There's no doubt that art can help us cope with troubled times. It's a way to process the inexplicable, express the unutterable.
But with tens of thousands of Haitians still displaced and living in tent cities, some might consider art a luxury few can afford. Diane Ford Dessables, though, founder of Ayitian Arts Project, says that in addition to the obvious emotional benefits, there are real economic reasons for supporting Haiti's arts.
"What we're doing here is focusing on art and using art as a means of spurring community development," she tells NPR's Michel Martin.
She's the person behind 3 Pent Ayisyen (Three Haitian Painters), a small exhibition at a Washington, D.C., restaurant that focuses on the works of artists who live and work around the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
"We're actually trying to increase the income artists receive -- and that residual income permeates throughout the Haitian economy," Dessables says.
While small in scope, the aim behind the exhibit is to generate enough funds through the sale of paintings to repair an arts school in Jacmel that was left damaged by the earthquake that devastated the country two years ago.
The exhibition features works by artists Augustin Mona, Michelet "Najee" Calice and Henry Robert Derazin. It will be on display at Washington's Busboys and Poets restaurant through Feb. 17.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
88.5 WFDD · Your NPR News & Triad Arts Station from
Wake Forest University · wfdd@wfu.edu 1834 Wake Forest Road #8850 · Winston-Salem, NC 27109 · 336-758-8850
88.5 WFDD, the NPR® news and Triad Arts station broadcasting from Wake Forest University, is the only public radio station of its kind located in the Piedmont Triad. It broadcasts news, information, and public affairs programming covering the arts, people, and institutions in the area from both its Winston-Salem and Greensboro studios.
The state's charter NPR® member, 88.5 WFDD is the longest continuously broadcasting public radio station in North Carolina. It is a member of the North Carolina Public Radio Association.
9(MDAxNzgwMzIyMDEyMTQ4NzkxNDM0OWYxYg004))