture to grow and develop. It is designed to establish alliances, mobilize available assets, and identify needed resources to articulate Haiti’s future and its prosperity.” <br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-83997136239662378222010-07-06T10:30:00.000-04:002010-07-06T10:30:48.680-04:00A Friend From Haiti Goes to New YorkImagine a lifetime in Haiti, through good times in childhood to bad times including the January 12th earthquake. Then imagine boarding your first airplane flight and traveling with two of your children to New York City, to be greeted by your sister and your mother whom you haven’t seen in decades, plus assorted relatives. <br />
This is what happened on Thursday to my friend Mr. Lange Rosner. I spoke to him by telephone a few hours after he arrived in the United States. Amid the joyful sounds of a little dog barking and people laughing and talking the background, Mr Rosner told me, “This is a very, very beautiful city….This is not a dream.”<br />
I am so happy that Mr. Rosner is here, though key members of his family weren’t granted exit visas. He had been trying to come to the United States for twelve years and the possibility that he would be coming was hard to believe in previous months, considering the terrible conditions in Haiti and the desire among untold thousands of people to leave the broken country. The fact that Mr. Rosner is here is a perfect story for this Fourth of July holiday weekend. How many of us, like myself whose grandmother hailed from Norway, are a generation or two away from being born and growing up in another country? <br />
So celebrate, my good friend Mr. Rosner. You deserve all the magnificent times to come.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-23880904818119231112010-07-01T12:08:00.000-04:002010-07-01T12:08:05.242-04:00Helping Haiti from FloridaAll Floridians of Haitian heritage who want to help Haiti in the recovery process after the January 12th earthquake, here is your opportunity. On July 17th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, there will be a Haitian Hometown Association Workshop to provide training to local Haitian-American organizations on fund-raising, grant-writing and organizational training. It is sponsored by FAVACA, which stands for the Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas. So much needs to be done on every level, from basic infrastructure needs like housing and roads to cultural heritage re-building and conservation, like saving the priceless Biblical-themed four murals that survived the earthquake at the cathedral in Port-au-Prince.<br />
The workshop will be led by FAVACA volunteer James Mueller with the aim to help improve conditions in Haiti. Also present will be Tania Delinois, who provided post-trauma counseling in Haiti after the earthquake. For more information, the telephone number is 305/470-5070. <br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-73672475032378609572010-06-30T10:14:00.000-04:002010-06-30T10:14:01.245-04:00Art by Haitian Children on DisplayThe Smithsonian Institution’s Ripley Center in Washington, D.C. opened an exhibition of 100 paintings and drawings made in the aftermath of the January 12th earthquake by Haitian children. On view for the past two weeks and continuing through October, the show kicked off with the participation of Elisabeth Preval, wife of Haiti’s current president Rene Preval. She called it a reminder of the fact that Haiti still needs help. <br />
Mrs. Preval wants the help of U.S. museum professionals and conservators in the recovery effort of Haiti’s visual heritage, she told the Associated Press news service. “This is fundamental for our nation,” said the First Lady of the Caribbean nation. “This is our cultural heritage. This is us…My dream and my hope is to make sure the world does not forget Haiti.”<br />
While so much of the news has been bad about the earthquake’s effect on museums, galleries and private collections of Haitian art, there is one small bright spot. At least four of the murals done at mid-century in the Episcopal Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince survived this horrific natural disaster and can be saved. Private dollars from different sources are going toward this effort. The largest donation so far is $276,000 made by the trade association the Broadway League. Each of these entities gave $30,000 to the recovery project -- the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.. The plan is for U.S. conservators to hand over the reins for most of this meticulous work to Haitian professionals by November, 2011.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-11102093268861179892010-06-25T08:09:00.002-04:002010-06-25T08:09:46.808-04:00Weird Haitian PaintingDo you like weird art? I guess the answer depends on just how weird in terms of what elements are included. In this case, I am talking about a painting on canvas I bought more than two decades ago in Haiti. This untitled work, measuring sixteen inches by twenty inches, is signed by Jean Claude Mehu, the artist, and dated 1987. It is weird, but also strangely compelling to me, because of its abrogation of one of the first visual art rules -- create a central focus.<br />
