Life for the Atis Fanm has already changed for the better. They are making a living and are proud of their growing skills as silk artists. They have become a respected and influential voice in the community and a portion of their earnings now go back to support other local projects. All of them feel more in control of their destiny as they see there are creative alternatives to helplessly watching their land deplete or leaving the safety of where they grew up to try to survive in the unforgiving slums of Port-au-Prince.

A Brighter Future for the Atis Fanm

 

In conjunction with the Matènwa Community Learning Center and ongoing grassroots support back in the U.S. , the Sant Atizana-The Artist’s Center - was built as a place for the artists to work and store their materials. The building has two rooms, a courtyard and cool verandas for people to gather or artists to work outside in good weather. The surrounding grounds serve as community gardens and performance areas.

The artists have already outgrown the original building and we are in process constructing more work studios so that more people can join us in learning new expressive art forms.

 

We welcome your tax deductable donation. It goes directly to support the arts project and is a vote of confidence to the members of this community and their life-affirming goals. For tax-deductible information and
additional inquiries, email RaRa: here

 

 

 

An Expanding Creative Engagement with Traditional and New Imagery, Processes, and Materials - These new products can be seen at our shop RaRa in Wellfleet, MA. The success of the silk painters has spawned new interest in other forms of artistic expression among their peers. A group of women now create traditional Haitian ceremonial flags with thousands of sequins and beads. There is a group of young men and women hand- cutting sterling silver jewelry, another group are designing bold, original linoleum prints on paper and cloth, and their involvement with the Zanmitè Sant Atizana has expanded their traditional craft of embroidered paintings.
		DRAPO The Creole "Drapo" comes from the French "Drapeau" or "Flag." They are, with the Haitian drum, the closest thing to an indigenous art form in Haiti. Like the drum, the Drapo originated in West Africa and was brought over by those who were enslaved and incorporated into Haiti’s own changing Vodou religion. Originally ceremonial, the flags are worn during dances by practitioners to call down the power of individual deities whose symbols are emblazoned on the flags. Each glittering design is stitched sequin by sequin and bead by bead, taking two women up to a month to complete. Each is signed by the artists and no two are alike.
		PRINTMAKING Having grown up too poor to have access to art in school or art materials at home, printmaking was a completely new idea to them. We brought samples of Inuit, African, East Indian, American and Haitian artwork for inspiration and began to teach them a fundamental awareness of technique, design and care of materials. Each winter we return with more supplies to an enthusiastic group of young artists eager to keep on printing.
		JEWELERY A few years ago Deirdre Oringer - a professional jewelry designer - visited Matènwa to instruct a few young adults in the art of cutting sterling silver. Silver design is a demanding art form. The pieces and the tools that make them are small and precise and require patience as well as manual dexterity. Because the materials are very expensive there is little room to make mistakes. Deirdre began with the basics but now the young craftsmen and women have gained skill and confidence in their work. They pass long, dedicated hours when materials are available and have, with the sales of their jewelry, been able to help their families and pay for their own schooling.
		EMBROIDERY Embroidery has been a skill passed on from mother to daughter in villages all over Haiti, but is usually limited to small folkloric patterns on shirts and table covers. The women artists of Matènwa are experimenting with embroidered paintings -- bigger, bolder, using more personal and expressive imagery than the traditional style.