In the current times of unrest and violence in Haiti, we feel it is ever more important to stay closely connected with our community partners in the village of Cormiers, Haiti and we are in contact with them weekly. We have been working with the community since the earthquake of 2010 and that has flourished into the long-term relationship we have today. In light of the gang chaos and corruption taking place, we are heartened to see that our youth programs are still flourishing. In fact, we even added a new weekly academic tutoring program in April to broaden the reach of our programs to more children. Our Haitian Program Manager, Michael Jocelyn Aristil, recently shared with us his personal insights on the situation at hand in his country. We thought you might find it insightful and so we are publishing it here. We learn so much from the strength, resiliency and immense heart our Haitian friends show us. 

Voice of a Haitian 

by MICHAEL JOCELYN ARISTIL

It is extremely heartbreaking to see how Haiti has been continuously plagued by crises over the years. Political instability, economic hardships, and natural disasters are among the things that hinder the growth and rising up of such a powerful and beautiful nation. We, the Haitian people, have endured so much over the decades and it is devastating to see that we are going further into the tunnel while our boldest expectation is to finally see the light. 

Over the past few months, gang violence has been at its peak throughout the country. Bandits are seizing and ruling new public territories and they are kidnapping people from all social classes. The public road towards the capital of the country, Port-au-Prince, is still under the control of heavily armed men whom you must pay to have passing access from one block to another. What makes it more frightening is that the local authorities seem to be powerless or deliberately show passiveness while the gangsters are terrorizing the population. No concrete action is taken to stop the violence and restore peace throughout the country. It is even scarier when our Justice Minister declared publicly that some of the areas such as Martissant, which connect the West region to the South region, are considered as lost territories. So, hearing that declaration completely sapped our hope and we are witnessing the darkness triumphing and enlarging its circle. 

We have already been living in a country in which most of our basic rights have been infringed upon, so the current situation only makes matters worse. One is not free to move around in one's own country, even to school, to work, or for mere pleasure. Everything is completely paralyzed. I should also point out that most Haitian people operate within the Informal economy, with Port-au-Prince being the economic center of the country where workers  come from many different regions to sell their products, to work in factories, companies and more. Moreover, a large part of the population, not to say all, is leading a hand-to-mouth existence. They already have been going out on the street every day and struggling to make a living. That is what allows them to pay their loans, rentals, school fees, and most importantly to feed the household on a daily basis. One can imagine what happens in this kind of holding pattern when people get stuck at home and are unable to go about their essential activities. 

In addition, there are a lot of basic services that the population doesn't have access to given the country's current situation. It has been an existing issue that you need to travel to the capital of the country for most of the services one might need in a public office. Port-au-Prince is therefore the key destination for important medical needs, public university and more. It's a way to say that the growing insecurity affects people here in myriads of ways. 

As I mentioned above, no action is being taken to solve the situation. The country is currently not too different from a jungle. The established government is totally inactive. The Prime Minister left on a trip to Kenya in March and was forced to resign after finding it impossible to safely re-enter Haiti. Since that time, a “Transitional Council” has been formed, whose impact and authority on the climate of chaos are yet to be known. Prisons are broken. Police headquarters are attacked and destroyed.  Ports are attacked and closed. Several attempts have been made to pillage the state bank, BRH. The gangsters will continue to try and take control of other strategic and symbolic institutions such as the presidential National Palace. 

Youth and their access to education have been impacted by the chaos and unsafe environment in the capital. Due to the growing tensions, hundreds of schools had no other option than to close their doors until further notice. So, you have thousands of students staying at home without schooling, as there are only a few schools in Haiti that have online learning platforms. 

Hunger is another thing that has started to hit people across the country. The growing insecurity has made it very challenging for salespeople and companies in some places to purchase merchandise as the trucks delivering product will be looted by gangs along the way. In order to ensure the safe arrival of the cargo, the companies or the salespeople have to negotiate with groups of gangs to obtain an authorization to pass into their destination. By negotiating, I mean they have to pay huge monetary sums imposed by the gangsters as ransom. Upon eventual delivery of products, the salespeople or companies are obligated to increase the prices of the goods or services to avoid any deficit caused by paying ransom along with the supply chain instability. In the end, the population is the one that pays all the consequences as the price of the products are sky-high and we have no alternative but to acquiesce to the inflated prices. Oftentimes, many people can't afford to buy the products at all. 

Recently, the country’s main port of entry for foreign imports was attacked and  is currently closed. So, a shortage of essential products is growing throughout the country. If nothing is done, things will worsen for Haitians.

How is the community of Cormiers faring through all of this? 

Life in Cormiers thankfully has remained safe thus far. The farmers are preparing the land and are waiting for the first rain to start sowing their seeds for the growing season. Schools are operating here as well, and the students had their midterm exams in March, just before Easter. Although we are not directly exposed to the growing tension in the capital and its surrounding areas, we are still affected by what's going on. Family members, friends, and those of us that don’t know each other, are collectively saddened by how people are getting killed day in and day out. Some young professionals and students have abandoned their careers and studies as they are unable to make it to Port-au-Prince. The artisans are no longer able to sell their pieces to the shops in Port-au-Prince, which provided vital income to meet their needs. As for the local farmers, they typically grow quantities of produce for the community as well as selling to merchants from Port-au-Prince. "Madan sara" is a group of local Haitian women merchants that play a vital role in the country's economy. They come from places throughout the country, including Cormiers. They buy up all kinds of fruits, vegetables and other products from the peasants and bring them in big, fully loaded trucks to the capital. They are no longer able to do that as their safety is at risk, very often being kidnapped and raped by gangsters along their route. Needless to say, this has a huge impact on the local economy as well as disrupting food supplies in many areas. 

