August 31, 2010

The Green Family Foundation is thrilled to report that the sounds of Alan Lomax's Haiti recordings from the 1930s will be featured in Hands of Haiti, an exhibit of more than 60 major works by artists living in Haiti who have continued their craft despite their challenging circumstances. The exhibit will be unveiled this Thursday, September 2, at 4:00 p.m. at an opening reception at MIA’s South Terminal Gallery. Green Family Foundation staff, Edouard Duval Carrié, Artist/Director of the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance (HCAA), and Miami-Dade County officials will be in attendance.

The exhibit, which will be on display for the first time ever at Miami International Airport’s South Terminal Gallery from September 2, 2010 to March 2011, will feature works of cut metal, woven sequined flags, beaded artwork on leather, sculptures made from discarded urban materials, carnival masks, clay pottery and photography. In the accompanying photo, workers are hanging a cut metal artwork by Serge Jolimeau (Photo by David Belle).

Musical recordings and archival video footage by the famous ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax (1915-2002), who traveled to Haiti in the 1930s, will be presented at the reception, courtesy of the Green Family Foundation.

Funding for the project came from the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance (HCAA), a not-for-profit foundation based in Miami’s Little Haiti area. HCAA's director, artist Edouard Duval Carrié, asked local artists to donate artwork that was sold at a special pavilion at the Arteamericas Art Fair in Miami Beach in April.  The proceeds from those donations have helped fund the Hands of Haiti exhibit.

August 28, 2010

Fly a kite in solidarity with the Haitian people tomorrow at 4:53 PM (Haiti earthquake time). If you are in Derwood, Maryland or Poughkeepsie, New York, be sure to look up as well. Those two cities are hosting major events in honor of Fly a Haitian Kite Day. Go to the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood, or Vassar College in Poughkeepsie to participate in the event. No matter where you live, however, the Green Family Foundation encourages you to spend an afternoon spreading love and togetherness by gathering with those you care for and fly a kite in remembrance of the Haiti earthquake victims.

The First Annual Fly a Haitian Kite Day is sponsored by Green Family Foundation, the Embassy of Haiti, Concorde Worldwide Movers, and Fokal. The kite-flying events are organized by Kylti, a nonprofit organization created to sustain and advance Haitian arts, culture, and life.

August 24, 2010

Medical and nursing students at Florida International University have begun their training as part of the Green Family NeighborhoodHELP (Health, Education, Learning, Program). The program is designed to educate students on the impact that the home's environment has on a patient's health. The NeighborhoodHELP is long-lasting program, not merely a semester study or quick immersion.

The first step in the training process involves practicing mock home visits under guidance of the United HomeCare Services staff. After training, a second-year medical student, a social work student, and a finishing nursing student will make monthly visits to participating households over a three-year period. These visits will be led by a FIU faculty member.

The Green Family NeighborhoodHELP teaches students how to approach and assess patients in their homes. The Green Family Foundation is proud of Florida International University's commitment to social medicine and looks forward to partaking in the graduation of caring, committed medical professionals.

Duke Performances, a notable musical concert series held at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is set to host a recording of Alan Lomax songs first heard on Songs of the South, a collection of songs Lomax recorded during a two-year visit to the American southeast between 1959 and 1961.

Duke commissioned North Carolina avant garde trio Megafaun to curate, perform and record the songs. Megafaun will be joined by jazz collective Fight the Bull, Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon and Brooklyn-based soprano Sharon Van Etten.

The musical event will take place between Friday, September 17, 2010 and Sunday, September 19, 2010 at the Hayti Heritage Center, a former AME Zion church that is rumored to have amazing acoustics for recording. The Hayti has been the site of many of Durham's best folk and avant garde performances. The Green Family Foundation looks forward to hearing the fruits of the Duke Performances-commissioned recordings.

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