I had spotted this listing in the cultural part of our guide book. As usual, Chuck is very suspicious of me when I select things he is not familiar with. Several times in the past I would recommend something, or remember someplace I had been only to find that it was no longer there. When you are in South Beach, which is where we were, you have to cross any number of causeways which connect you to the city of Miami. There is also a street numbering system that is a little irritating, but why fight it? You have the same street numbers, but make sure that it is either NW or SW; that can mean the difference between being there, and being somewhere you'd rather not be. This one happened to be 79th Street NE. We were at about 23rd Street or so. Oh, by the way, did I tell you we rented a car??
So we are on our way, and take Ocean Avenue as far as we can go. It's quite lovely during the day, except that very few people are out.. As is so typical in tropical climates, we were hit with an incredible downpour which lasted about fifteen minutes, only to yield to splendid sunshine moments later.
We did go through some unsavory neighborhoods to get to our destination, but I was unmoved. I was particularly excited at the prospect that I might get a great buy on drum art. It’s hard to find the gallery as the building signs are about insurance and medical offices.
To shorten the saga, you have to go through the medical ofices to get into the factory/gallery. I'm not sure they make everything there,- as I wouldn't doubt they are importing this stuff from Haiti and selling it here. The art work is nothing short of stunning. Drum art ad infinitum; pottery, toys, painted vases, oil paintings depicting Haitian life, boiserie, etc..The prices are extremely high, so if you are bargain hunting, this "ain't your cuppa tea". The owner is a woman by the name of Gislaine Rameau Bastien. A couple of other people were there, and were very welcoming and courteous. This could have been someone's apartment which was transformed into a gallery like space.
Haitian Art does not get a fair shake since the country has had negative publicity due to its political instability, and ranks as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. It is highly colorful and mostly based on religion and voodoo. It is influenced by both French and African cultures. Its magnetism, for me, stems from its primitive and somewhat instinctive nature. You will find other places which sell this type of art. The one that got my business was in the Keys.