Art for Haiti

HaitiLives.org

I have to do something for Haiti. I feel helpless, as do many of us.But what's the appropriate way to help? What Haiti needs, I don't have. Money. But I do have something that I can use to raise money from those who can afford to give. My art.

Soon after I started painting back in August, I knew I had to use my art to help people.  I am keenly aware of how fortunate I am to have a house, security, health, enough money, family and friends. It is my obligation to help other simply because I can. I have been looking to connect my art to a cause for several months and now I have one: Haiti.

The first step I took was to respond to an e-mail I received from The Sheldon Concert Hall and Galleries. I am on the press release list from when I filmed there a few times for my site, CultureSurfer.com.  The press release was about a concert which will take place on February 9 to raise funds for Haiti. I asked if I could donate a piece of art to be auctioned off. When they said yes, I asked if they'd like more art from additional artists. I posted a call for artists on Facebook and now at least a dozen donations of art have been made. I am grateful to all of the artists who so generously donated their work.

But now I am planning a long-term effort to raise funds. In my previous post, I told you about Ray, my personal connection to Haiti. But I have another connection to Haiti. I met Rene several years ago when I met his girlfriend who was then working at a local art gallery. Last week, I e-mailed Rene, asking him how he was doing. He told me they had been unable to find out how family and friends in Haiti were doing due to all of the phone lines being down. I can't imagine what he's going through.

Rene created the site, HaitiLives.org. He's an IT guy so he, like many IT people, is volunteering his time to do whatever he can help (I recently heard about someone creating a Creole-American translation site.). So I told Rene I want to donate a portion of everything I sell on NaomiSilverArt.com over the next year to Haiti. The challenge I have is that I'd like the donations to occur automatically when someone buys a painting, so the buyer a) knows for sure that the donation has been made b) the buyer gets the tax deduction (a further incentive to buy). I'm waiting for Rene to get back to me on this. He's got enough on his plate for now, and Haiti will be in need for years to come.