There is no central focus in my painting. Rather, there are competing points of interest, including the woman in the foreground pouring a pitcher of water inside on what might be rumpled blue clothing or a rock inside her house! In the background is a tree growing out of a table with a neat blue tablecloth on which three fat rats scamper next to the naked light bulb hanging from the ceiling. <br />
Other unexplainable elements abound. Priests in long robes gossip in the background next to a bamboo fence, which is being repaired by a workman. Someone else stands on scaffolding to paint one of three houses in the background. A man in a red and white checkered shirt, blue kerchief, and gray knit cap holds what appears to be a small panther under its arms. <br />
But the weirdest and most confounding bit of all is the bushy-tailed orange squirrel that dominates the right corner of the painting. He is sitting next to a bricked pool with water and is so wildly out of perspective that if the squirrel stood on its hind legs, he could be taller than the woman. What to make of Mehu’s wild imagination? I have pondered this painting many times and never put it up for sale because I cannot get to the bottom of it.<br />
The thing is, it’s beautifully painted with meticulous detail. There are multiple narratives going on, none of which make a complete lot of sense. Once I get started looking at this painting, I cannot stop. With these thoughts in mind, maybe Mehu got it right. He created a painting that grabs the viewer’s attention in a way that one doesn’t want to let go.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-30788784257778700142010-06-14T07:30:00.002-04:002010-06-14T07:30:52.838-04:00Haitian Art in South FloridaFor the past two Sundays, I have hosted Haitian art aficionados in my home. One is a veteran collector who lives in Miami, an erudite architect whose taste is eclectic and sophisticated. Another is a folk art lover with a fondness for many cultures, including Haitian. What got this man interested in Haitian art was a gift from Don Francisco, the colorful host of the Spanish-language TV variety show “Sabado Gigante.” It was a Haitian painting that Don Francisco had bought from Dr. Carlos Jara, a fellow Chilean like himself, who lived in Haiti and had a popular gallery there. Carlos was my closest friend before his untimely death in May, 1999. The third visitor was a woman from Hollywood, Florida, who had seen a Vodou flag on my website and wanted to see it in person. <br />
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Discussions of Haitian art with people truly interested in knowing more about it are an exciting aspect of being a collector and seller. Looking things up in books, doing Internet research, even staring at paintings of particular beauty are all part of my fascination with this subject. The past two Sundays were filled with these moments and more. I am looking forward to more such wonderful days.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-2869419747904259632010-06-09T16:52:00.002-04:002010-06-09T16:52:59.316-04:00All Arts of the CaribbeanIf you want to experience the Caribbean in its full cultural glory, head to Vinoy Park in downtown Saint Petersburg, Florida on June 12 and 13 for the Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival. There will be DJs, an ethnic parade, a steel band, internationally renowned Caribeean recording artists, a "mas" costume exhibition, food and crafts, which I would assume include the remarkable art of Haiti. Sounds like a good time. <br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-2357243420818218822010-06-02T13:14:00.002-04:002010-06-02T13:14:47.223-04:00Music Scene Revives in HaitiLeave it to the good and caring journalists and editors at the Miami Herald newspaper to continue to keep Haiti in mind with interesting stories. Congratulations to reporter Jacqueline Charles for her long story about the Haitian music scene and such popular bands as Kreyol La, Barikad Crew and Djakout Mizik. A recent street party authorized by the government involved hundreds of people who paraded through downtown Port-au-Prince in a sort of celebration of life going on after the terrible January earthquake. Charles called the event “the first major dance party in Haiti’s crumbled capital since the 7.0 magnitude, and signaled a return to the vibrant nightlife that has characterized this nation through good times and gloom.”<br />
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RAM, led by Richard Morse, the affable manager of the famed Hotel Oloffson in the island nation’s capital, set the crowd ablaze with pleasure in sound, sight and movement. Not surprising, considering that RAM rocks the rafters of the Oloffson every Thursday night (or at least it used to) from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Who better to lead this musical resurgence than RAM with its roots-based music, singers and dancers?<br />
