Fondation pour le Rayonnement de l’art haïtien (managed by FDF)

Objective: to contribute to the development and the promotion of Haitian art, and more specifically to the renaissance and the operation of the « Centre d’art » of Port-au-Prince, destroyed by the earthquake of January 10th 2010.

In 1944, before galleries or art schools existed in Haiti, the Centre d’Art was founded under the impetus of American watercolorist DeWitt Peters and Haitian intellectuals. Initially a training space for artists, the Center quickly became an epicenter for creative talent in Haiti.
Officially recognized as a public resource in 1946, this cultural institution operates on both artistic and social grounds — offering a unique space for artists and the general public to convene. On January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti, killing more than 200,000 and destroying much of Haiti’s infrastructure, including the Centre d’Art. In the wake of this disaster, the Centre d’Art’s board of directors, staff, and friends mobilized. Thanks to their collective efforts, most of the artwork was salvaged from the ruins and the Centre d’Art’s archives were be secured.

In 2014, the Centre d’Art was able to reopen its doors once more to support local artists, thanks to the generous support of La Fondation pour le Rayonnement de l’Art Haïtien under the aegis of La Fondation de France.
As an epicenter of Haitian art and as part of its steadfast commitment to its mission, the Centre is now launching its very first fundraising campaign. Our goal is to purchase and rehabilitate the historic gingerbread-style Larsen-Ethéard House as a new home for the Centre’s collection. There, The Centre will continue to facilitate the discovery of numerous artists, developing art studies programs for a population who may otherwise never have had access to such resources and enabling students and researchers to participate in art exhibitions across the globe.