Generations of Haitian artists have been making art from discarded oil drums. Years ago we bought these small birds made by artist Cineus Louime. He works in Haiti’s Croix-des-Bouquets village, where this craft originated.
Friday the Springfield Museum of Art (Ohio) opens a new exhibit called “Resilient Spirits” showing 75 years of Haitian metalwork. The art is from a private collection and has never been exhibited before. Judging from the promotion photo from the museum, the work is amazing. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
Before you go, watch some YouTube videos showing how oil drums are transformed into art in Haiti. I saw one video by the Smithsonian titled “In Haiti, one man’s trash is another’s art supplies.”
It mentioned that the craft was first developed by a blacksmith named Georges Liautaud, whose work is in this exhibit. Reportedly, Liautaud’s first efforts were used to decorate local graves. Then collectors asked him for more intricate work and a new art form was born.
