Last week, as you may know, It’s Cactus sponsored two Haitian artists, Cineus Louime and Wiseton Brutus, for a week of demonstrations at three events in the local Salinas area. Read their biographies here: https://www.itscactus.com/the-artists/haiti.php
With all due modesty it was a great success! There were many purposes to the visit, among them promoting the art and the artists who produce it. In addition, we wanted to give these men the opportunity to see what happens to their art when it reaches this country, to help them understand how the art is organized, marketed and distributed, and also for them to meet the people who love and appreciate their work. Finally, we wanted them to have the opportunity to sell their own work and return home to share their financial and experiential rewards with their families, their businesses, and their community,
To accomplish these goals, we first took them to the shop and to the warehouse. At the
warehouse, they saw how their work is received, packaged, and distributed. They noted the critical importance of maintaining high quality in their product and also the necessity for consistent levels of inventory to meet demand. At the shop, they saw how their work is displayed, and how critical sharing knowledge and pleasing presentation is to the act of selling. Cineus and Wiseton will use these insights and information to great advantage upon returning to their own workshops in Haiti.
From there, it was on to the markets! We participated in two local farmer’s markets in Monterey and a holiday bazaar, called “Flair on the Farm” outside Salinas. In each case, the response was overwhelming. All events were well attended and the artists were often surrounded with curious passersby who quickly became patrons of the art. To be completely honest, it didn’t hurt that producing metal sculpture creates a noticeable racket. BANG, CLANG, CLANG, BANG! They would have been rather hard to miss. Nevertheless, their work was warmly and enthusiastically 
received, as evidenced by briskly turned transactions at the coffer. We are so pleased to report that at the end of those three sales events, Cineus and Wiseton earned over $3500 apiece. In a country where the average daily wages is $2, such a cash infusion will have a tremendous positive impact on their lives. A huge and heartfelt “Thank you” to all who watched, visited, and shopped with us. Your dollars make a difference!
Contributed by Linda for It’s Cactus