These disruptions are causing inflation, and life is getting very expensive here in Cormiers. Some people have had the chance to escape the tension in the city by joining their family in our rural community, which is of course, positive to some extent that families can be safe and together.. However, it does put a strain on the households as they must cook more food and provide for a great number of people. It creates a burden for those who've already been struggling to provide prior to the violent outburst. Employment opportunities are extremely limited in this area and depending on the location, one might get hired by a company but unable to go to work because of travel restrictions. 

The situation is stressful for all of us in the community, especially those of us who are working with children and young people. As adults, we have our own concerns to deal with, and at the same time, we have a lot of youth counting on us and we need to take good care of them. This work requires a lot of courage, dedicated effort, and good regimens of self-care to maintain our resilience and abilities to spread positive energy to those we engage with. It is even more stressful for the children, though. Youth here and throughout our nation are impacted by the current chaos. They are aware of what's going on in the country, hearing news on the radio, listening to adult conversations, or from our educational programs in the community. As instructors in Klub Obzevatwa’s youth programs, we are doing our best to support our students during this difficult time by incorporating more topics about mental health, personal well-being, sports, fun games as well. 

In the academic programs, we focus a lot on motivation and positive reinforcements to raise the morale of the students. We also incorporate a bit of civic education to show them the role they can play in the creation of the new Haiti. In addition to quality education, we also tell them about important values that they need to cultivate as well in order to better serve the community and the country. After all, even though many of the current leaders have Master's degrees or PhD’s, they can be prone to corruption and other wrongdoings in the face of their citizens being denied their basic human needs. We want to teach our students that living by worthwhile values and morals for themselves and their communities is key to a better way of life. 

Many young people would like to flee the country entirely and obtaining a passport is in high demand, especially since the USA launched the Humanitarian Parole Program last year. Some see the program as a relief, bearing hope that they can move to the US to have a better life. It is getting harder to convince young people to stay here and work to change the course of things at home. It is understandable when you personally know what they are experiencing  or what they are escaping from. The passport application process can be lengthy and complicated in Haiti, even before these times. Thus, we are seeing some people leave without any travel documents at all. Oftentimes, they embark on a small boat trying to reach another country. Some have lost their lives, while others get caught and sent back. People are choosing between staying in Haiti and risk being killed or escaping by boat, even at times without any destination at all, in the hope of finding safety and another way of life.

More than ever, this difficult time shows us that the communities throughout our country need to be strengthened and empowered. They also need to be self-reliant by making use of all the resources they have available, in terms of fellowship, goods and services. It shows everyone the importance of putting our hands together for the good of the community as a whole. If we don't, we will fall one followed by another. 

We are grateful for NGOs and other groups from the diaspora who embrace the approach of working directly with Haitian communities. This model continues to be effective right now. We are forever grateful for the Heliotrope Foundation’s continuing partnership with the people of Cormiers through the well-established and growing community programs. The situation in Haiti is challenging, but we continue to stay positive and hope that a new dawn will rise. 

We are elated that Jessi Rado, our collaborator and creator of our Everyday Healing zine has just partnered with the Museum of Modern Art for a new project! Borne during the months of Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, our Everyday Healing Working with Trauma zine was created as a starter kit for those of us struggling with trauma and looking to take first steps towards wellbeing. Thoughtfully illustrated by Jessi, who is both artist and therapist, it is an easily accessible and fun downloadable zine for anyone to enjoy and begin their journey.

After being inspired by the Everyday Healing zine, MOMA Magazine decided to collaborate with Jessi Rado on a new initiative: The Museum of Healing Attention. With a similar illustrated format to the Everyday Healing zines, the Museum of Healing Attention features vignettes that remind us that museums are valuable places for inspiration, creativity, self growth and exploration, connecting with others, and expanding our minds and hearts. Well done Jessi & MOMA! Click the image below to view the “Museum” on MOMA Magazine!

WE ARE OVERJOYED!! We raised an astounding $79,139 on our Kickstarter campaign for window replacements on the Braddock Church! It’s our pleasure to extend our deepest thanks to all of you out there from Swoon, our Heliotrope Team, Ronna and the Za'kiyah House team. So excited to dig in and get the renovations underway! Over the course of the past few months, we’ve been working on the plans which now can unfold in the months to come. We will be sure to update you along the way with photos, stories and more! This is truly a team effort and couldn’t be possible without the deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who donated big and small! Huge thanks to all of the artists participating in the Kickstarter. Much love also to the artists who exhibited and sold works with us at our May 5 launch party. Props also go to Gary, Lindsay, Rah & the entire team at West Chelsea Contemporary Art Gallery for their generosity in hosting our launch party. Warm thanks also to our local Pittsburgh photographers,as well as Lauris Svarups for his wonderful architectural renderings. Can’t wait to share more soon on this journey with you! The love and energy are strong!

