Born in Burlington, Joël Denizot is an Audio Engineering Professor at Audio Institute: We Are the World School of Music and Audio Engineering. A self-taught drummer, guitar player, and musician, Joël has travelled extensively and worked as a stage hand setting up sound and lighting equipment for musical performers such as Elton John, Primus, and Melissa Ethridge. Diving deeper into the science of sound, he studied Electro Acoustics at Montréal’s Concordia University and interned with Cumbancha, a world music record label based in Charlotte, Vermont showcasing to exceptional artists from all over the globe. A year after joining the APJ team in Jacmel, Joël has fallen in love with the country and the people as he shares his passion for music by engaging talented young musicians in the culturally and environmentally rich country that is Haiti. Joël’s work is an inspiring example of international artistic collaboration and the power of arts education.

I’m an artist for:

making people feel.

I’m driven by:

the light I see in the world.

I’m inspired by:

the strength I see in others.

I hope Haiti:

can re-kindle the fire that is the roots of Haitian music, and that more and more Haitian people will work together to help each other, in music and in life.

I believe education can:

open your eyes.

Thanks to our amazing host and friend Donna Karan and everyone at Urban Zen Foundation, we raised funds to cover one hundred and twenty-five scholarships for this school year at this weekend’s Haiti in the Hamptons Summer Carnival.

The event was a huge success – forgoing a traditional ask, we sold our brand spanking new APJ snapback hats, with one hat sponsoring one student scholarship at the Academy for Peace and Justice. Hats peppered the crowd by the end of the night, and the event will generate close to $250,000 in student scholarships, with half pledged last night and half expected to be raised in a Charitybuzz auction commencing this week, featuring items such as a private polo lesson with Nacho Figueras, courtside seats with the Brooklyn Nets, and trip to Haiti with Donna Karan, Petra Nemcova, and Karen Elson.

Haitian RaRa Band DjaRaRa, subject of the documentary “The Other Side of the Water” and leaders in the RaRa movement in New York for over 20 years, welcomed guests as they walked into the event, then made two surprise appearances throughout the night to pump up the crowd.

Donna Karan’s home glowed with warm candlelight highlighted by beautiful artisan crafts from Haiti, all available at the Urban Zen stores. Guests sipped on Don Julio 1942 cocktails and Luc Belaire champagne as they dined on paella around the pool.

DJ Michael Brun, the 21 year old Haitian up-and-comer who closed Coachella’s iconic Sahara tent this year and played mainstage at Miami’s Ultra, closed out the night with a set that included his remix of Maxwell and Alicia Keys’ hit “Fire We Make” as Grammy Award winning Haitian American musician Maxwell joined him at the turntables.

Click here to check out highlights and relive all the fun from this incredible night in the Hamptons with Urban Zen celebrating Haitian culture.

Big thanks to Donna Karan, Urban Zen Foundation, Bovet 1822, Don Julio Tequila, Craft Beer Alliance, Red Hook Brewery, Kona Brewing Company , Wine Awesomeness, Sovereign Brands, and Widmer Brothers for their generous donations in support of education in Haiti.

It’s August! The nights are getting cooler, the fireflies are receding, and we’re (almost) ready to head back to school. It’s the perfect time to relax with a great book before all the busyness and excitement of fall. Whether you want to learn something new or discover more about your favorite subject, Team APJ‘s got you covered. Savor the last days of summer by the ocean with these six handpicked selections from Haiti on art, politics, mystery, love, and creativity. Pack your books and step into the new season:
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The Kingdom of this World
by Alejo Carpentier
(1949)

Cuban author Alejo Carpentier’s fantastical take on historical fiction explores life in Haiti before, during, and after the 1804 revolution from French colonial rule. Told through the eyes of an old slave named Ti-Noel, this book exposes the cyclical and absurd nature of tyranny under Haiti’s self-appointed King Henri-Christophe.

Chosen by David Belle

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Love, Anger, Madness:
A Haitian Trilogy
by Marie Vieux-Chauvet
(1968)

Originally banned in Haiti and finally published in France in 2005, Vieux-Chauvet’s novellas follow the lives of three women who struggle to survive under an oppressive regime in Haiti. No one can be trusted. Navigating gender, military, and artistic oppression, each woman’s desperate fight for freedom is evocative and haunting.

Chosen by Valerie Boucard

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In Extremis:
Death and Life in 21st-Century Haitian Art
by Donald J. Consentino
(2012)

A collection of 34 remarkable Haitian artists whose unflinching work confronts the frustrating realities of reconstruction after the 2010 earthquake. This book explores the somewhat counter-intuitive connection between social collapse and artistic boom during Haiti’s 21st century.

Chosen by Caitlin Deibel

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Create Dangerously:
The Immigrant Artist at Work
by Edwidge Danticat
(2011)

An eloquent call to action and collection of essays on art, exile, and humanitarian duty. Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat reflects on the responsibility of Haitian Diasporic artists to create dangerously and boldly give voice to those who have been silenced in violence, censorship, and poverty.

Chosen by Jeanelle Augustin

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The Uses of Haiti
by Paul Farmer
(1994)

 A socio-political, medical, and historical synthesis of centuries of American intervention in Haiti that is troubling in its acuity. Physician, anthropologist, and Partners in Heath founder Paul Farmer exposes how foreign corruption disrupts all aspects of the daily lives of Haitian peasants who deserve dignity and justice.

Chosen by Kathryn Everett

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Masters of the Dew
by Jacques Romain
(1944)

A moving political fable detailing the tragic life of peasant and prodigal son Manuel who returns from Cuba to find his village in Haiti ravaged by drought, inter-generational conflict, and prejudice. A fascinating comment on emerging post-colonial class consciousness, Manuel attempts to bring water, empathy, and solidarity to his barren community.

Chosen by Matthew Cherchio

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