Spirit in Metal

Sculpture by Jose Delpe

( *All images are from http://www.croixdesbouquets.net/)

The city of Croix-des-Bouquets lies just eight miles northeast of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital that was virtually leveled in last week's earthquake. Just four miles from the earthquake's epicenter, Croix-des-Bouquets seems to have been spared the level of devastation suffered in the capital. Normally ringing with the sounds of hammer and chisel on metal, this center of Haitian handicrafts is known for its many metalworking studios. Metalworkers take discarded oil drums and sculpt them into vibrant expressions of Haitian life, richly inspired by its vodou culture. The artisans carve trees of life, mermaids, vodou gods, fantastical sea creatures, and symbols from the natural world from the flattened drums.

Pelican

Metalworkers at the Studio of Serge Jolimeau

The metalworking community has a rich but recent history. The metal graveyard crosses of Croix-des-Bouquets blacksmith Georges Liautaud (1899-1992) came to the attention of international collectors in the 1950s. Demand for Liautaud's work grew quickly, and he trained other metalworkers to continue the tradition. Today there are some 50 flourishing metalworking ateliers and related shops in the city, which employ about 300 people.

Georges Liautaud

There are many artisanal centers like Croix-des-Bouquets in Haiti that help preserve the Caribbean nation's rich culture, itself a magical blend of West African and French influences. They thrive despite the nation's complex challenges: political (widespread political corruption and a legacy of American-supported dictatorship), economic (lack of infrastructure, scarce clean drinking water, and devastating poverty), and natural (deforestation, the 2009 hurricanes, and this 2010 earthquake among them). They offer hope that the people of Haiti, drawing on their own ingenuity and a strong cultural foundation, have the resources to turn disaster into opportunity.

Several organizations are working to aid these efforts. The Brandaid Project has been helping artisanal communities in Haiti create a brand for their products and introduce them to global markets. The organization buys products from artisans and markets them on their web site. Proceeds from Brandaid's sales of Haitian handicrafts are now being directed toward disaster relief. The Artisan Grants Initiative (AGI), which is funded through Vital Edge Aid, offers direct microgrants to artisan communities in Haiti and other countries. In the short term, aid organizations are helping survivors in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. Find a list of these groups here. Etsy crafters have also rushed to aid victims of the earthquake, donating their wares to Craft Hope's Etsy shop. All proceeds from the shop support Doctors Without Borders in Haiti.

To learn more about the Croix-des-Bouquets metalworkers, check out the article by Keith Recker in Hand/Eye Magazine, an impressive new source for the latest developments in international crafts. To learn more about and support the handicraft work of Haitian women, please visit Rebecca Sower's new Haiti by Hand blog. She offers a heartfelt, very personal connection to Haitian craftspeople, and she just returned from a visit to Haiti the week before the earthquake.