Laurel True Arrives in Jacmel, Haiti: Days 1 and 2

Laurel True's commitment to tapping into the Creative Capital of communities to heal, revitalize and rebuild is at work in Jacmel, Haiti right now.


She and her assistant, Erin Rogers, are working with local youth and collaborating with Haitian and American artists to design and create a large-scale mosaic mural in partnership with the Art Creation Foundation For Haitian Children (ACFFC) in Jacmel. A description of the project from her website:

"Youth will collect materials salvaged from the devastation of the earthquake in January, which will be repurposed with love into a memorial mosaic mural commemorating the loss of life and homes and celebrating the healing and rebuilding in Haiti.
The project will focus on skill building and mosaic training for youth and young adults so that they may use these skills for future entrepreneurial development. The mural will serve as a memorial for the lives lost as a result of the devastating earthquake last January and serve as an affirmation for future rebuilding in Haiti."

Laurel was kind enough to agree to send us photos from Jacmel so we could post them here. She wants to say thank you, once again, for the contributions that many of you made to this project on Kickstarter in response to our post here April 23 post.

Laurel has told us that two major influences in her work are Philadelphia's Isaiah Zagar and internationally celebrated artist and founder of Barefoot Artists, Inc Lily Yeh. We'd say she's doing them both proud -- again.

Here are those photos and a few quick words from Laurel and her trusty iPhone. She's promised us more photos in coming days. This Sunday, Laurel will be live with George Fishman on The Mosaic of Art -- don't miss it.

Enjoy -- Nancie

June 2, 2010 -- Jacmel, Haiti

We arrived in Haiti yesterday. Such a beautiful country. Beautiful, wonderful people. Spent our first day in Port au Prince.

We were met at airport by ACFFC director Georges Matellus. A wonderful man with a huge heart.

Port a Prince hit so hard. Huge expanses of tent cities.

People still going forwards amidst the chaos and rubble. Market stalls open. Streets congested and people everywhere. Living in shadow of massive destruction and rubble.

Rubble not being moved that we saw. Men in top of pancaked building with sledgehammers. People resting on huge hunks of fallen buildings. Barber shops operating while buildings on either side in heaps.


Tap Tap: local transport small bus. Painted up crazy beautiful. Street art extraordinaire.


Also beauty in perserverence and hope. People trying to make it.

We traveled two hours south - some thru the mountains to reach Jacmel.

We had our first day at the Art Creation Foundation for Children (ACFFC) today (June 2).

A wonderful organization with amazing people and kids. ACFFC serves over 75 kids. We met them in shifts today. Different age groups go to school at different times.

We had introductions. And talked about the mosaic mural project. Showed pics and kids did drawings of trees for tree of life mural.


Intense and wonderful. Thoughts on memorial and also life and renewal.

Matou from ACFFC translated all into Kreyole. Some kids speak French and my French is so rusty. Need translator.

We had lesson. Brought JoAnn's book! (JoAnn Locktov's "Mosaic Art and Style") They devoured it. We worked with all age kids. Very young to older teens in shifts.


Tools and techniques lessons taught. Kids practiced mosaics.

All tools were paid for with project funds raised through Kickstarter. More than 100 donations for this project. A huge thank you extended from kids. Which we have on video. Will post someday.


We visited wall that mayor of Jacmel offered for the mural. It's by the beach and there is area for future seating area- mosaic benches.



Many beautiful moments. The kids are naturals. They love it and are doing great.


Kids set over 25 mosaic leaves on mesh today.


Others separated a dozen rice sacks full of tile all donated by Mosaiques Gardere in Port au Prince and the 60 pounds of tile we brought into color piles.



We just had a great day. I know many will continue with mosaic after we leave.

Setting onto wall demain. Shoddy French better than none.

Laurel

Help Laurel's work to rebuild and revitalize Jacmel to continue long after she is gone. Consider a gift to the Art Creation Foundation for Children in Haiti. Every dime will go towards feeding, housing, teaching and inspiring children in Jacmel.

Go to: http://www.artforhaitianchildren.org/donate.html