XO The Heliotrope Team

The Heliotrope Foundation is collaborating with Za’Kiyah House to create The Sanctuary, a community center and transitional living space whose mission is to reduce drug addiction, recidivism and homelessness by meeting people in their most vulnerable states. Heliotrope first collaborated with Za'Kiyah House in 2021 to support in the creation of Donnelle's Safe Haven, a home for women returning from incarceration. The endeavor has been such a success that we have decided to keep it going by donating the Braddock Church that formerly housed the Braddock Tiles project to Za'Kiyah House, and helping them transform it into The Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary will become apartments, a social hall and a sanctuary space serving the community of North Braddock. It will address the housing discrimination faced by people with criminal records and strengthen family bonds by providing apartments where families can stay together, rather than risk having children lost to the foster care system.

While this work is local to one place, with its trauma informed model and restorative-justice based philosophy, The Sanctuary is creating a beacon that many other communities can steer by as we ask ourselves how we reckon with our notions of justice, and how we will learn to heal the intergenerational cycles of trauma that so often lead to devastating outcomes such as homelessness and incarceration.

After successfully fundraising and constructing a new roof we are now raising funds to replace the windows. There are 38 custom windows that need replacing as well as a large stain-glass window designed by Swoon, and hand crafted by local artists who are also members of the Za'Kiyah House community.  Our initial goal is to raise $50,000 with a stretch goal of $100,000 that will allow us to do even more to complete all window renovations to the church.

Visit our Sanctuary Kickstarter to learn more about the project and view our excellent collection of hand-crafted rewards you can receive by supporting our fundraising initiative! Be sure to check back regularly for updates, and new rewards will be added throughout the campaign which runs until Monday, May 30.

We’d love for you to meet a very special part of the Heliotrope Foundation Team. Michael has been a valuable member of the Heliotrope Foundation for over six years. He hails from the Leogane region of Haiti and is our local liaison in Cormiers.  He serves as the Program Manager and Lead Instructor of our kids program, Klub Obzevatwa.In addition to his work with the kids club, he also serves as one of Heliotrope’s local translators and communications liaison with the US based team. Michael is strongly committed to helping the children learn valuable skills and awareness that will allow them to respond to the challenges of life. He is dedicated to creating a positive, caring and fun learning environment that the kids can grow and thrive in. His abilities to solve problems and listen to others makes him someone everyone can turn to for guidance. 

Swoon connected with Michael for an in-depth interview about his life, growing up in his community in Haiti and what drives him to do the work he does. He is one mighty, passionate individual and we are pleased to share his insightful perspectives in this first segment of a multi-part interview. Enjoy!

C: Can you introduce yourself? Name, age, where you’re from, and any other details you’d like to add.

M: My name is Michael Jocelyn Aristil. I was born on June 3rd, 1994 in a small, but beautiful village called Cormiers. It is located in the West of Haiti, specifically in Leogane. Just like it has been the case for so many fellow Haitians, I grew up in a single parent family and was raised by my mother. Completely devoted myself to education, I managed to finish High School very early to pursue a higher education at the university. I received a bachelor degree in Applied Linguistics from the State University of Haiti and I am now working as a freelance interpreter & translator. I am also working as the manager and lead-teacher of an amazing children’s club in my community.

C: Can you talk a little bit about what motivates you? When we met you, you had taught yourself English from a very young age, you were extremely focused on your studies, and were always an incredibly conscientious and caring person – can you talk a little bit about where you get the strength and focus to be and do all of these things?

M: Actually, what truly motivates me is a burning desire to achieve great and meaningful things in life. I am highly determined to positively transform my life, to allow my family to live a decent life, and to create a positive impact in the lives of the people in my community and beyond. Above all, it would be impossible for me not to mention one of my main motives; a burning desire to achieve success in order to honor the efforts and sacrifices of an extraordinary person, someone who had fought so hard to make me who I am today. I am making reference to my mother, Genise Aurelien Mira, unfortunately, who passed away few years ago. Without her unyielding support, I cannot imagine what my life would be like. After all, I am from an underdeveloped country, where even the basic human needs such as good education is reserved for a lucky few. In addition to that, I was born into a family that is not well-situated financially. Worst of all, I had to be raised only by my mother because my father had left home and flied from his responsibility shortly after I took birth. So, all things considered, I was more likely to fall into delinquency. Fortunately, I was so lucky to have such a responsible, caring, and courageous mother who acted both as a mother and a father to raise us. She strived hard to ensure that my sister and I get a comfortable life and got an education of good quality. Conscious of all the sacrifices she had made to pay for my schooling, I decided to make my study my top priority in life so her efforts would not be in vain. Moreover, considering the place where I am from both on a macro and micro point of view, education is my one and only way out. That is why I have tried so hard not to give in to pleasure. Instead, I have given myself up to learning. Up until now, most of my time are spent in books, libraries, the internet, constructive discussions. Even if she’s gone, my goal is to keep her dream alive by becoming the man she had always wanted me to be. That is one of the things that motivate me.  

