Last night, we attended a fundraiser for Haiti’s artists at the Nicole Gallery in Chicago. Haitian-born Nicole Smith founded the gallery in 1986. She began her career in 1971 as curator at the Le Centre D’Art de Port-au-Prince. Until the center was decimated by the Jan. 12 earthquake, it was Haiti’s sole arts center. American-born watercolorist DeWitt Peters founded the center in 1944, and over the years, it has featured works by some of Haiti’s best-known artists, including Hector Hyppolite, Philmoné Obin,Rigaud Benoit and Montas Antoine.
“Artists for Haiti/Chicago”is curated by Chicago artist Candace Hunter, who has also donated a work to the cause.
The fundraiser continues through the weekend, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 30 and 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 31. For more information about the benefit, call Nicole Gallery at 312-787-7716. Nicole Gallery is located in Chicago’s River North gallery district at 230 W. Huron.