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If I were Charles’ assignment editor, I would have her researching the visual arts scene to assess the damage to Haiti’s museums, the seminal Le Centre d’Art that launched so many careers, and galleries. Which artists survived the earthquake and who didn’t make it? What is the aesthetic thrust of the art scene? All of these are good questions begging for answers for people who love Haiti and long for its renaissance.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-63497925881566183052010-05-27T20:04:00.002-04:002010-05-27T20:04:59.305-04:00Florida Filmmakers Visit HaitiIn its May newsletter, the Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas, also known as FAVACA, reports that a team from Florida State University’s College of Motion Pictures went to Haiti from April 25 to May 1 of this year. The team was on a mission to make a short documentary. Interviewed for the film were the minister of tourism, the minister of culture and communications, the head of the bureau of civil protection, the Village of Vision in Lamardelle, and the Haiti Hotel Association. FAVACA, based in Tallahassee, Florida, exists to help promote social and economic development throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. Let’s hope the film turns up at a civic film festival near you.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-27060668241869190692010-05-23T18:06:00.000-04:002010-05-23T18:06:41.895-04:00How Will Earthquake Affect Haitian Art?Can a devastating natural event impact the direction of Haitian art? The question takes shape in the minds of Haitian art collectors. It is also partially answered in a recent Wall Street Journal article by Miriam Jordan with the headline “The New Realities of Haitian Painting.” With a byline of Jacmel, Haiti, the writer interviews Onel Bazelais, a Haitian painter who cannot help but turn his attention to the crumbled buildings and desperate people he saw in the aftermath of the January 12th earthquake. The painting he holds in a photograph that accompanies the story shows houses without their roofs and people abject in the streets, wondering what to do. The earthquake is inspiring Bazelais.<br />
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Other artists are following suit. My friend Eric Jean Louis, an artist who lives in Miami, Florida, says that Michel Monnin, a gallery dealer in Haiti, is paying the artists he knows to document the destruction and survival stories post-earthquake in paintings. While documenting the life around them has always driven Haitian artists, one cannot help but wonder if collectors want to hang paintings of the disaster on their walls. It takes a very special collector to want to own a visual documentation of such enormous horror. Certainly such imagery is not for the majority of Haitian art collectors, though it may be important to historians and museums.<br />
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Political coups and military overthrows have been the subject of Haitian paintings in the past twenty years. So have other natural disasters. I own a painting by the late Jean Baptiste Jean that pictures what happens after a flood, with people and debris in a watery mess. While I haven’t tried to sell the painting (because I like it too much), I doubt that many people would be interested in it. <br />
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With Haitian art commonly associated with joy and the transcendence of harsh realities, it is anyone’s guess where the artists of now will take their paintings in six or twelve months from now.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-43941538079112737082010-05-21T17:54:00.002-04:002010-05-21T17:54:44.131-04:00Haitian Children View Their WorldIn a unique photographic exhibition titled “Haiti Unmasked,” twelve children from Foyer Maurice Sixto, a center in Haiti for child domestic laborers, took pictures of their world with Holga cameras. They attended weekly workshops, went on field trips and profited from the guidance provided by people from the non-profit organization Kids with Cameras, which teaches the art of photography to marginalized children around the world. The results are on view at the MIA Galleries, which is located at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida in Concessions Hall/South Terminal, between Concourses H and J. The exhibition is free and open to the public, on view now through this August.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-44494977770145206342010-05-10T08:24:00.000-04:002010-05-10T08:24:10.382-04:00Life for Haiti’s OrphansA superb one-hour documentary with Soledad O’Brien was produced by and televised on the Cable News Network (CNN) this weekend. “Rescued” spotlights what life is like for orphans in Haiti, both pre and post-earthquake. With footage from several years ago of the boys and girls at the Lighthouse Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, also known as La Maison des Lumieres, the program focused specifically on Cendy, a girl of age six when the earthquake struck last January 12, and a young man named Mackenson, now age eighteen who spent a few formative years at the orphanage after being sold by his family to become an in-house slave or restavec in Haiti.<br />
