Haitian metal sculptor to visit Goshen

Life

September 19, 2007

Anonymous The Goshen News Wed Sep 19, 2007, 10:35 AM EDT

Jhonson Augustin, an award-winning metal sculptor and workshop owner from Croix des Bouquets, Haiti, will visit Ten Thousand Villages in Goshen, at 1 p.m. Sept. 22 to celebrate the store’s 30th anniversary. Augustin cuts metal from recycled oil drums to create unique works of art. He is touring the United States to demonstrate his craft for customers and learn about the U.S. marketplace for fair trade products.

Augustin has been sculpting metal figures since his apprenticeship at 18 under one of Haiti’s most renowned cut metal artists, Serge Jolimeau. Augustin makes the handcrafted sculptures from recycled 55-gallon steel oil drums that he burns, cuts open and pounds into a thin sheet. He sketches designs onto the sheets and cuts them out with a hammer and chisel.

Augustin has earned international acclaim for his craftsmanship. Last year, he received second prize for the UNESCO “Seal of Excellence,” which guarantees that a handicraft product meets the highest quality standards and is culturally authentic and environmentally friendly.

Recycled oil drum art is a unique Haitian art form. Sales from cut metal products generate income for craftspeople and encourage eco-friendly habits, including recycling. Customers are invited to meet Augustin and learn about his craft at Ten Thousand Villages. Admission to the event is free.

Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade organization based in Akron, Pa., offers handmade products to U.S. consumers while supporting the efforts of artisans in 35 countries around the world.

Ten Thousand Villages in Goshen, a fair trade store for 30 years, is one of nearly 80 retail locations across the United States.

For more information about Augustin’s visit to Goshen, contact Elizabeth Dragoo, store manager, at 533-8491 or visit goshen.tenthousandvillages.com.

Ten Thousand Villages is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday.

Text Only

Life

Finding the perfect filler for your garden
Rose mallow is a great garden filler. It’s origins are the genus malvaceae (mallow family) and if you are like I am, the mallow family gets rather confusing.

February 10, 2012 1 Photo
The ‘evolution’ of homeschooling
“Benefit number 9,267 of homeschooling.” That’s one of my favorite lines. I use it — any four-digit number is fine — when I hear something about public schooling I find objectionable, sad, mildly amusing, downright ridiculous or about which I’m simply glad to not have to bother.

February 5, 2012 1 Photo
COLUMN: It’s a new year for all you gardeners
Believe it or not it’s countdown time until spring— maybe I’m stretching it a bit but planting time at all the greenhouses is about to begin. Cuttings will be arriving in just over a month and that means activity.

February 3, 2012 1 Photo
Electoral homefront leaves mom the clear winner
It was the morning after the Iowa caucus. An eager nation had waited into the night, breathless, for an unnamed citizen in a pickup truck to arrive with the last of the votes.

January 30, 2012 1 Photo
When babies bite while nursing and other thoughts
It’s too soon for toilet training — in my house, that is. My toddling, teething baby starts his second year next month (meaning he turns 1).

January 29, 2012 1 Photo
Longtime church secretary retires
GOSHEN — For 15 years visitors to the office of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Goshen were greeted warmly with a big smile by former church secretary Veronica Gouker. And visitors or callers would soon find out what a wealth of information was stored within Gouker as she swiftly and efficiently handled requests.

January 28, 2012 1 Photo
Grapes are a passion in southwest Michigan
Lake Michigan has an impact on the rolling hills of southwest Michigan for grape growers. All the way from the Indiana/Michigan state line, north to the Kalamazoo River, and west to the city of Kalamazoo, where the bulk of the growing is done, moist lake breezes prevent the extremes of heat and cold in the spring and summer months.

January 27, 2012 1 Photo
What keeps you going during the lull of winter?
I’m never quite sure about January. First, there’s the cold, chilling to the bone. When I’m out walking the dog, a sharp western wind numbs my brain as well as my fingers.
Then there’s the realization that winter is still here for a couple of months. After the magic of the holidays, each day turns into every day.

January 23, 2012 1 Photo
ICE ESCAPADES IN ELKHART
Winter was slow in coming to the Elkhart County area this year, but now it’s arrived and with it the traditional winter activities are finally available, such as snow-shoeing, sledding and ice skating.

January 22, 2012 3 Photos
Questionable surgery leaves some mothers wounded
Amanda Gobble is angry. She’s working through it and putting her passion to good use for the benefit of others, but her frustration remains an unpleasant companion. This busy Elkhart mom is angry because her four babies were born via cesarean section, and she’s just not convinced they needed to be.

January 22, 2012 1 Photo
More Life Headlines

The Goshen Housing Authority has a $571,050 shortfall. Should the Goshen City Council use money from its $4.7-million “rainy day” fund to pay the debt and maintain the current level of service provided by the voucher program?

Life

Search Results

Haitian metal sculptor to visit Goshen

The Goshen Housing Authority has a $571,050 shortfall. Should the Goshen City Council use money from its $4.7-million “rainy day” fund to pay the debt and maintain the current level of service provided by the voucher program?

Site Map