We’ve got water! Everyone knows that in developing countries throughout the world, access to clean water is a game changer. Even on our beautiful campus by the sea, we had trouble providing reliable, clean drinking water to our staff and students. Since Artists Institute is built on the edge of a cliff,  everyone told us we’d never hit water drilling a well, just rock. Everyone thought it couldn’t be done. So we were forced to adapt and have water delivered from town to our campus on trucks twice a week, every week, for the past five years. Whether for drinking, cooking, bathing, or basic sanitation, clean water can help. This past week with the help of our friends at Waves for Water, we successfully drilled a well on our campus in Jacmel, providing Artists Institute access to fresh, clean drinking water!

Jon Rose, founder of Waves for Water, is an old friend of Ciné Institute and its founder David Belle, now our CEO here at Artists for Peace and Justice. Rose and Belle worked together to distribute food, water filters, and general aid in the wake of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. When Jon and his team heard our community in Jacmel needed clean water, he did not hesitate to help. Two days later, we struck big.

Waves for Water (W4W) have a simple mission: get clean water to every single person who needs it.  W4W founder Jon Rose says, “In my opinion, the Artists Institute truly represents the new paradigm in Haiti. It’s an environment that gives the next generation a real opportunity for a brighter future. In conjunction with APJ, we at Waves For Water are honored to help support their amazing program, by providing a new fresh water well.”

With Haiti’s population of nearly 10 million people, 70% of the population does not have access to safe drinking water, and totally avoidable waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and chronic diarrhea claim half the nation’s deaths each year.  Clean water is an issue that some times feels overlooked, but organizations like W4W are doing something about it. On behalf of all of our staff and students, we can’t wait to put this much-needed well to good use!  Thank you Waves for Water!

Presented by Bovet 1822 and Vhernier, FIERCE CREATIVITY is a selling exhibition featuring work from over 45 leading contemporary artists who are committed to extraordinary impact. Curated by Artists for Peace and Justice Advisory Board members, Chuck Close and Jessica Craig-Martin, each piece of artwork in the collection is poised to change lives. 100% of proceeds from the exhibition benefit Artists for Peace and Justice.

Please join us October 22-25, 2014 for the FIERCE CREATIVITY exhibition at New York City’s iconic Pace Gallery.

Driven by concern that a primary school education alone does not provide the training and skills necessary to climb out of endemic poverty, Artists for Peace and Justice has made major strategic investments in secondary and higher education in Haiti over the past five years. We believe in the power of education to change a nation – and we need your help to keep doing it. We support programs in education, healthcare, and dignity through the arts to create modern opportunities for some of the most talented and deserving youth in the nation.

Artists for Peace and Justice are so grateful to the vision and leadership of our advisory board members Jessica and Chuck for curating FIERCE CREATIVITY and inspired by their commitment to education as universal a human right. As all 46 participating artists have generously donated a major work to supports our schools, we are sure FIERCE CREATIVITY will create a ripple effect extends far beyond the exhibition itself.

Proceeds will be used for bricks and mortar, scholarships, teacher salaries and programmatic operational costs on the ground. The works in this collection are bound together by our shared belief that as artists, we must act fiercely in order to create change.

Student orientation is in full swing at Artists Institute! This Monday in Jacmel, we welcomed over 100 of the most talented young Haitian artists, filmmakers, and musicians to our campus by the sea. We’re thrilled that by welcoming two full classes at both Ciné Institute and Audio Institute, the Artists Institute campus is humming at full capacity for the very first time. Over the next two years our students will study, work, and create new stories together. Empowering local storytellers and revolutionizing Haiti’s creative economy, we believe arts education is the key to innovation. Get ready for exciting new films, music videos, and much more.

Artists Institute provides every student with a full scholarship, made possible through private donations. Please help us continue to reduce poverty through world-class education and professional job creation by supporting our programs.