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Days after the earthquake, the already quiet Cendy becomes even more withdrawn. She was given up by her parents, who visit her once for an uncomfortable few minutes, then never return to the orphanage. Mackenson, whose sister was adopted by a family in the United States, only wants to help his home country and works tending the garden at the orphanage. The American couple who run the orphanage take in as many more children as capacity and resources will allow, including a young woman and her newborn baby whose own home collapsed in the earthquake. A triage unit is set up in the courtyard and amputations are performed on suffering adults under the stars. The images are heartbreaking.<br />
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But there is hope. This isn’t an orphanage involved in shipping as many kids out of Haiti as possible. The Lighthouse is all about raising Haitian children with education and Christian faith within Haiti. Though many of these children aren’t officially orphans since they have parents, they are officially abandoned. No one in their families wants them. The alternative to being there is working and living on the streets for pennies got from begging because the government has no means to take care of these children. The Lighthouse appears to be doing good work, according to the documentary, by saving lives and putting Haiti first in the hearts of these children, who deserve so much.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-30-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-71025503428546667132010-05-06T20:38:00.000-04:002010-05-06T20:38:02.883-04:00May MattersDid you know that the month of May is devoted to Haitian heritage? The event is of special interest to anyone living in a city with a large Haitian expatriate population, like Miami, Florida or New York City. On May 18, Haitians celebrate flag day. Just two days later on May 20 is the birthday of Toussaint Louverture, a hero of the Haitian national independence movement. But culture encompasses more than patriotism and history. It’s about art, music, dance, storytelling and getting in touch with the creative roots of a most remarkable culture.<br />
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Here is a rundown of what South Floridians can look forward to, along with visitors to the area in a Haitian frame of mind. Today (Friday, May 7th) there will be an exhibition of Haitian art opening tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Regions Bank, 2800 Ponce de Leon Boulevard in Coral Gables. The curator of the show, which runs through June 4th, is well-known Haitian art dealer Michele Frisch, who owns Galerie Marassa in Petionville, Haiti. Admission is free. For more information, telephone 1-786/290-9718.<br />
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Another free exhibition is “Contemporary Haitian Memory in Motion, From the Rubble We Rise Once Again” at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 N.E. 59th Terrace in Miami. Curated by Babacar Mbow, the show features master contemporary artists from Port-au-Prince. Hours of the center are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The art is on display through June 30th. For more information, telephone 1-305/960-2969.<br />
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Traditional Haitian storytelling with Lilianne Nerette takes place on May 15th from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the North Miami Public Library located at 835 N.E. 132nd Street in North Miami. Admission is free. For more information, telephone 1-305/892-0843.<br />
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A Haitian Flag Day Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Central Broward Regional Park at 3700 N.W. 11th Place in Fort Lauderdale. Admission is $20 with children under twelve free. Look for Sweet Micky, Alan Cave, Misty Jean, Eddy Francois and others to perform. For more information, telephone 1/954-290-3995.<br />
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The Twelfth Annual Compas Festival is set from 12 noon to midnight on May 15th at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. This is the big music festival featuring Barikad Crew, Zekle, T-Vice, Carimi and Kreyol La. Tickets are $35 in advance. For more information, telephone 1/305-945-8814.<br />
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A Haitian Flag Day Celebration featuring narrative storytelling, dance and music will take place on the plaza at the Museum of Contemporary Art at 770 N.E. 125th Street in North Miami. Admission for the event, from 6 to 8 p.m. on May 18th, is free. For more information, telephone 1/305/893-6211. In the same location, the North Miami Haiti Relief Fundraiser featuring the Laissez Faire Dance Group will take place on May 21st from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $40. For more information, telephone 1/305/895-9815 or 1/305/895-9818. It’s time to celebrate this vibrant culture.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-32399836680681303592010-05-04T21:24:00.002-04:002010-05-04T21:24:27.778-04:00Video Inspires Hope for HaitiWell worth seeing and contemplating is the eight-minute video posted on You Tube titled "Haiti -- Get Back Up" or "Ayiti Leve Kanpe." With music provided by the Deominiscan Republic Symphonic Orchestra, the story is told in moving images before and after the awful January earthquake that changed this island nation forever. <br />
