Haitian Recovery through Art
By Ronda Bernstein on 08/13/2010 @ 02:00 PM
On a recent Friday evening, I attended an exhibition opening. It was like many other openings in Washington – food, drink, music, meet-and-greets with the artists. The difference was this exhibition is on display at the Embassy of Haiti and the artists involved provided the artwork to honor the spirit of the Haitian people as being resourceful, hopeful and determined, even after the earthquake that destroyed their country.
Right now, the American public has switched their attention to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and its aftermath on the US economy. However, seven months later, the people of Haiti are still suffering from the ghastly effects of the 35-second earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010. Therefore, in April, the Haitian Embassy put out a call to artists of Haitian descent for an exhibit for the Embassy in Washington. The theme, “Strength and Hope in Unity” yielded many submissions from Haitian artists from all over the world expressing commitment and solidarity with the Haitian people through their donated artwork.
Five pieces were selected for permanent exhibition at the Embassy with five other pieces to be temporarily displayed. The pieces include paintings as well as photographs. For the opening, Haitian performing artists that live locally donated their time to make the event a full presentation of Haitian culture which included an actor, poet, pianist, harpist, drummer, writer, and soloist. As hoped, the event honored the creative spirit of Haiti and expressed a commitment to a brighter future for the devastated island nation where they plan to not only rebuild, but build back better. It also reminded those in attendance of the work that still needs to be done.
While the Embassy used art as a way to capture the emotion of the earthquake, the First Lady of Haiti decided to use it as a way to heal from those same emotions. Madame Elisabeth D. Préval reached out to Haitian artist Philippe Dodard to found Plas Timoun – The Children’s Place. There Haitian children, ages six through ten, are able to convey, through the use of visual and performing arts, their experiences and feelings during and since the tragedy.
The effect of the earthquake on Haitian children was great. Nearly 4,000 children died in their schools when the buildings collapsed. Ninety-percent of the school infrastructure was destroyed, leaving nearly 1.2 million children without schools. Many children went into shock and suffer post-traumatic stress syndrome from witnessing the horrifying scenes of collapsing buildings, family members killed, people being pulled from wreckage, and bodies scattered on the street. The Plas Timoun provides an immediate psychological response with programming aimed at relieving the minds of the participating children from the horrors they are still surrounded by. The children have an opportunity to express themselves through art, theater, music and sports.
And, it’s working. Over the course of the program, the artwork has gradually moved from dark and gloomy to a brighter place. Some of the artwork can be seen at an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, June 17 - October 17, 2010. The exhibit, The Healing Power of Art: Works of Art by Haitian Children after the Earthquake presents the children’s vision of themselves and the reconstruction of their country. More on the exhibit can be found at the museum website.
Contributions to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund are still being accepted.
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