Art in the Time of Cholera
Through earthquake and aftershocks, the artists of Mat�nwa kept working.
Through hurricane floods and winds, disease and political turmoil,
the artists of Mat�nwa keep working.
Their work, they say, is their companionship, satisfaction, and meditation.
And they keep working thanks to your generosity, interest and faith in their progress.
This past April, the artists came to us with a request....
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| Earthquake Damaged Wall |
Their homes are in severe need of repair. Many are fissured with earthquake-rendered cracks; daylight breaks through walls like lightning bolts. Other families suffer from gaping holes in their roofs through which rain pours, structural pillars crumbling at their bases, clay walls that come off in their hands, or half-dug water-collecting basins overgrown with dry weeds. Extended families sleep on dirt floors covered with rags and skittering with rats.
They knew they would never be in line for the funding that came flooding into the cities, and asked if we could help them make their homes livable again. We thought, what better use for the rest of the donations we received with such unparalleled generosity after the quake.
This is where some of that funding has already gone:
1) In February, we sent immediate emergency money to each of the 48 artists. This, they told us later, allowed every family to feed not only themselves, but also the avalanche of relatives escaping devastation who landed on their doorsteps. (This gift so moved the artists that they sang a rousing Kreyol/American version of "Stand by Me" for us when we returned in April!)
2) The artists were able to buy materials and labor for a major food garden at the art center. Thanks to donated seeds from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, they were able to feed their families and sell the surplus.
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| Construction of the Water-Collecting Cistern |
3) We were able to fund the construction of a large water-collecting cistern requested by 36 neighboring farmers to water their crops.
4) We were able to pay rent for another year at RaRa, our store showcasing the artists' latest work.
5) We were able to keep the artists supplied with materials to work through the summer.
6) We gave emergency support to a partnering organization, C.H.A.P.O., serving communities close to the epicenter of the quake.
7) And we began our most important project yet; making the artists' homes livable again.
We decided to use a lottery system to choose whose homes would be repaired first. We would begin with three. If these reconstructions went well, we would choose three more, and three more -- until all the houses' needs were met.
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| Mike, Arielle and Wolan assessing a home |
In November, we met with everyone at the artist center to share our idea. The artists decided to modify the plan, asking that we divide the homes into three lottery categories; Red, Yellow and Green. Red homes were those in the most desperate need of repairs, then Yellow, then Green. When we worked though the Reds, they suggested, then we could start with the next category.
The next step was to assess every house with site visits, which meant climbing mountain slopes or walking miles on dusty paths. In most cases we were shocked and dismayed at the conditions families endure.
After Mike Andolina and I left, our colleague Arielle Berrick, long familiar with Mat�nwa, stayed on to help complete the first houses on the list. Along with the art center's committee, she analyzed and planned, projected costs, hired and paid workers, bought materials, and worked out inherent kinks in any undertaking of this magnitude.
Arielle is due back in the U.S. this week. She will be bringing before-and-after pictures of 10 secure, waterproof, upgraded homes, of the families who live in them, and the workmen and women employed by the project.
We still have about 38 buildings to go and will begin work again this winter.
We need your help to keep going; you make us Able.
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| A Family Bedroom |
A donation of $1000-$2000 repairs a house for a family of 6 - and employs hardworking people in the community who in turn support many others.
In addition, our Wellfleet store, RaRa, will be moving to a larger storefront on Commercial Street, formerly home to the Sandpiper Gallery. We hope and expect that our new home will lead to better sales and support for our artists, but our rent will increase somewhat. We're hoping to raise $8000 this year to offset those expenses.
And so our fundraising goal for the new year is $50,000.
That seems like a lot of money, but given how much great good help that money can create, it doesn't seem like all that much at all.
And given your generosity and support, I know it's a goal we can reach.
Helping the women in Mat�nwa is simple:
You can donate through PayPal on our website or send a check to:RaRaPO Box 26Wellfleet, MA 02667Tax deductable check donations of $250 or more can be made out to our fiscal agent: The Compact / Haiti ProjectSoon we'll be sending you news about our Winter Benefit Merci Davans Dance party and photos of our spiffed-up Mat�nwa homes.
Thank you so much for your ongoing trust and support.
Yours truly,
Ellen LeBow, Lisa Brown, Valerie Bell, Mike Andolina, Arielle Berrick and all of the Artists of Mat�nwa, Haiti
Matenwa is a small, rural Haitian community in the mountains of Lagonav, an island in Haiti's great, blue bay. Life on Lagonav is spare and hard. Poverty forces deforestation that ruins the balance of nature, eroding away the topsoil - which in turn washes down to the sea killing off edible fish.