Life Imitates Art

Packed like sardines in the cab of a pickup truck, and bouncing in and out of the giant ruts and holes of Haiti’s roads, Andrew Meade, Dionne Jackson ‘95, and Mark Andrews were unsure of what to expect next. It had been four years since Meade’s last visit to the country, when he’d met with Haitian artists and gallery owners, purchasing art to sell at the Vassar Haiti Project, and then putting the money back into Haiti through a hot lunch program and toward funding a new school. In January, nearly six years after the program’s inception, and $200,000 later, the trio finally had a chance to see the art come alive as they connected with the people and witnessed first hand the effects of the program.

When the pickup truck finally rocked to a halt, the group knew it was time to begin the final walk to the village. Picking their way through a rocky riverbed, they journeyed single file through the sandy, red soil and up the side of the mountain to Chermaître. “There was no one else around, and we just had this visually stunning landscape to ourselves,” says Andrews, an associate professor of French. With the aid of a local priest who had coordinated their visit and help from locals, they climbed for an hour and a half, carrying toothbrushes donated by a Poughkeepsie dentist, construction paper, vitamins, pens, and bubble gum to give to the children. The village already had an abundance of brightly colored Vassar College T-shirts, part of the 30 boxes of clothing and materials sent at the end of the school year.

The group finally rounded the last corner to find 125 students standing quietly outside the small school. “I don’t think anyone from outside of Haiti had ever visited them before. They didn’t know how to react,” says Meade, director of international services and special projects, who spent part of his childhood in Haiti, when his father was chief of operations for the U.S. Embassy. The students sang to their guests in Creole, “Welcome to the village and to our school,” and “Welcome Vassar College.” Later there was singing, dancing, and drumming. They were also treated to a meal and, despite the lack of running water and electricity, their hosts served their drinks with ice, a rarity in the 90-degree weather. “This immediately struck me because, whether it’s food and ice or building materials for the school, everything has to be carried over a riverbed and up the mountain by hand, and the closest city is nearly two hours away,” explains Jackson, assistant director in development.

“When you talk about the plight of the Haitian people and what they go through daily just to survive, that doesn’t communicate a picture of this vibrant society where people are living and working hard,” reflects Andrews. “It’s a country of opposites; you expect the worst kind of despair, but you see the best in people. They’re empty-handed, but it’s not reflected in their character or spirit.”

At the beginning, the goal of the Vassar Haiti Project was to provide the children with a hot lunch. The best way to make education a success, Meade reasoned, was to pair it with food, which acts as major incentive for parents to send their children to school. “One of the first things we noticed was how healthy and happy the children looked,” Jackson says. As the program progressed, additional money went to funding teacher salaries. Then, nearly two years ago, the program had raised enough to fund the construction of a new school, one large enough to accommodate the growing number of children and that provides separate classrooms. The new building is half completed. Progress is slow because all the materials must first be carried up the mountain. Many of the students have also helped with the building.

Despite the country’s political unrest and the presence of the police and UN forces, the group felt secure in the country and talked eagerly about making plans to return. “There was nothing to be concerned about,” explains Andrews. “Well, the roads were extremely dangerous, unpaved and there were shear drop-offs. Everyone’s all over the place, weaving in and out, like a ballet. It’s chaotic, but it worked.”

With tourism nearly extinct and deforestation severely limiting what the people can produce, Haiti’s artwork is the only export they have left. “It’s their way of finding joy,” says Jackson whose love of art and her own Caribbean roots fueled her interest in the project. “While we were there, it was almost as if the paintings had come to life because every scene—from the airport, to the markets, to the town, to the mountains—was representative of what’s seen in the art.” According to Andrews, “just a few dollars can make such a big difference there. Every little thing you do has such a big impact on Haiti.”

Their very presence was enough to instill a sense of hope in the community. “When we landed in Turks and Caicos, Andrew told our taxi driver, who was from Haiti, where we were going and about the project. You could see that he was in awe. Once we arrived at our hotel, he wouldn’t accept any money,” says Jackson. “He said, ‘You aren’t even from Haiti and look what you’re doing for my country. Thank you!’ He broke down crying and embraced Andrew. After just a week we saw for ourselves that the project will definitely be completed. As our Haitian host proudly proclaimed, ‘Chermaître is working!’”

This April, as membership on the Vassar Haiti Project committee continues to grow (dozens of students, faculty, administrators, and staff volunteer), the group is gearing up for another auction and art sale held from April 13 to 15, with the art exhibition beginning April 9.