Due to the lack of an adequate educational structure in Haiti, there are many young people that are not going to school and are exposed to negative influences. This is why Benoit Profélus wants to cultivate young artists with the goal to create art as a way of telling stories and presenting Haiti under a different light. Benoit is one of the many artists that the Vassar Haiti Project works closely with. We have supported him for almost ten years and have watched him grow as an artist and teacher with amazing talent and creative energy.

Born in 1994, Benoit began painting at age 7, but was encouraged to pursue an education instead of art until he sold his first painting at the age of 9 for $20. Since then, this talented self-taught artist became increasingly well-known and opened his own art workshop, Galerie Benoit & Atelier, at the age of 17, where he continues to teach a growing number of young artists. Despite the financial pressure of paying for the education of his five siblings after his father’s death, Benoit persists in managing his own art school.

Through his art, Benoit attempts to “present reality” and uses bright colors to depict scenes from nature and daily life, drawing inspiration from casual trips to the countryside. Painting has become a way for him to understand the world and ground himself in society, as he attempts to support his Haitian community by investing in the talents of other potential artists. Benoit said, “The work of an artist is never finished. It’s like a child that’s growing. It’s always growing and changing.”

Besides teaching 20-30 students at his art workshop, Benoit also exhibits his works in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien. “I would like to become a bigger artist. I would like to become a good businessman and painter, to travel to sell paintings, to go to every country and exhibit,” Benoit said as he shared his aspirations with us on one of our trips to Haiti.

Lucinda and Robert were both fierce advocates for human rights, fought for the underserved, and were longtime, loyal supporters and partners of the Vassar Haiti Project.

In 1961, Bob was appointed by President Kennedy to the position of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY and continued in that role until 1970. He was the District Attorney of NY County from 1975 to 2009. In his nine terms in office, his staff conducted more than 3.5 million criminal prosecutions. During that period, homicides in Manhattan were reduced by over 90% and he prosecuted white-collar criminals as well. Bob served as the chairman of New York City’s Police Athletic League and as Chairman Emeritus of the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. He was also on the Board of the Immigrant Justice Corps. He was a strong supporter of the Vassar Haiti Project, and served as an advisor to Andrew and Lila Meade, Co-founders and directors of VHP, towards furthering the goals of the project.

Lucinda wrote as a writer for United Press International in London until 1974, where she covered the civil war in Northern Ireland, antiwar movements in Europe and radical terrorists in the U.S. She was appointed as staff writer at The New York Times from 1974-1977, writing profiles of public figures, covering local NY politics, the 1976 presidential campaign, trials, and investigative reporting, including an exposé on red dye No. 2 which led to its being banned from the nation’s food supply. Additionally, Lucinda wrote for several other notable publications, including the NY Times Magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, as well as several cover stories in The Times Magazine. Lucinda was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting, for a five-part series entitled “The Making of a Revolutionary”. She taught at several universities including Princeton, Vassar and Yale, and is the author of several prominent books including Wild Apples, My Father’s Secret War, and her memoir, Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me. Lucinda was also a proud supporter of the Vassar Haiti Project, and embarked on a rugged and courageous trip to Haiti in January of 2019. There, she fell in love with Haitian art and became an avid collector, including several prized pieces by Benoit and his students.

This gallery space, dedicated to the memory of Lucinda and Robert will continue their legacies.