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Archive for the ‘HCX Programs’ Category
03.12.12
Ti Atis e anpil travay (Little Artists and a lot of work)
By Kassandra Khalil
The Ti Atis Arts Room Renovation was an interesting lesson in planning and group work. On two consecutive Saturdays in February at the dewy morning call time of 9am, a team of eager volunteers trickled in to P.S.189, The Bilingual Center in East New York, Brooklyn. Their first task: carrying construction and renovation supplies to the arts room on the 4thfloor. To most people, giving up their Saturday morning for semi-hard labor is sort of a no go. Not for the HCX volunteer. The eagerness and positive congenial mood of our team of volunteers got the HCX staff’s energy going more than the coffee did!
The renovation started with the cathartic gutting of a closet and speed sorting seemingly endless boxes of arts supplies that had been donated by members of the HCX community and Materials for the Arts. The “handy-er” volunteers took on the task of constructing the shelving for the closet as the rest of us began painting and beautifying the classroom. The creative students of P.S.189 took to making really psychedelic star decorations for the banner board while others gave the room a thorough scrub down.
By the end of the first week, we all thought that the next Saturday would be more of a light-weight finishing touches sort of deal. We were definitely wrong. After painting the closet, we moved on to the construction of the sliding door panels. Overcoming the hurdles of size, shape and the lack of clear instruction manuals, we got the doors to slide. While the rest of the team worked on filling the closet with the sorted bins of supplies, P.S.189 student volunteers began mounting their stars around the room. By the time both teams turned around, we were startled by the change we had made on the room. It looked great! The myriad of melon shades on the closets against the calming purple of the banner board pooled well with the finishing touch of a brand new blue and yellow floor rug.
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the room took place the following Friday morning. Students of P.S.189 thanked volunteers in the three teaching languages of th school: English, Kreyòl, and Spanish. Engy Lamour, one of the volunteers for the room renovation was actually an old student of P.S.189! He explained to the students the importance of the arts and the opportunity that going to a school like P.S.189 afforded him later in life. Afterwards, the students and Principal Berthe Faustin invited us for refreshments. The coffee, orange juice, and milk boxes tasted like nostalgia and a refreshing job well done.
Over the course of 2 weekends, our team of HCX volunteers succeeded in revitalizing an ironically drab arts room and made it into a positive and engaging arts space for the children of P.S.189. Thanks again for all you do! We can’t wait for the continuation of this project, the Ti Atis Collaborative Mural that begins in April! Click here for more information about HCX | Ti Atis Collaborative Mural Project.
A special thank you to Jeanne Heifetz and Brooklyn for Barack volunteers, without whom this project would have never been possible.
Click here for more photos from HCX | Ti Atis Room Renovation Project
This project was completed through funding from Citizens Committee for New York City and donations from Materials for the Arts as well as HCX friends like you!
Posted in Archive, Arts, Classes, Crafts, HCX Programs, Music, Youth Programs | No Comments »
12.22.11
Thank you to all who attended the AQ/Art Quake Exhibit Opening Reception at Five Myles Gallery last Friday! AQ/Art Quake is a group of 10 internationally known artists who have contributed to a portfolio of original contemporary prints available for collection. All proceeds from the portfolio sales benefit artists of KOLAJ.
In attendance from KOLAJ that evening, was Co-Director Anderson Ambroise, who spoke to guests about this current project. Other participating artists such as Vladimir Cybil Charlier and Rejin Leys were in attendance that evening. Guests enjoyed delicious Haitian treats, an intimate ambiance, and a special performance by poet and performance artist Gabrielle Civil. Gabrielle’s piece was absolutely captivating and opened up room for discussion. You can watch her performance here on Youtube.
Even though the Opening Reception was Haiti Cultural Exchange’s last event of the year, it was just the beginning of a one-month art installation and event series. The installation will be on display until January 15th at Five Myles! Please visit the AQ/ Art Quake Program page to get more information about the AQ/ Art Quake events taking place in January 2012!
Posted in Archive, Arts, Exhibitions, HCX Collaborations, HCX Programs | No Comments »
11.07.11
HCX|Haiti Film Fest
Friday, November 18, 2011
Opening Night Reception & Fundraiser, Brooklyn Museum, 6 to 10pm
Performance by Orchestre Septentrional; followed by a screening of “When the Drum is Beating” by Whitney Dow
Saturday, November 19, 2011 – Noon to 9 pm, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, Spike Lee Screening Room, Dekalb Ave. & Hudson Street Entrance
Ciné Institute (Founder David Belle): various short films, commercials and music videos screening throughout the day.
Ciné Institute provides Haitian youth with film education and edutainment, technical training, and media related micro enterprise opportunities.
Noon – 1:30 pm
Manno Charlemagne/Konviksyon (2010, 59 Minutes, Kreyol Not Subtitled) by Frantz Voltaire
A documentary about the life and musical influences of Haitian musician and song writer, Emmanuel Charlemagne.
Followed by a discussion with Frantz Voltaire
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1:45 – 4:00 pm
Haiti One Day: One Destiny (2011, 21 Minutes, Kreyol and French with English Subtitles) by Michèle Stephenson
In the aftermath of Port-au-Prince’s January 12, 2010 earthquake, Haitian-American documentary filmmaker, Michèle Stephenson, traveled to Haiti for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting National Black Programming Consortium to document stories not yet heard.
Une Etrange Cathédrale dans la Graisse des Ténèbres (2011, 78 Minutes, French with English Subtitles) by Charles Najman
The film evokes the devastating effects of the earthquake that struck the Haitian capital on January 12, 2010, through the words of Haiti’s greatest poet Frankétienne and his premonitory play Le Piège (The Trap).
