Vassar Haiti Project celebrates Haitian art this Families Weekend – The Miscellany News

Many of us know Haiti only for the sociopolitical stress it has perpetually endured or the natural disasters it has constantly suffered through. In 1804, Haiti became the first Black republic to achieve independence from colonial rule and enslavement. Today, gangs dominate the country, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, causing major roads to close due to the violence and essential goods not to be transported. In July 2021, Haitian President Moïse was assassinated, instilling further political distress. Earthquakes in 2010 and 2021 left Haitians with unstable shelter and precarious access to food, water and health services. An outbreak of cholera was responsible for at least 223 deaths this past November as well, according to the Human Rights Watch. And yet, with a nation besieged with hardships and insecurity, there is a thriving artistic culture that lives. They say Haitians paint their hopes and dreams. Vassar Haiti Project (VHP) provides a way for them to show their artistic gifts to the world. 

VHP is a collaboration of three entities: the VHP student organization at Vassar, Haiti Project Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and the local leaders of Chermaitre, a village in rural northwestern Haiti and its 42 surrounding villages. VHP buys art directly from Haiti to support hundreds of individual artists and their families. Their first customers came from the Poughkeepsie community. Now, the project sells art to people all over the country and even internationally. VHP also holds physical art sales, most recently in Washington, D.C., Connecticut and Martha’s Vineyard. 

VHP’s art sales are part of their Art Initiative, which sends the proceeds back to the artists and their families, bolstering the local economy. VHP therefore serves as a conduit for Haitian art to reach the United States. One of the goals of VHP’s Art Initiative is to expand and elevate the narrative surrounding Haiti, where the country is often portrayed negatively in the media as “aid-dependent,” “poor” and “desperate.” 

Sudiksha Miglani ’25, one of the four Co-Presidents of VHP, discussed the importance of sharing Haitian art in light of this stereotype that the country bears today: “I think with a lot of minority groups and people of color, especially in Western media, we focus a lot on their pain. We do not give them the ability to celebrate their joys and their victories. I think that this is a great way of changing the narrative that we have about Haiti—because it is just a narrative focused around pain and all the things that are wrong with Haiti. There is a lot of beauty and talent there that we just do not acknowledge; it deserves recognition.” 

Lila Meade, co-founder of VHP, added on to Miglani’s comment: “There’s this artistic culture, in music and in art, that is in every Haitian—it’s in their blood. They are artists. And it’s a way for them to exhibit what their hope, their possibilities, are for their future,”

Meade and her husband, Andrew Meade, the current Director of International Services and Assistant Dean of Student Growth and Engagement at Vassar, co-founded VHP in 2001, when they realized that they wanted to make a tangible impact on the world. Both Meade and her husband have Haitian heritage—Andrew Meade lived there because his father was in the American Embassy in Haiti, while Lila Meade’s mother grew up in Haiti along with several aunts and uncles, all of whom were Haitian-born. Both adored Haitian art ever since they were married because it spoke to them. Their idea to sell Haitian art and give the proceeds back to Haiti originated from their own love and passion for it. 

“It’s Haiti helping Haiti,” Meade commented. “One of the biggest problems with Haiti is that people donate money, and they’re never sure where it’s going. A lot of our customers are very loyal because they know that what they’re donating money for is actually going to happen. Our organization has thrived because we have a really good track record—we say we’re going to do something, and we do it. It’s cause and effect.” 

In addition to going back to the artist, profit from their art sales also go towards VHP’s initiatives. VHP’s Education Initiative funded the construction of a seven-room school building for pre-school and primary education, a school lunch program, subsidization of teachers’ salaries and access to school supplies and textbooks. Their Health Initiative has built, staffed and supplied a clinic to provide healthcare to the residents of the villages. The Environment Initiative works to provide water access, and the Women’s Initiative supports Femmes de Chermaitre, a women’s cooperative that serves to educate and develop women’s literacy, financial independence and education. These initiatives compose VHP’s mission: to foster sustainable development in Haiti. 

“We’re constantly looking at our organization for sustainability,” Meade emphasized. “What we really want to do is walk away and have the community thrive on its own. That’s our ultimate goal—as a nonprofit, you want to make yourself extinct.” 

Indeed, Haitian art and handicrafts demonstrate their flourishing culture and how far they have come, which is often neglected or overlooked in the media. In the VHP Office, located in the Old Bookstore, a painting by Haitian artist Benoit Profelus depicts one of the newly built schools funded by VHP. With vibrant colors, dynamic landscapes and an authentic style, it is clear why Haitian art speaks to so many people. 

Sonia Gollerkeri ’21 joined VHP because of the art: “When I was a [first-year], the vibrant art was what drew me into VHP. My participation helped to define my undergraduate work, tying in what I learned in the classroom to real life experiences, working in a team setting to accomplish concrete goals.”

Vassar students are essential to VHP, where they lead the initiatives and are able to engage in hands-on, experiential learning in global citizenship. VHP also mentors students in leadership, public speaking and interpersonal relationships while giving them access to further themselves in their development as pluralistic leaders. One way students participate in VHP is through taking responsibility for planning, organizing and running these art sales. Students act as cashiers, wrappers and hosts, sharing information about VHP’s goals and the art on display.

This weekend, VHP will be holding their 23rd annual Families Weekend Art Sale. The sale will be open Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the College Center MPR. Supporter and partner of VHP Sarah Planton will be giving a presentation on why she chose to donate her collection of Haitian art to VHP—her recently deceased husband, Paul Planton, was an admirer of Haitian art with a collection of 194 paintings. She will be visiting from England at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Père André Wildaine, VHP’s partner in Haiti, will also be present to highlight the art and provide updates from Haiti. Whether you or your family want to purchase the art or just recognize and appreciate its existence, VHP is welcome to have you. As the Haitian proverb says, “Men anpil, chay pa lou”—“Many hands make the load lighter.”