Haiti’s artisan sector — producers of the hand-crafted paintings, metal art, papier-mâché, and woodcarvings that have given Haitian decorative arts an international reputation — faced an existential challenge in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic closed the tourism and export channels through which much of their work was sold. Artisans in centers like Jacmel, known for its vibrant craft traditions, and in Port-au-Prince’s iron market and art galleries found that demand for their products had collapsed almost overnight.
The artisan sector had already been struggling with the impact of the 2019 political crisis on tourism and the associated retail trade. The pandemic delivered a blow that eliminated what little market activity had been preserved. Galleries closed, tourist visitors disappeared, and the international art fairs and export channels that had provided some alternative markets were disrupted by global travel restrictions.
Artisans who had been producing for tourist retail — smaller, affordable pieces aimed at visitor budgets — found themselves with inventory and no buyers. Those producing for the higher end of the market, where Haitian art had developed a genuine collector following internationally, were somewhat more insulated but still severely affected by the general disruption to international arts commerce.
Community organizations working with Haitian artisans explored emergency support measures including online sales platforms, direct-to-diaspora marketing, and donor-funded craft purchases that supported artisans while getting Haitian art into the hands of new collectors. These initiatives provided some relief but could not replace the normal market activity that sustained the sector.