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Art Collection Education Haitian Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Trip to the Market

Tightly-packed crowd at an outdoor market
Laurent Casimir, Crowded Market, 1972. Oil on Masonite, 36 × 48 in. (91.44 × 121.92 cm). Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg M1991.117 Photo by Larry Sanders
Tightly-packed crowd at an outdoor market
Laurent Casimir, Crowded Market, 1972 (detail). Oil on Masonite, 36 × 48 in. (91.44 × 121.92 cm). Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg M1991.117 Photo by Larry Sanders

Markets are great places to discover new things to buy and eat. In his work Crowded Market, Laurent Casimir captured a very busy outdoor market in Haiti. The artist filled every inch of his painting with people who are buying and selling goods, helping us imagine what it felt like to be there. Can you spot some of the different things people are buying and selling in the painting?

This week, we are going to make our own paint, using items that you may find at a market. With a grown-up’s permission, look for colorful spices and foods in your home. Flower petals are also a great source of color. Not everything you choose will make a good paint, so you’ll want to try them out before starting your artwork. Avoid foods that are sticky or very thick. Here are some of the things I collected:

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Art Collection Education Haitian Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Father Knows Best

Three men sitting in chairs in front of a building
Philomé Obin and Antoine Obin, Philomé, Sénéque and Antoine Obin seated in front of the Cap-Haitian branch of the Centre d’ Art, 1970. Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg, M1991.144. Photo by Efraim Lev-er.
Philomé Obin and Antoine Obin, Philomé, Sénéque and Antoine Obin seated in front of the Cap-Haitian branch of the Centre d’ Art, 1970 (detail). Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg, M1991.144. Photo by Efraim Lev-er.

Artist Philomé Obin and his son, Antoine, worked together to complete this painting. In the work, you can see Philomé on the left, Antoine on the right, and Philomé’s brother, Sénéque, who was also an artist, in the center. They are sitting in front of the Centre d’Art in their hometown of Cap-Haïtien. Philomé opened this school and gallery as a branch of the Centre d’Art in Port Au Prince, Haiti. 

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Art Collection Education Haitian Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Recycled Metal Masterpiece

Sculpture made of recycled metal in the shape of a sitting child
Georges Liautaud, Child of the Sea, ca. 1959 (detail). Cut and forged metal. Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg.
Sculpture made of recycled metal in the shape of a sitting child
Georges Liautaud, Child of the Sea, ca. 1959. Cut and forged metal. Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg.

When it comes to materials, many artists are resourceful. To create his sculptures, Haitian blacksmith Georges Liautaud (1899–1991) used discarded steel drums that were left on the island. Liautaud cut and flattened the round drums, used fire to clean off the oil and dirt, and drew designs on the metal in preparation for sculpting. He then cut, punched holes in, and embossed (or pushed into the metal to create raised marks) the material. He was the first artist to create sculptures in this way. Liautaud taught this technique to many other blacksmiths and artists in Haiti. Today, it is still one of the country’s most popular art forms.