OUR COLLECTION — LATIN AMERICA — HAITI 79. GREEN STONE HOLY FAMILY
This Holy Family is carved from river stone found locally in Haiti. The color of the stone is green-gray. After the artisans etch the clothing and hair, they rub a black paste made from a water-soluble aniline dye into the face and arms of the sculpture to dye them. Next, the artisans apply a coat of black shoe polish and then a topcoat of beeswax to add luster. Mary measures 11.25 inches tall.
The Holy Family is marketed by Comite Artisanal Haitien (CAH), an organization that has been committed for over 30 years to working with Haitian artisans to find markets for their products to help them earn a dignified living. CAH represents more than 170 individual Haitian artisans and groups. In Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, jobs are scarce and the money earned from craftmaking is not just supplemental, it is often the sole source of income for most artisans and their families. In the early 2000s, eighty percent of the people in Haiti lived on less than $2 a day.
The Holy Family is marketed by Comite Artisanal Haitien (CAH), an organization that has been committed for over 30 years to working with Haitian artisans to find markets for their products to help them earn a dignified living. CAH represents more than 170 individual Haitian artisans and groups. In Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, jobs are scarce and the money earned from craftmaking is not just supplemental, it is often the sole source of income for most artisans and their families. In the early 2000s, eighty percent of the people in Haiti lived on less than $2 a day.