Brooklyn Children’s Museum Presents Ti Atis this Saturday

Learn about and celebrate Haitian culture through activities and performances facilitated by Haitian artists when Brooklyn Children’s Museum presents Ti Atis with Haiti Cultural Exchange (HCX) on Saturday, December 9, 2023.

Ti Atis (Little Artists) engages youth with Haitian history and heritage via the arts, providing young people with the tools to build an inclusive and culturally informed future as they learn about diverse art forms from professional Haitian artists.

Families are encouraged to bring their little ones to discover and celebrate Haitian culture through activities including art-making, storytelling, music-making, movement, and song. Each Saturday features a different instructor and art form from Haiti Cultural Exchange’s talented community.

The program series begins on December 9 with a workshop titled “Discovering the Rhythms of the African Diaspora". During the workshop, families will go on a journey from West Africa to the Western Hemisphere while playing and talking about rhythms that have traveled throughout the African Diaspora. The workshop will be led by Okai Fleurimont, a Brooklyn-born percussionist and MC who has performed before audiences as Brooklyn Museum, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, in venues across the U.S., and internationally in Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Canada, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Australia, Japan, and Brazil.

“Haiti Cultural Exchange is thrilled to bring our signature youth program, Ti Atis, to Brooklyn Children’s Museum and to continue to foster an appreciation and understanding for Haitian culture and arts,” says Régine M. Roumain, Executive Director of Haiti Cultural Exchange. “Through this newly established partnership, our two organizations join forces and welcome the community to share, learn and grow!”

A primary component of Haiti Cultural Exchange’s youth development initiatives, Ti Atis is an arts education program engaging youth of Haitian descent and their peers with Haitian history and heritage via the arts. The program gives young people the tools to build an inclusive and culturally informed future as they learn about diverse art forms from professional Haitian artists.

The goal is to increase appreciation of Haiti and its culture, promote positive cultural identity and self-image, facilitate cross-cultural dialogue, and cultivate an inclusive sense of community amongst young people. Ti Atis is led in a variety of ways: workshops, assemblies, after-school, and in community-based settings.

The Museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on December 9, and the program runs from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Tickets – which can be purchased at www.brooklynkids.org/ti-atis - are $15 for children and adults (children under 1 years old are free), and $14 for grandparents.

Program Dates

Ti Atis takes place at BCM every second Saturday of the month, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

· December 9, 2023

· January 13, 2024

· February 10, 2024

· March 9, 2024

· April 13, 2024

· May 11, 2024

About Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Inspired by the energy and diversity of our borough, Brooklyn Children’s Museum creates experiences that ignite curiosity, celebrate identity and cultivate joyful learning. Founded in 1899 as the world’s first children’s museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum (BCM) is New York City’s largest cultural institution designed especially for families. Proudly based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, BCM serves 300,000 children and caregivers annually with exhibits and programs grounded in visual arts, music and performance, natural science, and world cultures. For more information, visit: www.brooklynkids.org.

About Haiti Cultural Exchange

Haiti Cultural Exchange (HCX) was founded in 2009 by seven Haitian women with the aim to create a permanent presence for Haitian Arts & Culture in our city. Our programs in the arts, education and public affairs raise awareness of social issues and foster cultural understanding within and beyond the Haitian community. Our activities deepen appreciation of the rich diversity of Haitian arts culture in New York City—one of the primary outposts of the Haitian diaspora—and provide opportunities for artists of Haitian descent to develop and present their work. The Haitian Diaspora is the seventh largest immigrant group in New York City, with over 90,000 individuals residing in Brooklyn, yet the Haitian community surveyed by HCX often feels there is an exceeding lack of representation of Haitian arts and culture in this cultural capital. HCX is important “Because Haitian culture is the greatest story rarely told,” says one survey respondent. HCX seeks to be a primary, authentic resource for presenting the culture of Haiti and the Diaspora. Learn more at https://haiticulturalx.org.