Quinnipiac University's Albert Schweitzer Institute

The exhibit “Joyous Art: Symbol of the Resilience and Strength of the Haitian People” is on display from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Feb. 16 to March 20, 2009, at Quinnipiac University’s Albert Schweitzer Institute on the corner of Mount Carmel Avenue and New Road in Hamden.

The institute will host a reception to highlight the exhibit Friday, Feb. 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. The reception includes a presentation about the work of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in rural Deschapelles, Haiti, focusing on the challenges from four hurricanes in fall 2008. Many of the effects are long lasting. Many farmers lost their crops to landslides or excessive standing water. People are now suffering from malnutrition because of lost crops and the high cost of rice.

The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. Optional tax deductible contributions to benefit the hospital will be accepted. For more information, visit www.hashaiti.org.

The exhibit features about 50 acrylic paintings from various Haitian artists living in the area surrounding Hôpital Albert Schweitzer. The paintings depict rural life in Haiti and reflect the present lives of the artists and their imaginations.

“Lions, tigers, elephants and other animals, which never existed in Haiti are featured in the art,” said show curator Jenifer Grant of Essex, Conn. “Neither many of the colorful birds nor the jungle where they are often portrayed appear in Haiti, but live in the spirits and souls of the artists. Some artists paint animals as humans, engaged in human activities. Artists also paint scenes of the rural lives of the Haitian people - their markets, their harvests and their homes. They also paint scenes of post colonial Haiti, with elegant homes and families.”

Grant’s parents, Gwen and Larry Mellon, founded Hopital Albert Schweitzer in 1956.

The Albert Schweitzer Institute is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001. It conducts conferences, lectures and workshops around the world that link education, ethics and voluntarism. The institute's programs promote health care development in underserved areas, motivate young people to do community service, and increase global awareness of Schweitzer’s philosophy of reverence for life.

For more information and to R.S.V.P. to the reception, call 203-582-3144 or write to josephine.palmieri@quinnipiac.edu.