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  1. Georges Valris

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    Georges Valris is a prominent Vodou flag maker, who resides in Port-au-Prince, was born in 1950, at Cavaillon. A practicing Catholic, he professes not to believe in Vodou. Prior to his artistic career, he worked from 1986 to 1988 as a stevedore on the cruise ship Vera Cruz, that sailed internationally. Returning to Port-au-Prince, he opened a workshop to make functional objects in straw and sisal and returned to flag making to support his growing family. “Georges is the only artist who uses fine fishing line, monofilament, instead of cotton or polyester thread, ensuring the longevity of his sequin works,” writes Tina Girouard in her book, Sequin Artists of Haiti. Valris is also noteworthy for taking the textile medium into ever-more-imaginative directions.

     

    From “Masterpieces of Haitian Art: Seven Decades of Unique Visual Heritage” by Candice Russell. Schiffer Publications Ltd, 2013.

  2. Oldof

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    Oldof was born 1955, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Oldof followed in the footsteps of his father as a practitioner of Vodou. After being cured of a series of illnesses by his father’s treatments, he determined to become a houngan. He actively pursued the sequin art from 1980, the year of his father’s death, until his own untimely death in 1994.

  3. Marie Islande

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    Marie used to sew for her livelihood, but had to stop due to eye problems. She has now started work with papier mâché and is happy to be creating art again as a member of the Dam Dam Cooperative.

    The group was created to help members rebuild their lives post-earthquake through creative use of recycled materials.

    Members of Dam Dam live in the area that was hardest hit by the 2010 earthquake and art has become essential to their survival and success. Their papier mâché and mixed-media pieces are both functional and decorative, transforming what would have otherwise been waste into art.

    Text from International Folk Art Alliance

    (Image) The artist Marie Islande and Laurie Ahner at Santa Fe Folk Art Market, July 2014

  4. Lalanne

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    Lalanne is a Voodoo flag artist from Haiti.

  5. Mireille Delismé (Delice)

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    Mireille Delismé was born in 1965 in the coastal city of Léogâne, Haiti. 

    In the late 1980s, her close friend Myrlande Constant, a renowned flag artist of today, taught her how to sew and helped her land a job at a factory embellishing wedding dresses for export in Port-au-Prince. Although the factory eventually closed down a few years later due to economic and political reasons, this experience supported Delismé in instilling fine craftsmanship. 

    At about the same time, Delismé had multiple striking dreams and shared the story with her father, a Vodou priest. Listening to the fascinating details, he drew pictures. These images became Delismé’s inspirations for her first flags and marked the beginning of her career as an artist. 

    Vodou is a broadly practiced religion in Haiti. Vodou flags, or drapos, are an integral part of Haitian culture, used for home décor and religious rituals. They are embroidered and embellished with beads and sequins. They say that a spirit called Iwa often delivers messages in the form of dreams. 

    Soon after, in the 1990s, Delismé established her studio. Today, her work is widely recognized, and she continues to draw inspiration from her dreams.  

  6. Anonymous & Misc. Haitian Art

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    Galerie Bonheur presents authentic and quality Haitian art in various media by anonymous artists.

  7. Serge Jolimeau

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    Born in Croix des Bouquets in 1952, where he continues to live and work, Serge Jolimeau learned to become a metal sculptor by studying with Cerisier Louisjuste, and later joined the Centre d’Art. Jolimeau hails from a family of farmers, which perhaps explains his affinity for subjects related to nature and animals. He is known for large yet elegant pieces, sometimes depicting Vodou spirits, such as Bossou.

     

    From “Masterpieces of Haitian Art: Seven Decades of Unique Visual Heritage” by Candice Russell. Schiffer Publications Ltd, 2013.

  8. Joseph Louisjuste

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    Joseph Louisjuste is an artist from Croix des Bouquets, Haiti.

  9. Georges Liautaud

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    Georges Liautaud (1899-1990) worked as a railroad repairman and blacksmith until he was encouraged to join the Centre d’Art by its founder, Dewitt Peters. He became the first of the artists there to work in metal, initiating what is now a traditional art form in Haiti. He creates forged and chiseled forms from oil drums, as well as flattened silhouettes of cut-out and perforated sheet metal. His primal forms, uninfluenced by formal conventions, have a universal impact.