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The scene is set with idealized images of a peaceful, pretty place -- beaches, waterfalls, schoolchildren walking to work in their clean uniforms, marchands balancing baskets of fruits on their heads before setting up on the street for a day of commerce. Haiti, pre-earthquake, is only this pristine in someone's fantasy of the place. But this is the moviemaker's perspective, not mine.<br />
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After the earthquake, which is partially shown in progress, the National Palace crumbles, funerals are held, bodies lie forgotten in the street. The images are appalling but not nearly as bad as some shown on the Cable News Network Television or in newspapers. One building bears graffiti that reads "help me" in French. There are little rowboats going out to sea in desperation to flee the devastation. But there is also hope in the form of drummers, smiling toddlers, and a boy flying a kite. The Haitians will survive.<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-7457906641144790932010-04-20T21:38:00.002-04:002010-04-20T21:38:23.184-04:00Marvelous Metal Sculptures Come to MiamiAn under-sung medium within Haitian art is metal sculptures, carefully crafted from the recycling of metal cylinders used for transporting all manner of goods. Master artist Serge Jolimeau and Michee Ramil Remy have their creations on display in the lobby of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami, Florida through May 30. The museum is located at 770 N.E. 125th Street in North Miami, Florida and the telephone is 305/893-6211.<br />
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On view are the artists’ originals for the 2009 Clinton Global Citizen Awards, on loan from the office of former U.S. President Bill Clinton. He was recently in Miami to discuss the Clinton Global Initiative at the University of Miami on how to rebuild Haiti. According to a report in the Miami Herald newspaper, Clinton released a statement: “As the Haitian people work to build their country back better…it has become more important than ever to assist Haitian artists and workers in their efforts to produce and sell their wonderful arts and crafts.” Amen to that!<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-30-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-14552570454192221682010-04-02T20:35:00.000-04:002010-04-02T20:35:33.335-04:00BENEFIT FOR HAITI IN MIAMIWhile the troubles of Haiti since the earthquake three months ago have largely fallen off the world's radar screen, some people and TV programs are keeping the attention where it should be. "Artists Support Haiti" is a benefit auction at the University of Miami Lowe Art Museum in Coral Gables (Miami), Florida. It is set for April 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. and a $10 donation is suggested. What visitors will find is wonderful Haitian art and American art, live music, food and beverages. All proceeds benefit the University of Miami Global Institute/Project Medishare, which has been working to help the people of Haiti with medical, educational agricultural needs. Physicians and other health care professionals affiliated with this project have been in Haiti since the earthquake treating the injured and working to build permanent medical facilities there.<br />
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The popular American TV show "Dancing with the Stars" featured dancers from Haiti in a tribute to what devastation took place there on January 12. Good for the show's producers to make people once again mindful of this wonderful country and remarkable creative talent.<br />
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--Candice RussellRayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-51141172027666542252010-03-31T08:24:00.002-04:002010-03-31T08:24:56.379-04:00South Florida Exhibition by Wonderful Haitian ArtistWhen ever the remarkable Miami resident Haitian-American/global artist Edouard Duval-Carrie has a solo exhibition, it is cause for celebration. Always evolving, taking his culture and recent events into perspective, the artist works as a painter, sculptor and scholar. Currently, he has a one-man show on view at the MIA Galleries (MIA is short for Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, where the show is located) in the Central Terminal Gallery in Concourse E, just past the security checkpoint. On view through May 15, “Memoire Sans Histoire” is free and open to the public.<br />
