Haitians relying on arts and crafts for livelihood.
Haitian women acquire traditionally practised the Craft of embroidery and the traditional woman's wear comprised of short-sleeved embroidered blouses. Examples of embroidery business were displayed during the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. Haitian students of "Orphelinat de la Madeleine" from Port-au-Prince exhibited embroidered petticoats, skirts, pillowcases sheets and toddler shoes.
In 1944 an American, Dewitt Peters, opened the Middle d'Craft in Port-au-Prince for self-taught painters whose wildly brilliant works of varying styles and themes depicted colonial architecture, bazaar scenes, height villages and vodou spirits.
With the encouragement of Dewitt Peters, schools of illustration keep developed throughout Haiti. The northern colonial metropolis of Cap Haitien continues to cradle disciples of Philome Obin who predominately whitewash Diurnal municipality growth and limited novel.
Southern seaport of Haiti spawned the Jacmel "Faculty of Glamour" with artists depicting dream-like coastal towns with their steep mountains, bays and stylized clan.
The mountainous region of Soissons la Montangne supports the Saint-Soleil Faculty of artists that concentrate on summary human forms with Vodou symbolism.
Artibonite artists revolve approximately the Middle d'Craft in Port-au-Prince and surrounding globe. This institution of portray originated with Saincilus Ismael and works were traditionally-colored and detailed scenes of native land excitement painted on charcoal background. Next artists kept the colour and deed priority and expanded the themes to politics, human relationships and fantasy.
Sculpting/Collage
Haitian sculptors further as other artists cause wood, soapstone, and scrap metal from recycled oil drums and other available materials. One enterprising artist, Jean Herard Celeur, who lives in Port-au-Prince does collage profession absent of trash, motorcycle frames and machine parts.
Metal Work
Haitian Metal Craft originated in the early 1950s by a blacksmith named Georges Liautaud. This Craft configuration uses recycled oil drums. The artists custom hammers and distinct chisels to chop and bend the metal into artwork. Themes cover sea-life, celestial designs, essence, and dancing humanity. Some artists distemper their creations while others decent polish the metal and use an anti-corrosive preservative.
Recycled oil drums again metamorphose the Haitian painter's "canvas" with pictures of brightly coloured flowers, reptiles, birds and fish featured on these metal surfaces.
Needlework
Haiti's ethnic brew of African, Catholic, French vodou and tribal roots contribute to its colourful, distinctive arts and crafts Production. Joseph Gaspard, a member of the board of directors of the Faculty Saint Pierre museum, stated "Every Haitian is an artist. Craft, it is us; it's what we are. Still our children are artists." Many Haitians survive solely on the profits derived from the arts and crafts they constitute.
Folk Art
Other tapestry at the show consisted of Luxeuil lace on caps, ties, dresses, and handkerchiefs.One strictly Haitian export and popular souvenir is the Haitian flag. "Drapos," as the Hatian vodou flags are called, measure between 2 and 3 feet square and originally were made in pairs to be used in religious vodou ceremonies. The flags feature central areas depicting geometric or anthropomorphic figures surrounded by 15,000 to 40,000 sequins with borders of either sequins or fringe.
Other Crafts
Paper Mache is also a popular Haitian tradition. Rejected paper bags from manufacturing plants are cut into strips, dipped in starch and fitted onto a wooden or clay form. Once dried the item is painted with white oil-based paint and sent to an artist for an application of bright acrylic color and a final coat of varnish.
Many Haitian artisans make baskets and other items out of vetiver (which is a grass) and vines. Sisal weavings such as coasters and nesting baskets with lids, along with coiled palm containers and straw stars are available online at websites created especially for Haitian artisans.
Along with the paper mache animal masks are the wood and leather human face masks which are also popular Haitian exports and during Carnival. Tanned hides are wet when stretched over hand-carved wood matrices. Artists refine details using bone tools and horn mallets. Then they allow the leather to dry.