My mother was my main source of motivation in life, my real motivator. She was also my true inspiration, my mentor, and my booster. In other words, she was not only my mother, but also my role model. Since my childhood till I grew up, she had taught me so many lessons that continue to guide me in life. For example, she taught me that nothing in life is given; so, I should always work hard to get what I want and not to hold others responsible for my failure - a very common practice in today’s society. It’s like it happened yesterday; I was in elementary school and I was in a strong competition with some of my classmates, including my sister. That competition was mainly about our academic excellence; we had competed for the highest score, the sticker rewards etc... Usually, I did the best I could to keep up with my fellow competitors. However, it happened that I didn’t get good marks for a term, probably due to my poor performance. Consequently, my report card was not decorated with those gold star stickers that most school use as a means of reward to reinforce children with positive behavior. Needless to say how sad, ashamed, and resentful I was against those who scored the highest point. I failed to remember how many times my report card had been decorated before, especially when I had truly deserved that. As a matter of fact, I started to think of my teacher as an unfair man. I could not stop myself from crying that day and I refused to eat. My mother came and sat down next to me; she started to question me pretending that she was trying to find out what my problem was. When I told her that I was unhappy and I felt bad because not only my teacher did not give me the gold star sticker, but also those who got them were mocking at me. That was when my mother once said to me that teachers don’t give good marks nor star stickers, but students work hard to get them. She added that next time I should work harder and study more to get better results and to avoid the mocking of my friends as well if that truly hurt me To top all it off, she said that despite my poor performance she had not had in mind to punish me; so I had better stop crying and eat dinner or else, she could have a change of mind. From that time on, I have stuck to the moral behind this and I will pass it on to my own children. 

Driven by a passion for languages, I decided to embark on the journey of learning foreign languages, particularly the English language at a very early young age indeed.  Now, few years later I can say that it is one of the wisest decision I have made. For, that single choice has opened a whole new world of opportunities to me. My English competencies has significant impact on my study, my professional life, and my personal growth; for, it allows me to have access to the world of information. As you know, most of the articles, books, study, theses, particularly in the Human & Social Sciences are published in English. So, the ability to read and understand English allows me to explore the work of so many authors and authorities in my field of study. Moreover, my ability to speak English has opened doors for me to enter the professional world. As we all know, in this era of high technology and globalization, the world becomes a global village and people from different places, different cultures and backgrounds are now connected, working and doing business together more than ever before. As the main language used to ensure communication between everyone in such context is English, there comes a high demand of people who have a good command of English everywhere. That being said, I started to earn my living by working as a freelance interpreter for some NGOs and entrepreneurs in my country. Thanks to that I started to cut down on the responsibility of my mother as I became more and more financially independent. Another area where my English skills has proved to be useful is in what has to do with my social life and personal growth. It allows me to socialize with other people of different cultures and backgrounds; such opportunities allow me to enhance my skills, to learn about different cultures and societies, to learn to see things from other’s point of view, and to increase awareness of the world around me.

Regarding to some aspects of my personality and my attitude towards other people, I can say that I had developed a part of them through the parental guidance I received from my mother at the beginning, reinforced later through my contacts and interactions with the world. It is true that I will never reach perfection; for we all have our own flaws, but it is something I am trying to improve each and every day. I try to integrate into my personalities some traits that, to me, will make me become a better person. That is one reason behind my reading a lot of books on personal self-help. I also read books to learn more and to cultivate new interests, because I always want to have something to share with my friends. I try to be more and more supportive to other people in ways I can, because one has to be grateful in life; I always find people who are there to support me in life in every ways, especially when I need it the most. That’s why at a very young age I started to establish language clubs in my community and to gather young students in group to help them with their homework. I believe it is a way for me to give back what I have received.

C: How did you first become familiar with Konbit Shelter?

M: With the arrival of a lot of humanitarian Non-Governmental Organizations to provide assistance to the victims of the devastated earthquake in 2010, a friend of mine came home to inform me that there was an NGO operating in my community and that they seemed to be native English Speakers. His focus was on language because at that time I was not mature enough to perform some kinds of work. As my friend knew I was studying English and so was he, he believed that could be an opportunity for both of us to practice and improve our English skills. When I got to the work site, something else had caught all my attention; it was the type of construction you had brought in our community. Everything was completely new to me, including the materials you used to build the dome. As the construction progressed, I became more and more excited to visit the work site every once in a while. Because I was so curious to have an idea about how things work and what the new construction would be like upon its completion. That curiosity would, in the end, allow me to meet and socialize with some extraordinary Konbit Shelter team members. One of my best encounters, one that would later turn into a good friendship that would influence my life in so many ways, was when the artist Caledonia Curry, also known as Swoon had crossed my path, back in 2014. It was through those people I had met that I started to really know about what Konbit Shelter is, what its vision and mission are. While a great deal of NGOs that came after the quake had already left few years later, Konbit Shelter has continued to work closely with the people of Cormiers. That is one among many other reasons I have started to develop a genuine appreciation for this team. It has distinguished itself from many NGOs that pretended to come and lend a hand to those in need, but in reality had absolutely no impact and left no trace in the community where they had operated. Konbit Shelter, as I just said, has continued to come up with projects like reparation of the previous buildings and the construction of new ones in order to bring about considerable change in the community. So, the more I met them, the stronger our bonds became. It did not take me long to find my place around and now I am so proud to be a partner of such an incredible organization.