Followed by a Discussion with Michele Stephenson & Charles Najman
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4:15 – 6:00 pm
Moloch Tropical (2009, 107 Minutes, Kreyol and French with English Subtitles) by Raoul Peck
In a fortress perched on the top of a mountain, a democratically elected « President » and his closest collaborators are getting ready for a state celebration.
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6:30 – 8:30 pm
Amours de Zombie (2011, 90 Minutes, Kreyol and French with English Subtitles) by Arnold Antonin
A zombie who has just escaped tells the press about the love that he feels for a woman. A female reporter follows closely the story. We discover through her reporting how a group of politicians has decided to exploit the zombie’s popularity.
Followed by a discussion with Arnold Antonin
~~~
Sunday, November 20, 2011 – Noon to 9 pm, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, Spike Lee Screening Room, Dekalb Ave. & Hudson Street Entrance
Ciné Institute (Founder David Belle): various short films, commercials and music videos screening throughout the day.
Ciné Institute provides Haitian youth with film education and edutainment, technical training, and media related micro enterprise opportunities.
Noon – 1:15 pm
Mario Benjamin (2008, 53 Minutes, Kreyol/French with English Subtitles) by Irene Lichtenstein
Around an exhibition which took place in Port-au-Prince in June 2008, Mario Benjamin, this charismatic man shares his thoughts with us, on his work, the art and the difficulty in being an artist in a Third World country.
Gospel of the Creole Pig (2004, 18 Minutes, Kreyol/French with English Subtitles) by Michelange Quay
Haiti has been exposed to the menace of invaders since the Era of Exploration. The pig poetically speaks about historical and present Haiti, the first republic of black people that still suffers extreme poverty.
~~~
1:15 – 2:45 pm
Children of Haiti (2010, 54 Minutes, Kreyol/French with English Subtitles) by Alexandria Hammond, co-produced and translated by Regine Zamor
Following the day-to-day lives of three teenage street boys in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, CHILDREN OF HAITI provides an intimate view of the country-wide orphan epidemic.
Followed by a discussion with Alexandria Hammond
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3:00 – 5: 00 pm
Kaleb (2011, 76 Minutes, English); Presenting a Sneak Peek of this new film! by Kervans Barthelemy
One day Jacque sees his son Kaleb in a local newspaper accused of raping a young girl. The police search for Kaleb and his friends while the incident sparks friction within the family, demanding Jacque to respond to his wife’s ultimatum: Find Kaleb or lose the rest of his family.
Followed by a discussion with Kervans Barthelemy & Atibon Nazaire
~~~
5:15 – 6:15 pm
Black in Latin America (2011, 55 Minutes) – Episode One: Haiti & the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
In Haiti, Professor Gates tells the story of the birth of the first-ever black republic, and finds out how the slaves’ hard fought liberation over Napoleon Bonaparte’s French Empire became a double-edged sword.
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6:30 – 8:00 pm
Jean Gentil (2010, 84 Minutes, Spanish/Kreyol with English Subtitles) by Laura A. Guzmán & Israel Cárdenas
This poignant tale follows an educated Haitian immigrant as he travels through the Dominican Republic in search of work and a meaning to his life.
Posted in Film, HCX Programs | No Comments »
10.30.11
Photo Credit: Jocelyn McCalla
To begin, the space was lovely. Soho Photo Gallery on 15 White Street in Manhattan had the standard gray-painted floor and white-washed wall loft-feel of the famous Soho gallery area but when you looked at the walls, you saw some incredible digital print photography that told of the keen artistic eye of both the curator and featured artists. Our featured guest, Tequila Minsky’s photo exhibit was located upstairs in a precarious catwalk of a show space that created a fantastic progression through her images. My favorite photo in Minsky’s exhibit titled Haiti = Survival (No Questions But) was that of a little boy laying across an elevated box as a young mother holds his head. Entitled “Injured Boy, Day After,” both young person’s aura in the photo evoke a sense of solemness and a painful darkness that emanates from lost innocence. The perspective of the photo is from below and the aggrandizing shot as well as the shroud-like medium of canvas for the print gives the impression of a modern photographic Pietà.
When asked why she chose the medium of canvas as her print surface Tequila asserted her dislike of frames for her work, and I must agree, to attempt to compartmentalize the powerful images of Post-Earthquake Haiti would only serve to detract from the intense reality and depth her photographs portrayed.
Tequila also showed a video of Fort Royale, a small rural town in Haiti that was damaged during the earthquake and where Two Little Flowers, a community school where Tequila is actively raising funds for, is located. She discussed the damage done to the town as well as its only school. The temperament of the room shifted, as it became very clear to everyone in the room that the impact of the earthquake on life in Haiti has not been resolved and for many, not yet diminished. As a small donation basket was passed around, the clear dedication and emotional attachment to Haiti of all of us in the room, regardless of origin or experience, was understood.
Following the discussion with Minsky, Ibi Zoboi, writer and coordinator of The Daughters of Anacaona Writing Project, graced us with readings of poetry from Haitian girls who participated in the 3-day intensive workshop in Port-au-Prince. The powerful works are published in an anthology that is being sold by HCX for $10 (Pick one up at our next event!).
After the readings we broke out into conversation with the artists and mingled to the rhythm of Buyu Ambroise and his band’s fantastic Haitian jazz beats. We listened and chatted late into the evening, and I’m sure it would have run longer if not for our sound curfew.
Thanks to all our fantastic attendees and partners, and welcome to all our new members! Special thanks to Tequila Minsky,Prestige Beer, and Bubby’s, Boom, Krik Krak and Le Pescadeux for the delicious food! And infinite gratitude to Soho Photo Gallery for lending us their home for a memorable evening.Posted in Archive, Arts, Exhibitions, HCX Programs, Photography, Public Forums | No Comments »