Local gallery helps Haitian relief effort

The David Barnett Gallery, located at 1041 E. State St. in Milwaukee, has opened its Hot Art Exhibition. The exhibit features a collection of art from warm climate areas like Haiti, Mexico, New Guinea, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Latin America and Africa.
As an expanded effort to raise funds for the Red Cross’s  Haitian Disaster Relief, the exhibit will showcase the state’s largest private collection of Haitian art, and will donate 20 percent of all its Haitian art sales to the earthquake relief effort.
“The need in Haiti is overbearing. This is the least that we can do to help. Haitian art is the only cultural thing that connects us to people in the news,” said David Barnett, owner of the David Barnett Gallery.
Barnett started collecting Haitian art nearly forty years ago, and had planned to show case the Hot Art exhibit nearly six months ago.
“We certainly didn’t plan this exhibit around the situation in Haiti, but we are fortunate enough to have such a large collection of Haitian art that could potentially do a lot of good for them,” Barnett said.
Barnett survived a 6.9 richter scale earthquake in his lifetime, and so feels personally close to the situation, he said.
Featured Haitian artists in the exhibit will include Fred Cantave, Fritz Camille, Claude, and Hyppolite. The exhibit features brightly colored Haitian paintings, textile beaded flags, and a large collection of one of a kind oil drum metal relief sculptors.
This event will continue until April 10, during regular gallery hours which are Tuesday  through Friday 11a.m.  to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5p.m.