The works on sale include paintings, iron sculptures, paper mâché, wood and metal handcrafts among others, illuminating the country’s diverse artistic voices. Proceeds from the sale will support the Haiti Project’s sustainable development initiatives in Haiti, while simultaneously supporting the artists.

“This sale is an opportunity to appreciate the stunning handcrafts and paintings at the heart of Haiti,” said Vassar Haiti Project Co-President Sudiksha Miglani ’24. “I especially love seeing the bare walls of the room transform into a gorgeous mosaic of vibrant Haitian culture. Especially important to me is the community of students who come together and make this event possible. I invite everyone in the Vassar community to come marvel at the beauty of Haiti with us.”

Haiti Project Co-Founder Andrew Meade, Vassar’s Director of International Services and Assistant Dean of Student Growth and Engagement, said the annual event enables members of the Vassar community to discover emerging talents in the Haitian art community as well as the works of established masters.

 “The effervescent, buoyant, and joyous nature of the art reflects the undaunted and resilient spirit of Haitian people that face unprecedented adversity in their country today,” Meade said. “This beautiful gathering confirms the power of art in preserving Haitian culture.”

During the sale, a longtime supporter of the Haiti Project, Sarah Planton, of Shropshire England, will be speaking on why she chose to donate her entire collection of Haitian art to the organization. Planton’s talk will start on October 1 at 4 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room. “I’m looking forward to attending a Vassar’s Haiti Art sale in person after almost two decades as an absentee bidder and to meet the brains behind such a successful and beneficial charity,” she said.

Also making a visit to the event will be Père André Wildaine, the Project’s partner on the ground in Haiti.  He will be highlighting the projects in Haiti and their development while at the sale.

Those who can’t attend the event in person may order paintings from the Haiti Project’s online store at https://store.thehaitiproject.org/.

In addition, an online auction of more than 50 original paintings is now open for bids. To make a bid on an auction painting: https://new.biddingowl.com/vassarhaitiproject.

About the Vassar Haiti Project

Founded in 2001, the Vassar Haiti Project is an independent student organization working closely with Haiti Project, a 501©3 nonprofit organization. Their work together is an experiential education program that teaches student volunteers the theory and practice of global citizenship. In addition to the purchase and sale of original Haitian art, contributions benefit five initiatives in the northwest mountains of Haiti:

• Education: Approximately 250 children attend a primary school where they receive breakfast and lunch, and classes in reading, writing, and math are being held for adults in three villages;
• Medical: A clinic serves hundreds of patients each month, and a solar-powered lab is currently under construction;
• Art: The Haiti Project is building an art school and studio for a local artist, Benoit Profelus, where he will teach young students to paint;
• The Chicken Project: Funds are being raised to give each child in the school a chicken to raise. The initiative is designed to teach the children how to take responsibility for a living creature and to provide eggs to the family when the chicken matures;
• Reforestation: The Haiti Project has set a goal of planting 10,000 trees—for a total of 50,000—if a pending grant application is approved. A Halloween run on the Vassar campus on October 28 will also raise funds for this project.

For many years, the Haiti Project brought a student group to Haiti yearly to engage in conversation and development with its partners and create new possibilities that help to transform the narratives surrounding Haiti. However, due to Covid-19 and the current political instability in Haiti, trips have been canceled since 2019.

CONTACT: Lila Meade at limeade@vassar.edu or Jessica Porras at jporras@vassar.edu

To view photos of some of the works on sale, go to our Flickr site.