Andrea hard at work… her apron is advertising Country Cold Store
Today is Monday, 24 November, ten days since Art Team Grenada, (Andrea McLeod and I), first said ‘Bonjour Haiti!’ Today is also Day 5 of the Promart Haiti international art camp, and it’s been a joyful pressure from the get go. While the programme is less exhaustive than last year’s, it is still a lot to pack into two weeks: tours to at least four sites–artisan village Croix des Bouquets, historic Fort Jacques, Jacmel the first city outside Paris, France to have electricity–plus finding time and energy to work on 5 canvasses in time for selection by 11am on 1 December.
So far, we have been having a grand old time, using every opportunity to ‘big up’ Grenada, and all that is pure. Since Friday, Baron Pepper Sauce and La Grenade’s Nutmeg Jam feature on our table at breakfast., and Andrea’s painting apron is covered in Country Cold Store’s motifs. Neither company sponsored us nor approved the adverts, but we’re ‘bigging up’ our hometown anyway.
We visited a contemporary art show, gone walkabout in downtown Petion Ville, spoken with artists and salesmen for various artists, who work their stalls seven days a week, from 630am to 9pm. We toured the artisan village of Croix des Bouquets, and met several artisans who showed us around their studios, and insights on the methods and techniques they employ to create stunning art. We went to Port au Prince to the Musée du Panthéon National Haitien, to see, among other things, the gun with which Henri Christophe, King of Haiti (born in Grenada in 1767 on Sans Souci Estate in Saint Andrew), killed himself. At the museum, we also saw an exhibition of about 30 paintings in various techniques, spanning several years of Haitian art.
We meet Phillipe Dodard (me, Andrea, Prensnelo)
On Friday night, Andrea went with the majority of the camp artists to a Voudou ceremony, which she said was impressive, and ‘quite something.’ The photos she took would not upload for love nor money, but I shall persevere. The next day, we stayed in the hotel, at our ‘atelier’ poolside, working on our canvasses, when were introduced to Philippe Dodard, graphic artist, painter and head of ENARTS, Ecole Nationale des Arts d’Haïti, the national art school of Haiti. As one of our Haitian colleagues said, “He’s the best (artist) we have.” We look forward to visiting his nearby studio in the next few days.
Today, Monday, was a good day of concentrated work. Tomorrow, after lunch, we visit For Jacques and take in the landscape, mindful that all too soon, it will be 2 December, and the opening of the final exposition at the Town Hall in Petion Ville.