Miami Discovers Haiti at the Little Haiti Cultural Center

Last Updated on Friday, 10 May 2013 03:22 Written by nicole Friday, 10 May 2013 02:43

Opening on May 16th at the Little Haiti Cultural Alliance Center in Miami is Discover Haiti, our ongoing collaboration with Russell James and Nomad Two Worlds.

Urban Zen and Nomad Two Worlds continue to support the artisans of Haiti through the Discover Haiti exhibition, which was first launched at the Urban ZenCenter in New York City. The center was transformed into a gallery and temporary showroom for a collection of art, accessories, clothing, and home furnishings designed and produced in Haiti. The exhibition also featured David Belle’s video“Naturally Haiti,” a behind-the-scenes look at how the collections were designed as well as gorgeous footage of Haiti and its people.

To see the full exhibition in Miami, open through July 1, 2013, please visit the Little Haiti Cultural Center.

www.haitianartsalliance.org

My American Idol

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 11:39 Written by Donna Karan Friday, 26 April 2013 05:59

On Monday a beautiful event honoring Barbra took place at Lincoln Center.  For 40 years now the Film Society honors a distinguished film artist whose body of work and lifetime of achievements represent a significant contribution to the art of film. This year the Chaplin Award went to Barbra and was presented to her by my none other than my other American Idol: President Bill Clinton.

The evening was a montage of extraordinary performances show casing brilliant moments from Barbra’s life as a ground breaking artist. I sat there as a fan.
Seeing the breadth of her work in one night was overwhelming and astonishing, even for me.

I felt like I was watching my life in front of my eyes and I think everyone sort of felt this way… Barbra has been infused in our lives for decades – from film, to stage, to broadway, to her divine voice – you name it, Barbra’s done it. When the event came to a close, all I wanted to do was run home and watch every single film, start to finish all over again.

Another big milestone happened this week: Barbra’s birthday. I was thrilled to be able to throw Barbra a birthday celebration at Urban Zen – an intimate evening that brought together our family and friends.

For the weekend, we headed to Washington, D.C. for the Correspondents’ Dinner, a perfect way to conclude our week of celebrations.

Celebrating our Community: Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 11:30 Written by Urban Zen Friday, 19 April 2013 06:18

Anything is possible when people come together with a shared vision. We’ve seen this philosophy in action countless times and it fuels our on-going belief in the power of community. We are very proud to share the Dr. Paul Farmer – a key member of our community in Haiti – has completed the construction of Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, in Mirebalais, Haiti. This state-of-the-art facility will be a gateway to healthcare for so many. We’re beyond inspired to by this continued rebuilding of Haiti and are thrilled to see this giant step forward for the country’s healthcare. To learn more about the project, check out the video above and article from our friends at Partners in Health below.

Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais

by Partners in Health

We’re thrilled that construction of Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, in Mirebalais, Haiti, is complete. The 205,000-square foot, 300-bed facility—called HUM for short—will fill a huge void, locally and nationally, for people who previously had limited access to quality health care.

The hospital will provide primary care services to about 185,000 people in Mirebalais and two nearby communities. But patients from a much wider area—all of central Haiti and areas in and around Port-au-Prince—also will be able to receive secondary and tertiary care. We anticipate seeing as many as 500 patients every day in our ambulatory clinics when the hospital is fully operational.

And at a time when Haiti desperately needs skilled professionals, HUM will provide high-quality education for the next generation of Haitian nurses, medical students, and resident physicians.

Thanks to incredibly generous supporters, we have raised funds to design, build, and outfit the hospital and residences, and we will continue to rely on our friends and supporters who believe we can—and should—provide health care to people everywhere, and especially to people living on the margin of extreme poverty.