Art Creation Foundation For Children

Zanmi Lakay’s Premier "Jouk Li Jou Kan" Foto Camp
Held at Art Creation Foundation For Children in Jacmel

For the first time, student photographers from Cité Soleil met up with ACFFC students in Jacmel to spend 10 days shooting photo stories, editing, and processing their digital images with the help of volunteer professional photojournalists. The students printed and hung their images for an exhibition at the Fosaj Gallery, 5-7 Rue St. Ann, Jacmel. The month long show opened with a successful reception on Friday July 29, 2011. The 42 young Haitian photojournalism students took 12,116 photographs during 3 days of shooting assignments in and around Jacmel. There are 70 large prints up in the show and each student contributed to the 216 prints that made up the 4 collages. This unprecedented teaching and exhibit event, called Jouk Li Jou Kan Foto took place July 22-29, 2011, at the ACFFC building and around town in Jacmel, Haiti. Jouk Li Jou is a Haitian saying that means: we’ll never stop until the day is over, working hard to see a better life, and we’ll keep fighting to the end. Our students, their families and communities are all about Jouk Li Jou no matter what happens in Haiti, and our exhibition will reflect their resilience, dignity, and enduring spirit. Jennifer and Guy Pantaléon, co-founders of Zanmi Lakay, led Jouk Li Jou Kan Foto. Joel Pétion, Zanmi Lakay’s Director in Haiti, will assist along with the directors and staff of ACFFC and Kolézépol. A team of volunteer professional journalists also participated to mentor and teach, edit photographs and captions, process and make prints for the gallery, organize and hang the exhibit, and enjoy and learn about our community in Jacmel.

New Orleans Jazz Fest - ACFFC is represented by showing of art at Haiti Pavilion. In addition, our youth were commissioned to created awards for best artist. Georges Metellus, Executive Director of ACFFC traveled to New Orleans to make the presentation.

The Mosaic Wall is completed, all the way up the street and around the corner at Congo Place, Jacmel. Now the ACFFC children/youth have projects being planned for Port Au Prince. One day, all of Haiti will be glittering with shiny mirror and tile, symbolic of beauty and all of the pieces coming together.

Nine ACFFC youth will be visiting Edmonton Canada to participate in the annual Fringe Festival.

ACFFC youth art exhibition, Ayiti Cherie, an exhibition of rubble, stories and paintings about the rubble was featured in Indianapolis Indiana at Marion University and next will be shown as part of Haitian Heritage Month in Palm Beach County FL.

SWAF program underway - Safe Water Assistance Fund ... mosaic bottles will be offered, to generate funds to purchase $36 water purification systems for each and every ACFFC family and the the community at large. ACFFC has these water systems on site and no longer needs to purchase drinking water.

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Dan Faustin of SImAct and David Stillman of Public-Private Alliance Foundation invited eight children from ACFFC to participate in an international conference on the redevelopment of Jacmel, held at the Lamandou Hotel. Can you imagine these children "of the streets" interacting with global business, ngo and government representatives! And their work is on display at the Lamandou Hotel permanently.

Clinton Glogal Initiative University 2010
Victor El-Saieh, Board Member of ACFFC, was accepted as a participant and with media profile designation for the upcoming event April 2010. The focus is on Haiti and ACFFC has a proposal submitted to add to self sufficiency of our children and their families via green practices/gardening/small livestock raising. Bravo! http://cgiu.clintonglobalinitiative.org/Page.aspx?pid=1853

Also, please see our Cause on Facebook and Albums with photos of the children and their art.
No need to register with Facebook to view/join the ACFFC Cause.
http://www.causes.com/acffc_haiti

For beaches and old Caribbean flavor, go to Jacmel. The lively farmers' market is definitely worth visiting. Seafood shacks come and go along the beach at Ti Mouillage. Bassin-Bleu is a series of blue ponds, the final one ending in a waterfall. Getting to the basin is a trek over a riverbed, up a steep "road," and through a clumpy forest, plus (since last year's hurricanes) a final ascent with a rope—so bring your four-by-four and a guide. Jacmel's nonprofit Art Creation Foundation for Children has a small gallery of children's artwork (2 rue Dupré Turnier; 3874-7474). The Foundation Art Center of Jacmel is a waterfront warehouse with artists' studios, frequently changing exhibits, a small gift shop, and a café, plus weekly events (5-7 rue St- Anne; 3669-1911).

Thanks to Laurie Beasley of Ridge Art, I was interviewed by Jerome McDonnell of Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ 91.5, on a program called Worldview which was aired Thursday, August 19 2010 at Noon and 9 PM (Chicago clock) ... you can listen 'live' via the following link and or via archive and podcast. The amazing thing is that this is one of those programs that is syndicated and may be heard on other NPR stations as well, in addition to online. Worldview Global Activism event for 2011 was held April 2011 with ACFFC represented.

Zanmi Lakay’s Premier "Jouk Li Jou Kan" Foto Camp Held at Art Creation Foundation For Children in Jacmel

Where to Eat, Play, and Stay by Amy Wilentz | Published September 2009

Zanmi Lakay’s Premier "Jouk Li Jou Kan" Foto Camp
Held at Art Creation Foundation For Children in Jacmel

Where to Eat, Play, and Stay
by Amy Wilentz | Published September 2009