Downtown art galleries raise funds for Haiti relief effort

"Cotton Pickers" by Haitian artist Ronald Thomas.

Two pioneering South Main Arts District galleries are raising funds for Haitian relief through art.

Art Village Gallery, which has been at 410 S. Main since 1993, will hold a fund-raising event from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday that will feature sales of a print by Haitian artist Ronald Thomas. Proceeds will go to the Red Cross relief fund for victims of the earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, killing an estimated 200,000 people and destroying large areas of the capital, Port au Prince.

Prints of "Cotton Pickers" by Haitian artist Ronald Thomas will be sold at “Rebirth & Rebuild,” a fundraiser for Haiti.

Joysmith Gallery, at 46 Huling, which specializes in African tribal art and fabrics and contemporary artists from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, has mounted “So Spoke the Uncle,” a small exhibition of work by Haitian artists that will be displayed through Feb. 28. Through that time, 40 percent of the purchase price of any work of art by gallery co-owner Brenda Joysmith or other pieces in the gallery will go directly to the Red Cross Haiti relief fund. Joysmith and her husband Robert Bain founded the gallery in January 2000.

“I watched the news about Haiti on television,” said Art Village Gallery owner Ephraim Urevbu, “and I wanted to do something, something more than just my little nickel and dime. I thought and thought, and then I remembered that in the basement I had prints I had made of a piece by Ronald Thomas, a Haitian artist whom I have never met. And I thought, yes, I can sell these prints.”

Thomas’ piece, called “Cotton Pickers,” is a colorful and rhythmic tribute to field workers.

“I’ve had these prints for about 10 years,” said Urevbu. “I have over 1,000 copies of the print, and they’re for sale at $75 each. My goal is to raise $10,000 at the fund-raising event Thursday and then go online and continue the fund-raising effort until they sell out. I’m committed to this effort. I want to have an impact.”

Urevbu has been trying to locate the artist since the earthquake devastated Haiti but has been unsuccessful. “I would be very, very happy if I could find Robert Thomas,” Urevbu said, “but so far it hasn’t worked.”

Tonight’s Caribbean-themed event, “Rebirth & Rebuild,” will feature a steel band and food donated by local restaurants. Admission is by donation.

The exhibition of Haitian art at Joysmith Gallery, which includes a selection of books about Haiti art and culture, “is designed to pique people’s interest in Haiti and inspire them to buy something and contribute to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund,” said Bain. “We wanted to do something for the people of Haiti, and we felt that, as a gallery, this is something appropriate.”

While the work in the exhibition is not for sale, Bain said that 40 percent of “virtually anything purchased at the gallery through the end of February will be donated. The purchaser will write a check directly to the Clinton Bush Fund.”

Also, during the Trolley Tour on Friday, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the South Main Art District, Hannah Davis Gallery will donate 10 percent of all art sales to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. The gallery is at 408 S. Front, Suite 105.

“Rebirth & Rebuild,”

Thursday, 7 to 9 p.m., at Art Village Gallery, 410 S. Main. Donations accepted at the door; “Cotton Pickers,” a print by Haitian artist Robert Thomas, will be for sale, $75. Proceeds benefit the Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. Call 521-0782.

Tweets from Haiti

Commercial Appeal writer Tom Charlier and photographer Alan Spearman are in Haiti to report on LeBonheur's medical team and local volunteers as Memphians reach out to help the earthquake-devastated nation. Spearman is recording their experiences on Twitter. Follow his reports at twitter.com/hotelmemphis.

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