Help Rebuild Haiti, One Piece of Art at a Time October 23, 2010

Who/What:
As Macy's launches the Heart of Haiti collection, an array of handmade products for the home -- quilts, metalwork, ceramics, and paintings -- created by Haitian artisans will be exclusively available in-store. The kick off event features several artists describing their work and the impact it has on the Haitian community.

When:
Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 1:00 pm

Where:
Macy's Union Square, 6th Floor

MORE:
In May 2010, The William J. Clinton Foundation called American businesses to action by urging them to engage in rebuilding Haiti’s shattered economy in the wake of the country’s January 12, 2010 earthquake. Macy’s, having long partnered with global artisan communities, was an immediate responder. Knowing that traditional handmade goods are the heart and soul of cultures and economies that also delight North American shoppers, Macy’s turned to the successful model it has employed in the past. Currently, Macy’s carries fine products made by master artisans from across the developing world, including the famed Rwandan “Path to Peace” baskets, which have employed thousands of survivors of that nation’s 1994 conflict. Now in its fifth year, the relationship between Macy’s and the Rwandan weavers remains an enduring partnership providing education, healthcare, clean water, plentiful food, and dignity in Rwanda.

Haiti is recognized globally as a center of handmade industries and its ancient culture includes a vast diversity of traditional, handmade products. These include hand-tooled serving trays and up-cycled oil drums from the blacksmith community in Croix des Bouquets, the work in papier mache from Carnival Jacmel artists and a women’s quilting cooperative in Cite Soleil. A selection of these artworks will launch as the exclusive Macy’s “Heart of Haiti” collection, including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, wood-carvings, paintings and jewelry.

Official Website: http://pitch.pe/95190