We are pleased to now offer Part 2 of Everyday Healing: Working with Trauma. Jessi Rado has created this touching, deep-reaching zine as a resource for all on our pathway to healing. We are currently living in a time where we must creatively re-envision self care and wellness. As a therapist, Jessi believes that people have an innate ability to heal. Trauma is a complex and powerful condition that develops in the nervous system in response to a terrifying experience. It can be overwhelming yet it can be overcome with once we become aware of its pattern and learn how to work through it. Access to the proper information and support is key in the journey to wellbeing and the Working with Trauma zine provides an easily accessible starter toolkit to people of all ages. Please download for yourself and we also encourage sharing the zine with anyone you know who you feel could use a lifeline. DOWNLOAD FOR FREE HERE!

Jessi Rado is a growth counselor and integrative artist. Her creative work spans across disciplines with a focus on wholeness and healing. She helps people discover connection with direct experience as a means to naturally direct their path towards well-being. She has funneled her work into many places, including HIV clinics, universities, community centers, consciousness schools and social justice art projects with artist Swoon, Philadelphia Mural Arts and the Million Person Project. Currently, she is working on The Heart School, a support community for everyday people looking to find resilience and growth in these times. She currently lives on the traditional lands of the Lummi and Nooksack peoples in Bellingham, WA.

We are excited to share that we have the next new Heliotrope Print release dropping next week! 

“FRESH START” by ERNEST ZACHAREVIC

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemuhle 210gsm 50% rag Watercolor Paper

13x19”, Edition of 250, hand-numbered & embossed with our logo

We are so honored to present this limited edition print by ERNEST ZACHAREVIC, a multidisciplinary contemporary and public artist currently living and working in Malaysia. His interest in outdoor pieces is in the interaction between mural and the urban landscape, with concepts arising as part of a spontaneous response to the environment. As well as street works, Ernest creates originals on canvas and found objects alike. This print was curated for us by RJ Rushmore and comes as the 2nd release he has curated for us in our solo series. RJ is co-curator of Art in Ad Places and has been facilitating ambitious outdoor and gallery artworks for over a decade.

About the artwork: Ernest Zacharevic’s Heliotrope Print is based on the mural he painted in Turin, Italy in collaboration with the Toward 2030 Campaign, which is aimed to raise awareness of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. Toward 2030 is an ongoing initiative supported by Lavazza. In this piece Ernest Zacharevic reflects on the rapidly growing political influence of the world’s younger generation and their inspiring ability to mobilise and shape the path of our history. The statue of a war hero is replaced by an anonymous child on the bronze horse carrying a tree branch to suggest reflecting on our relationship to nature and to avoid mistakes repeated throughout the history. The image of the boy on the horse statue is meant to represent the Goal Zero, which is dedicated to global knowledge and awareness of the UN goals, encouraging people to familiarize themselves with the UN global goals campaign and contribute according to their own personal ability. 

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. Learn more about the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals here: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

This beautiful & thoughtful print drops next THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th at 12PM EST on our shop HeliotropePrints.org! There will also be a bonus surprise announced that day so stay tuned! As always, our print sales support our organization's operations and social impact initiatives as we focus on ways in which art can promote healing to communities in crisis.

C: Can you tell a little bit about your work with Konbit Shelter? 

R: Konbit shelter has had several projects of constructing houses for people whose houses were destroyed or damaged after the earthquake. I was involved in the majority of these projects such as the project of construction of the house of Monique,  Adelia’s house, the Louisiana house and the Community Center which was reworked several times. What I enjoyed most was the type of materials Konbit Shelter used - natural materials that everyone in the community can easily find to build their own home and help others build. The reason I emphasize this is because every construction project that Konbit Shelter makes teaches people how to do it for the community and for themselves as well. What makes me most interested in the home building projects is that they are anti-seismic and cool inside. And I like the way the Super-Adobe is shaped. Here are some materials that Konbit Shelter uses to build houses and the community center: earth, plaster, straw, wood, sand, bamboo, as well as more commercial materials like cement and wire, but in small amounts. Every house was designed differently, but they all used almost the same materials, except Louisana’s house, which was designed and built with bamboo, and is also a beautiful habitable house. 

I used to build and make wooden furniture and I didn’t even know how much work I could make with bamboo but with the Louisiana House construction project the architects taught us a lot of things that we can do with bamboo, especially Guadua Bamboo.  It is this project of building a house with natural materials that inspires me to continue working with Konbit Shelter.  

After all the experience and analysis I have done and what I’ve learned from the engineers and architects, I think it is important that the reconstruction of the houses should be done with natural materials because they are easy to find, more flexible and durable.

All the projects carried out by Konbit Shelter have benefited the community and have helped everyone economically and provided people with professional knowledge. 

Konbit shelter is like a university where everyone can learn and share what they have learned with other people.

C: If you were given all the resources you needed to start your own project right now, what would you create?

R: I would like to have one or more music schools, arts, and why not one or more universities, as well as primary school and high school - because at the moment, school is not free in Haiti.  

Also creating an irrigation system and helping farmers by donating seeds and water. And maybe trying to see how we could come up with a system of solar electricity in this village to help the kids and youth to memorize their lessons.  Also a livelihoods program to create loans.

I prefer to continue to create longer-term projects in order to continue to help more people. 

I would like to continue to create more jobs, to train everyone in the village on autonomy, and how to continue helping each other and creating more projects such as, vocational training, micro-credit, and university, as well as how to create their own business. 

And doing all this together, because life is shared. 

