Thomas Oriental shows some of the dust-covered masks he was preparing for Carnival in his damaged shop on Rue St. Anne in Jacmel, Haiti. Mr. Oriental's mother and wife died shortly after the earthquake, leaving him a single father. Much of the inventory at his shop is destroyed.
Deborah Baic/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
The Globe's complete coverage — in stories, video and photos — of the plight of the craftspeople on Rue St. Anne
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Instead of paintings and artwork, Rue St. Anne is littered with an endless sea of concrete rubble. Artisan Thomas Oriental was preparing for Carnival when the earthquake struck. He lost his wife, mother and much of his inventory in the weeks after the quake.
The business is totally down now. — Thomas Oriental
Features:
In Pictures: Mr. Oriental starts over
Thomas Oriental stands in his backyard on Rue St. Anne in Jacmel. (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)
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The artisans are back in their shops, gearing up for a major folk art show in Santa Fe. The Canadian art-assistance initiative Brandaid Project has a role, while struggling papier mâché artists win a $50,000 (U.S.) infusion from the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. U.S. department store Macy's becomes a commercial knight in shining armour, giving more than 200 Haitian artisans their first full-time contracts.
They feel that they have a reason for being artisans. — Pierre Edgard Satyr
Features:
In Pictures: Haitian artists find a buyer in Macy's
Paper mache artisan G.W. Marshall at his workshop in Jacmel. (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)
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The earthquake struck down many of their shops and erased all possibility of Carnival taking place in 2010. But the group has doggedly rebuilt.
The effort by Brandaid Project, a Canadian company aimed at forging links between developing country artisans and global markets, has served as their catalyst — Jessica Leeder
Features:
Thomas Oriental's shop is still open and he has added some new selections of art work including carved statues and woodwork— Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail
