Several Local Talk area artists with Haitian ties went either out of their way to help earthquake stricken victims April 16 at the Summit Medical Group's headquarters in Berkeley Heights.
Each one of the pieces, said Bennett, is for sale - with 40 percent of the proceeds going to Haitian earthquake relief. That relief is being channeled through the Orange-based LANBI Center for Humanities and Civics, Inc.
"LANBI operates out of the Universalist Church of Orange," said founder Martial Bonhomme, of Linden. "I started the non-profit organization in 2006 to develop the Haitian community's self-sufficiency. We were unincorporated when the floods hit Haiti in 2008 but we found a way to help."
Bonhomme, in person and through the "Hope Springs Eternal" program, explained that LANBI is Haitian Creole for "conch shell." The conch shell was used to rally the islanders to end slavery and become independent during the 1791 to 1803 Haitian Revolution.
Bonhomme said that holding an art exhibition was among the first fundraising ideas he thought of after the 7.0 magnitude quake hit within seven miles of Port-au-Prince, Haiti Jan. 12. He soon came across SMG's Bennett and company space planner Elizabeth Wiech.
"As space planner, one of my functions is to hold art exhibitions in Summit's facilities," said Wiech, of Fanwood. "There have been exhibitions held here every few months - but this' the first we had one that's a charity fundraiser."
The 80-year-old SMG, which has 140 physicians on call, is the state's largest privately held multi-specialty medical practice in New Jersey. Although it was founded in Summit, the center moved its base to the former Dunn and Bradstreet building, near the world-famous Bell Laboratories, in 2005. SMG's headquarters plus its satellite offices in Summit, Short Hills, Morristown, Warren and Westfield serve some 55,000 patients monthly.
"About 10 percent of our patients are from eastern Essex County - but we're getting there," said Bennett. "Our easternmost office is in Short Hills-Millburn, which treats patients from Maplewood and South Orange."
Bonhomme meanwhile put out invitations to local artists. While many have had joint displays before, "Hope Springs Eternal" is the first time all 10 artists were exhibiting together - and in SMG.
"I got a call from Martial about a month ago," said Darly Raphael, of Orange. "I knew him from LANBI. I've been living in Orange for 12 years."
Raphael presented 11 of her works to the exhibition. She stood twice for group photos April 16 with her nine colleagues, Bonhomme, Bennett and SMG Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert W. Brennan.
Brennan, of Short Hills, introduced Bonhomme at the start of the reception before a conference room audience of 110. He also talked for 30 minutes about his experience as a volunteer doctor in Haiti earlier this month. The doctor spent two weeks in a tent camp near Port-au-Prince through the Church Outreach to Youth Project, Inc., of North Adams, Mass.
"COTY is an exchange program of students and doctors between Haiti and the United States," said Brenner. "They've been sending people in teams of six since 1983 and they've exchanged more than 1,500."
Brenner described the conditions he, his son Daniel and a family friend encountered during their stay. While the two high school students mixed cement to rebuild a bakery, Brenner practiced everything from dentistry to childbirth delivery in the nearby camp.
"People in the mountains have to walk or ride mules up to five miles for fresh water that would last them two to three days," said Brenner. "One moment I'd be working on teeth with a doctor who had six months' experience and - what I haven't done in 20 years- deliver a baby the next [moment]. Although the infrastructure in Haiti is mostly gone, what impresses me most is the hope I see in its people."
Brenner debuted a video montage of his photos with a "Hope for Haiti Now" music track in the background. The video remained on a continuous loop on two gallery hallway television monitors.
"Hope Springs Eternal," at 1 Diamond Hill Rd., is open to the public. Call SMG at (908) 273-4000 for details.
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