- Robinson Michelot, interviewed by Caledonia Curry

Meet Robinson Michelot, an invaluable member of our team on the ground in Haiti. Robinson aka Robi has been working with Heliotrope Foundation since 2011. Proficient in English, French and Haitian Creole, Robi was initially hired for the role of translator. His vast array of skills proved to be essential and his role soon expanded to become Operations Assistant, working closely on construction sites with Konbit Shelter's Program Director and Architect, Joana Torres. He always presents a positive attitude to adversity and unpredictability, finding creative solutions to everyday challenges in a versatile and engaged way.

Our Founder, Caledonia Curry aka Swoon recently sat down with Robi for an in-depth interview on his background, his response to the 2010 earthquake and his work with Konbit Shelter. We are pleased to share Part One from her interview. We hope it will give you good insights as to the incredible friends and colleagues we collaborate with in Haiti.

CALEDONIA CURRY’S INTERVIEW WITH ROBINSON MICHELOT:

C: Can you tell us a little bit about your experience of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti? 

R: I was in a cyber cafe with a co-worker friend and I was very surprised because it was the first time I ever experienced computers tremble and just continue shaking. I knew it was something that was happening but I didn’t know what it was. To tell you the truth I never saw anything like that but the person who was with me knew what it was! “Robinson! Robinson get out now it’s an earthquake!” I went out right away. We were standing in the middle of the street, but the strange thing is that while we were standing, I could see how houses and cars, and power lines kept swaying back and forth. It was very dangerous. My friend keeps telling me what an earthquake is and what I should do when it happens to protect me and my community. I was shocked after hearing and seeing that the earthquake caused over 300,000 deaths. The houses of the majority were destroyed, mainly in Port-au-Prince, Léogâne, Jacmel… but in the city from where we come there was not too much damage. What was so shocking was that my uncle Enock and his family disappeared in the earthquake. We still do not know where they are because we unfortunately did not find their bodies to find out if they exist. There was not much activity after the earthquake because all the cities, streets, roads, shops, banks, houses, fields, all these things were destroyed.  It was very sad for me and for my big family too. Almost everyone lost someone or was the victim of the terrible earthquake. 

It is true that I experienced a lot of bad things before the earthquake and then the whole country suffered from the same cause and effect.  There was no drinking water, no food, no electricity, no traffic at all. But as I am a very positive young man who believes in the future, I say in my thoughts that I cannot remain inactive and dejected because I wanted to continue to help others by using what I had learned working with organizations after the flood of 2008.

C: And so you decided to try and help? 

 R: I’m always trying to make the difference to improve the situation in my community. Because my town wasn’t too affected after the earthquake, my friends and I got motivated. We decided to get together to help the other cities that needed our help. There were a couple of Canadians who had stayed in my city after the flood in Gonaives in 2008. We formed an organization called Shelter International Disaster Response (SIDR), and we organized to go to Jacmel. When we arrived in the city of Jacmel, we had nowhere to go. Finally we found an empty land next to the airport and the UN base with some mango trees and grass. We built a shelter under the mango trees and that was the place where we stayed. It was really hard because we didn’t have everything we needed. We suffered a lot in many ways like when it rained the place we stayed was like a river bed. But we did not get discouraged, we keep on going and doing the volunteering in the community.  

We have worked in several projects like cleaning, rubble removal, demolition in hospitals, homes, schools, churches, streets… we had good times and bad times, and worked hard as volunteers. During the volunteering time in the city we started having people come to us and ask questions like why don’t we hire people in the community instead doing volunteering work, and how they could be part of the project. Then we started signing up some people in the community and some international volunteers. There were several international organizations that came to assist all over the country as well as in Jacmel. We began attending meetings at the United Nations because of the work we were doing in the city as a volunteers. We were the only voluntary organization at that moment. Most of the NGO’s had funds like IOM, The Salvation Army, Unicef , Welthungerhilfe …but they didn’t have human resources. At that time, as we were already there in town and we’d already done the evaluation, they agreed to work with us in partnership. We came up with different projects like a cash for work program and shelter prototypes in Grand-Goave and Petit-Goave. We were able to hire a lot of people in the community which is what they were all waiting for and needing. 

As a volunteer with All Hands I had worked on various projects, such as demolition of houses, schools, cleaning, building schools, sanitation, organic sand filters, assisting small entrepreneurs, cash for work, cholera projects, teacher training, playgrounds, and distribution - which the communities needed the most at the time.   I did all this because I am a dedicated person to help others in need and because we have begun to understand that we are the ones who can improve the environment in which we live.

C: What helped you keep going in those initial months doing such difficult work? What gave you strength?

R: In Haiti, we have a Creole proverb that says "Many hands the load is light" I find good positive inspiration in this proverb, and the understanding to see how in collaboration with each other we can succeed, even if things seem difficult. 

While I was working with the Heliotrope Foundation and Konbit Shelter we came up with a proverb that says” Lavi pa fasil men li bèl” Life is not easy but it’s beautiful. We can make it work together if we work together. These are ideas that I had and continue to have. 

In Gonaives which is where I come from, in order to help my community, as I am a translator, teacher, and musician - every time some kids used to  hear that I’m speaking English and playing my instrument, they would come to me and ask to know how to play the trumpet or speak in English.  My friend and I decided to come up with some activities for them. We came up with Teach Haiti Shares, which is a school where we teach computing, English, and music.  It’s a free school, but as a free school where we aren’t getting any financial benefit, we are wiling to receive any kind of donations like old or new laptops, dictionaries, reading and exercise  books and funds to continue helping my community. We can make life pretty if we could keep helping each other. If we could send all children to school, create a professional school, clubs like Klub Obzèvatwa, and universities. I am someone who always likes to share with everyone because I live in a country where the majority of  people are unemployed, and so it’s very important to help each other. 

