Haiti Arts & Crafts
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Helping Haiti x Three
Each year, Mission Haiti Inc. holds several arts & crafts sales around the Twin Cities. Proceeds from the sales benefit our education, elder care, and farming projects. But that's not all. When you purchase a work of Haitian art, your dollars support the artisan community in Haiti, as well. Then, when the proceeds go back to our projects in Haiti, Haitian workers are hired and Haitian goods and materials are purchased, which stimulates the Haitian economy.
Share or Take Home a Little Piece of Haiti
Haitian artistry is beyond compare and recognized around the world for its uniqueness and aesthetics. We like to think that having a little piece of Haiti at home or that sharing a piece of Haitian art serves as a reminder that while there is great poverty in Haiti, there is a wealth of beauty, as well.
Learn more about the art and artisans of Haiti:
Comité Artisanal Haitïen (CAH)
MHI purchases crafts from CAH at the Port au Prince story.
For over 30 years, Comité Artisanal Haitïen (CAH) has been a reliable source of high quality, handcrafted items that celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of Haitian crafts. We work to support Haitian artisans by providing them with professional development services and marketing their products. We are reviving the pride in traditional handicrafts while improving the lives of artisans, their families, and their communities throughout Haiti.
The Legacy of Haitian Metal Art
MHI purchases art directly from the artisans in Croix des Bouquet.
In the 1950s, DeWitt Peters, a patron of Haitian arts, was intrigued by the iron crosses marking many of the above-ground tombs. Peters discovered the blacksmith who had fashioned the crosses, soon to be renowned Haitian artist Georges Liautaud…and so began Haitian metal art. The original raw material was iron, but with many goods shipped to Haiti in 55-gallon steel oil drums, there was a ready supply of discarded drums for the artisans.
Over the years the number of Haitian metal artists has multiplied via families and mentor / students embracing the craft. The center of Haitian metal arts is the village of Croix-des-Bouquets, where the clang-clang of metal on metal, the hammers banging out the sculptures, provides constant music.
The artisans start with designs inspired by nature and culture. From cardboard patterns, they trace their design with chalk on the flattened metal from torn-down oil drums. With chisels and hammers, they carefully cut and decorate the metal by hand. Each piece is shaped and smoothed, then the artists boldly and proudly chisel their name on to the metal sculpture.
--from Beyond Borders
www.beyondbordersfairtrade.com
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