NAAHP Blog

What is your mission?

Haiti Arts Relief Project (HARP) is a nonprofit student-run organization that empowers Haitian amateur artists and provides direct relief to tent villages and neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince. We hold annual art exhibitions to fund the HARP Art School, sponsor children at the House of Love Orphanage, provide basic necessities including shower facilities to tent villages in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and find and connect with prospective artists and aspiring youth around the Port-au-Prince region. HARP is built on a self-sustainable business model to continue the development of facility and program nurturing young artists.

What makes your organization so unique in the non-profit space?

HARP is unique in its focus on the vibrant art culture in Haiti. After the devastation of the 2010 earthquake, images of destruction and poverty overshadowed the beautiful culture in the country. We want to let the world know of Haiti’s artistic talent and heritage, and by doing this in the form of holding art exhibitions and providing schooling for young students, we want to address the issue of Haiti’s economic and social problems.

What is your organization up to at the moment & how can NAHP Members be involved?

HARP recently concluded its 5^th annual exhibition at Andover MA, raising over $5000 in art purchases and donations. We would like to work with NAHP in trying to reach a bigger audience across America, and especially cooperate with members of Haitian diaspora to potentially work on joint social projects for Haiti. We would also like to contribute to NAHP’s annual conference and its workshops in the future to talk in a bigger space about the work we’ve been doing, the work we are hoping to fulfill, and most importantly the passion for Haiti’s art culture and our reason to emphasize it.