As I believe in the future of the country, children and youth, I understand that it will not be easy but I must be motivated to have principles. Continuing to build my school helps me find more strength to fight the difficulties of this life, and to help the others to do the same. 

The other thing that strengthened my resolve and my dedication is that during my time working with organizations, I have met with many people who give me more strength when I see that they left their families, jobs, and friends to come to work with us in these difficult times.  They included artists, architects, doctors, engineers, business people, teachers. I have a lot of respect for all these people.

We are pleased to announce that we have a brand new Heliotrope Print release coming next week! 

“We Carry The Distance Migrated By Our Mothers” by JESS X. SNOW

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemuhle 210gsm 50% rag Watercolor Paper

13x19”, Edition of 250, hand-numbered & embossed with our logo

In a departure from our usual suite of prints, our Summer collection will be offered as a series of solo releases curated by RJ Rushmore. RJ is co-curator of Art in Ad Places and has been facilitating ambitious outdoor and gallery artworks for over a decade. We have a beauty to offer for July! We are proud to present this limited edition print by JESS X. SNOW, an Asian-Canadian film director, artist, cinematographer and poet currently based in Brooklyn, NY who makes work in the USA and China.

About the artwork: For many migrants, seeds from their homelands are brought to the U.S. by their mothers and grandmothers. Each seed is a time capsule that can be planted in their new home. Originally conceived as a collaborative mural with Layqu Nuna Yawar, the two migrant artists collectively trace their ancestral roots of the Incan ruins and Andean active volcanoes of Ecuador, and the fog covered mountains and rice terraces of southeastern China.

This gorgeous new print release drops next MONDAY, JULY 27th at 12PM EST on our shop HeliotropePrints.org! All print sales continue to support our organization's operations and social impact initiatives as we focus on ways in which art can promote healing to communities in crisis.

We have a finalist for the #TOwardTOmorrowcompetition hosted by Toward.2030! We are pleased to announced that the Heliotrope Foundation has selected UK artist Gabriel Pitcher as the winner for SDG #11. Gabriel submitted this portrait of Steve Barnabis, a youth worker in East London who advocates for disadvantaged children without access to mainstream education and safe spaces. Steve’s life work is inspired by his personal experience of losing family to violent crime in London.
From Zahra Sherzad our Board Chair & Judge for SDG #11: Sustainable Cities & Communities: "This painting really grabbed my attention and intrigue. I selected this work for the SDG11 as it represents the idea that art defines a society's culture and history; and that it needs to be inclusive and honestly represented. For centuries, portrait painting was art but by the second half of the 20th century it had almost disappeared. This meant that black portraiture largely did not exist in institutions and museums until recent times. In a time when facts are being manipulated, the act of painting a portrait gives us the truth and there is nothing more necessary, more defiant right now than simply showing life as it’s being lived."
Congrats Gabriel, and best wishes onto the final round of 17! 

We are pleased to announce an Open Call for works for a juried competition: #TOwardTOmorrow is an Instagram competition with a cash prize of €10,000 Euro, with qualifier exhibition opportunities for participating artists. TOwardTOmorrow has United 17 NGOs from across the globe- including Heliotrope! - to help showcase the transformative power of culture. Brought to you by TOWARD 2030, an initiative on a mission to build a better world with artists, using the UNITED NATIONS 17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG) as the blueprint.
The competition invites creatives to reflect positively on how art engages with the world. As we currently are united in isolation during the covid-19 crisis, we want to know - What are you envisioning and creating in efforts to move the world forward? Whether you believe in gender equality or improved community infrastructures or safeguarding the natural world, we want to hear your voice! 
HOW YOU PLAY
1. Create an original artwork in response to one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Check @sdgaction ON Instagram for all the info on the U.N. SDG.
2. Submit your entry by posting it to your Instagram page, in the description tell us which SDG you have chosen and how your work responds to it.
3. Follow @toward.2030 on Instagram
4. Tag @toward.2030
5. Hashtag your chosen SDG eg #SDG5. Hashtag the category you are entering 
#TOwardTOmorrow (over 18)
#TOwardTOmorrowyouth (under 18)
6. Nominate 3 other creatives to participate by tagging them in your post.
Submissions close JUNE 5, 2020. See @toward.2030 for full terms and conditions. Any rules that are not followed will disqualify the entry.
This project is coordinated by @charlotte_pyatt and is supported by @juxtapozmag, @sdgaction and @lavazzaofficial

Hey there! We are excited to share that Heliotrope will be participating next week’s Art on Paper fair in NYC! And to set things off right, we will have our brand new Spring 2020 print suite dropping! Swoon has once again curated a vibrant selection of works for us by four renowned artists. We cannot wait to share them with you.
Art on Paper returns for its sixth season to downtown Manhattan's Pier 36 ‪March 6-8‬, with 95 galleries featuring top modern and contemporary paper-based art. AOP demonstrates the diversity of its medium with an expansive range of projects exploring, expanding, and re-imaging what a work on paper can be. Learn more & grab tickets at: thepaperfair.com 
LOCATION 
Pier 36 | ‪299 South Street‬
NYC
Heliotrope is at Booth #G05
HOURS ‪Friday, March 6 | 11:00am — 7:00pm‬
‪Saturday, March 7 | 11:00am — 7:00pm‬
‪Sunday, March 8 | 12:00pm — 6:00pm‬

