May 30, 2010 
admin 
Please keep checking in as we work towards the debut of Theo in the Spotlight: A Concert for Haiti at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival this August.
Thank You!
The sun came out today enough for the sun to be finished and to take some team photos.
Thank you very much to Art Creation Foundation for Children for our extraordinary experience in Jacmel. We loved working with you … and we look forward to a long friendship!
Learning More About Haiti
Today it rained – so we stayed inside and the girls tried to teach us a bit of Kreyol:
Lapli tonbe jodia (Today it is raining)
Kouman ou ye? (How are you?)
And we learned more about geography with the making of maps.
“When I grow up…”
We interviewed some of the children … and they all want to be professional artists when they grow up! Here are some of the reasons why we are optimistic for them! Enjoy their works!
Lunch With the Kids
Today we were also lucky enough to join the children for a traditional Haitian meal of cornmeal and beans (very good)! Thank you!
Meeting with Georges
Today we were very lucky to have the chance to interview, Georges Metellus, Executive Director of the Art Creation Foundation for Children.
He told us about the history for the ACFFC, the activities of the Foundation – and its hopes for the future.
Today, there are 73 children and youth involved in the ACFFC. The children range
Around the ACFFC
We thought you would be interested in some shots of the Art Creation Foundation for Children studio. With over 70 children and youth involved in the ACFFC, there is lots of activity: from braiding hair, to doing homework – to making art!
Thank You!
The sun came out today enough for the sun to be finished and to take some team photos.
Thank you very much to Art Creation Foundation for Children for our extraordinary experience in Jacmel. We loved working with you … and we look forward to a long friendship!
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- Tada!
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- Gerard painting the sun.
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- Renaldo and Colin with Tara.
Learning More About Haiti
Today it rained – so we stayed inside and the girls tried to teach us a bit of Kreyol:
Lapli tonbe jodia (Today it is raining)
Kouman ou ye? (How are you?)
And we learned more about geography with the making of maps.
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- Beneche and Jameson hard at work.
“When I grow up…”
We interviewed some of the children … and they all want to be professional artists when they grow up! Here are some of the reasons why we are optimistic for them! Enjoy their works!
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- Fanfan and his finished painting.
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- Detail of Fanfan's painting.
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- Linedia and her painting.
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- Jameson with his painting called "Night Life".
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- Herold with his painting, "Real Life of a Blue Car".
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- Wisny and his painting.
Lunch With the Kids
Today we were also lucky enough to join the children for a traditional Haitian meal of cornmeal and beans (very good)! Thank you!
Meeting with Georges
Today we were very lucky to have the chance to interview, Georges Metellus, Executive Director of the Art Creation Foundation for Children.
He told us about the history for the ACFFC, the activities of the Foundation – and its hopes for the future.
Today, there are 73 children and youth involved in the ACFFC. The children range in age from 3 months to 20 years. (Since the earthquake, the ACFFC has grown by 13 children including a new baby, Marie!)
In addition to art training and practice in papier maché, voodoo flag making (flags which show images of voodoo spirits) and painting, the ACFFC sends each school-aged participant to school, provides for hospital and medical care, and three meals a day. The ACFFC also provides support to the families of the children and youth.
To support the children there is a wonderful kitchen staff, program assistants and guest artists and teachers.
When ACFFC started, the founders would actively visit the families of children in need in Jacmel and recruit them for the program. Now children bring other children – and George will visit their parents to make sure their parents can’t afford school, meals and medical care.
In the immediate days after the earthquake, the ACFFC was been able to keep their doors open – and provide some normalcy to the children. Many of them were suffering with turbulent minds with their houses or schools destroyed.
Georges described the importance of the children being able to do work that expresses what they feel inside. We have seen examples of these works in our projects.
Jacmel is well-known as the cultural and tourist capital of Haiti, with people drawn to its natural beauty and talented artisan community. Georges talked to us about how rebuilding that community is so important to the rebuilding of Jacmel – and that the talent of the young artists of the ACFFC will be the generation that rebuilds Jacmel.
p.s. We have very much admired Georges ability to act as a father figure to all 73 children while managing the needs of the ACFFC!
Around the ACFFC
We thought you would be interested in some shots of the Art Creation Foundation for Children studio. With over 70 children and youth involved in the ACFFC, there is lots of activity: from braiding hair, to doing homework – to making art!
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- Charles starting the banner for the Fringe production.
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- A view of the studio.
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- Doing homework before school in the afternoon.
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- Yolanda braiding her friend's hair.
Papier Mache Monday: Part II
We had a bit more to learn about making a papier mache mold. One of the teachers, Gerard Dumé, helped repair our beautiful sun mold that cracked over the weekend. We look forward to seeing the kids make and paint some suns soon.
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- Gerard teaching Tara how to apply the paper and paste.
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- Gerard Dumé repairing the kids' papier maché mold.
ACFFC Photojournalist Team
Twelve of the ACFFC participants eagerly agreed to document their next two days for us using disposable cameras.
Technical Difficulty :(
Just a quick note to say we have run into a computer problem. We will try to post soon!
