This descriptive text of the Haiti Print and Quilt Project is from the following article in the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education (JSTAE):
Tobey, A., & Jellinghaus, K. (2012). Defending De (Fencing) with Youth: Moving from the Margins to the Center. The Journal of Social Theory in Art Education (32) (K. Staikidis, Ed.). 128-144.
https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jstae/vol32/iss1/12/
Haiti Print and Quilt Project: Connecting Through Service
In 2010, Kate Jellinghaus led a project with art teacher Maurice Lane and over 60 art students from Charlestown High School, in which students, staff and community volunteers, including co-author Ann Tobey, worked together to make two elaborate quilts to sell in order to raise money for artists and their families working at a collective in Port Au Prince, Haiti devastated by the 2009 earthquake. The artwork from this collective had initially inspired the students’ print designs, which were later used in the quilts. In this way, there was a direct artistic reciprocity between the student artists in Charlestown and the artisan collective in Haiti.
This collaborative and service-oriented art project was intended to show collective support of the 50+ Haitian-American students at the Charlestown High School and of those suffering in Haiti. In addition, it provided a means for youth to become personally involved and develop connection to others by responding meaningfully to this crisis. The finished quilts were displayed in several public galleries and venues and were sold for $1500 each. The money was sent directly to the Haitian artists along with a video letter from the students.
The project began as part of a required unit on printmaking in which students were asked to cut linoleum block designs inspired by the images found at the online site of the Haitian art collective (www.haitimetalart.com). The second phase of the project was voluntary, and students understood that by choosing to participate further they would be devoting many hours of their time and energy to make artwork that would not receive course credit and would not remain theirs. Students who chose to participate in the quilt-making phase of the project printed their linoleum cuts onto squares of fabric and then embellished their designs with embroidery and beads, which were then assembled into quilts by teachers working with Ann Tobey.
When we first began the project, we invited Josette Teneus, the school’s Haitian-American guidance counselor to lead a discussion on the situation in Haiti. Although many students seemed uncomfortable and chose not to engage in this discussion, through the course of the art-making process many of the same students became enthusiastic participants. For example, even though the quilt-making portion of the project was voluntary, there was almost 100% participation, and students, boys and girls, often stayed after school and asked to take the embroidery home to continue their work.
Students voiced their feelings of accomplishment in a final video letter (translated into Haitian Creole) that was made by the group to greet the Haitian artists, show them the quilts, and explain the project. Students addressed the Haitian artists in a very direct, supportive, and emotional way, an attitude that had not been apparent in the early stages of the project. Students expressed sentiments such as, “I give my condolences out to all the people who got lost in the tragedy in the earthquake.” “I would like to wish everybody that you guys are not alone, we are here to help.” One student, Levie Fernandes, said, “I worked on this project a lot and I enjoyed doing the beadings a lot. I hope that this project – the quilt and the money – helps people to rebuild their studio faster” (personal communication, May, 26, 2010).
The students were very pleased that their work was exhibited, and they took great pride in the high price paid for their artwork. It was also touching that both buyers went on to give the quilts as gifts to others; one recipient was a surgeon who had made repeated trips to Haiti after the earthquake. We later learned that many of the Haitian artists had chosen to use the money to help their children cover their school expenses. These poignant facts furthered the sense of purpose and connection engendered through the project.
This service-oriented project demonstrated how collaborative art practice can foster a sense of empowerment within a group as well as a sense of connection and mutuality across groups. The project was initially offered to students in art class but soon brought in students and staff from throughout the school. Teachers came by to donate fabric, a sewing machine, and an extra pair of hands. One proverb stitched on the border of the quilt captures this community-wide effort, “Men anpril chay pa lou: Many hands make the load lighter.”
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Special thanks to quilter Ann Tobey, for her generous help and support throughout this project, and also to the many Charlestown High students who lent their helpful hands, including:
Janelle Kennedy Bobbie Lebronodom
Luz Ortiz Nancy Ou
Jeannifer Pierre Erolw Popefoster
Mirian Serrano Chiamaka (MaryKate) Avugara
Shonia Taylor Thashauna Burrell
Michael Chiu Nathaniel Davila
Joel Espinal Adriana Foster
Benjamin Liu Anika Murphy
Timmy Nguyen Freda Okundaye
Joseph Power Ty Rogers
Mirela Skopljak Andre Thomas
Jermaine Works Jia Wen Cao
Jia Xin Cao Peng Qia Chen
Safiya Coward Jonathan Delgado
Levie Fernandes Alicia Grey
Wen Wen Guan Xing Ming Huang
Chris Kelly Lorenzo Leathers
Bobbie Leslie Xiaoe Ma
Darryl Richards Qi Ping Yu