We are pleased to announce our upcoming new Spring 2020 Print Suite!! Swoon has curated this excellent selection of works by four renowned painters from across the globe. The new release goes live on our Heliotrope Prints shop Monday, March 9th at 12pm EST. Kicking things off, we will be participating in the upcoming Art on Paper fair in NYC and will have a limited amount of our new release exclusively available in person at the fair, which runs March 5-8. Look forward to limited edition prints by:

ARYZ (Spain) 

John Felix Arnold III (Bay Area, CA) 

Oliver Jeffers (Brooklyn, NY) 

Nelson Makamo (South Africa) 

Denver! We have a special holiday event coming at you live Thursday, December 5th. Join us for an evening of art, music and good eats for a special fundraiser hosted by our dear colleagues Stan Kniss & Jorgen Jens, owners of Slate Real Estate Advisor. The evening will feature a selection of our Heliotrope prints up for sale. Tasty eats and drinks provided by local tapas eatery, Super Mega Bien with the evening’s soundtrack provided by DJ Jeromie Dorrance. Located at The Garage Denver, a beautifully rendered loft gallery space at 1652 N Downing Street. 6-9pm. Hope you’ll brave the snow and join us for what is sure to be a lovely evening of art, music and community.

If you didn’t catch us last weekend, we hope you’ll come out this weekend for the Independent Art Book Fair in Williamsburg! Happening this Saturday Sept 21 & Sunday Sept 22 at Industria Studios from 12-6pm. IABF is committed to preserving the spirit and culture surrounding independent publishing and deepening the context of artistic practice. IABF celebrates creators from all backgrounds from all over the world, including newcomers to the scene that inspire and propel new ideas and create new communities.
We’ll have a selection of our prints available for sale as we continue to push to our fundraising goal for November’s work in Haiti. We are excited to exhibit alongside what will surely be a mighty range of zine publishers and artist editions. 
IABF is FREE to the public and no rsvp required. Hours are 12-6pm each day. Located at Industria at 39 South 5th Street, just north of the Williamsburg bridge. Come on out and make a day of it by the river..Domino Park is just a couple blocks away

Time to close out the summer in & ring in the Autumn season with style..Catch us at Mana Contemporary’s Fall 2019 Open House! It’s happening next Sunday September 15th from 1-7pm at 888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306.
Mana’s entire Jersey City campus is activated throughout the day with programming that showcases the range of disciplines from artists currently working with them. Performances give a preview of our exciting upcoming season of events. Open studios and exhibitions provide even more opportunity to experience a wide range of artistic expression.
We are dropping our brand new Autumn 2019 Heliotrope Prints Suite for the occasion and will have a large selection from our entire collection as well. All print sales will help us raise funds for our upcoming build in Cormiers, Haiti. Come join us! Admission is FREE and Mana is offering free shuttles all afternoon from Milk Studios in Chelsea.

Featuring the finest in urban & contemporary art, Moniker returns to NYC in 2 weeks at a new, lower Manhattan location. We’ll be showing a large selection of our limited edition prints & will feature a brand new release of 6 prints! Head to Monikerartfair.com & score 30% off admission tickets with our code HELIOTROPE. Hope to see you there! 

We’ve been working all summer on this and are very pleased to announce that we have a super-fantastic fundraiser art auction coming up in less than a week! Heliotrope has partnered with Paddle8.com to host an online-only art auction to benefit our restoration projects and educational programs in Cormiers, Haiti. Bidding opens at 12pmEST on Thursday September 6 and runs for 2 weeks, closing at 5pmEST on Wednesday September 19, 2018. Link to the auction preview: Paddle8.com/auction/Heliotrope-Foundation/. Our esteemed curatorial committee includes: SWIZZ BEATZ [No Commission], JANE GOLDEN [Mural Arts, Philadelphia], AMANDA KRAMPF [Chandran Gallery, SF]], MASHONDA TIFRERE [Art Lead Her], & ZAHRA SHERZAD [Heliotrope Foundation].  Our committee has brought together a group of passionate, cutting edge artists across the spectrum of street art, muralists, painters, photographers and mixed-media. Bid on this offering of stellar artworks up for auction, the proceeds benefiting the second phase of our Community Center restorations, which take place this November and will additionally help pay the local teacher salaries of our after-school kids program in Cormiers, Klub Obzevatwa. We are so grateful for the participation of these talented artists and for our mighty curatorial team. Here is the full lineup of artists:

ANN LEWIS
ASVP
ELENA STONAKER
ICY & SOT
JIM HOUSER
JOE BORUCHOW
KATHRYN ROSE
KINDAH KHALIDY
KRISTEN LIU-WONG
LI-HILL
LOVEIS WISE
MARTHA RICH  
MARY IVERSON
MAYA HAYUK
MICHAEL REEDER
MOMO
NICHOLE WASHINGTON
NOEMI MANSER
RICKY POWELL
SWOON
TAHITI PEHRSON