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In the oversized keeper postcard invitation to the show, Duval-Carrie writes beautifully about the latest body blow to Haiti -- the terrible earthquake of two months ago. He writes: “What astounds me is the resilience of the people. We know that we live a precarious life and as such we know that adversity is the rule. Rather than succumb to despair and anguish, we keep a brave face and more often than not we would rather sing, or as in my case, paint!<br />
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“I personally believe that most artists are, in one way or another, reflections of their immediate surroundings. The confrontations of the routine of daily life are bound to affect and influence their personal visions of the world. This general tendency simplifies my answers to inquiries concerning the relative importance of popular culture in the context of the contemporary art world. But with the advent of a rapid globalization and the proliferation of information at all levels, this permits everyone, and particularly artists, not only to take their ideas from a global well, but to react and ultimately act when information is close to their field of interest. The drama of the earthquake aftermath in Haiti is a case in point when it comes to me as an artist.”<br />
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The exhibition includes images of an ocean voyage and a conquering hero on horseback, perhaps a revolutionary hero or Saint Jacques Majeur, often portrayed on Vodou flags like this. The palette is more somber than the artist has used in recent years, perhaps reflecting a more contemplative view. In any case, please visit the exhibition and judge for yourself<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10021083.post-35404588414000826192010-03-28T18:36:00.000-04:002010-03-28T18:36:00.280-04:00Superb Painter Passes AwayIt is with great regret that news comes of the passing of Haitian painter Wilson Bigaud. He died on March 22, 2010 at 2 a.m., according to an email I received. His death follows the destruction of a major work by Bigaud, who was one of several contributors to the Biblical murals of Episcopal Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince. The church and its visual legacy dating back to the 1940s crumbled during the January 12 earthquake, which also decimated Le Centre d’Art, the personal collection of Georges Nader’s home/museum totaling many thousands of paintings, and who knows how many irreplaceable paintings and other artworks in galleries, offices, museums and private homes throughout the nation’s capital, suburbs and beyond.<br />
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Bigaud’s rise to fame began at the behest of the magnificent painter Hector Hyppolite, who brought him to Le Centre d’Art in 1946. A titan in the first generation of Haitian artists, Bigaud warranted a full chapter in Selden Rodman’s seminal book “Where Art is Joy: The First Forty Years of Haitian Art.” Rodman conceived the idea of the Biblical murals at the cathedral and oversaw their execution. Bigaud painted “The Marriage Feast at Cana” during which Christ turns water into wine at a country wedding, when he was only twenty years old. Sadly, vandals ruined the original mural before it was almost finished, so the artist had to begin again on this special creation.<br />
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Some people, including Rodman believed that Bigaud’s nervous breakdowns, which occurred between 1957 and 1961, had a deleterious effect on his art, meaning that he never painted as well after these episodes. I disagree. His paintings continued to be popular with collectors for decades afterward with no marked toll on his evocative artwork, including scenes of family and leisure as well as Vodou personages.<br />
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In the recent exhibition “Allegories of Haitian Life from the Jonathan Demme Collection” at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, Florida and accompanying book, which I co-authored with Axelle Liautaud, there were five paintings by Bigaud, an indication of his place in Haitian art. They included the peaceful “Beach Scene” (c. 1949), the riotously energetic “Carnival Costumes” (1954), and “Zombie” (c. 1965), of a person without a soul or a will being led from the graveyard. Bigaud returned to this last theme again and again in his artwork. In my personal collection is a painting of this same theme by the renowned artist, who is included in every published overview of the history of Haitian art. With soft colors reflecting the dead of night, the scene of a kind of resurrection takes place in a rural landscape. It is one of my favorite paintings.<br />
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The loss of Bigaud is enough to make one wonder who will future generations of scholars and art collectors be talking about in Haitian art 100 years from now. Will others reach the heights achieved by this remarkable man?<br />
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--Candice Russell<br />
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-the end-Rayjakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261784983158600446noreply@blogger.com