On May 16, the tables inside the Little Haiti Cultural Complex disappeared beneath piles of magazine clippings, cardboard houses, scissors and glue. Children leaned over their projects, carefully cutting, gluing and arranging the materials to create miniature self-portraits set inside model homes.
Then a five year-old girl dropped her unfinished work on a table in front of Haitian artist Mark Delmont, who just smiled.
For him, the moment captured the spirit of Art on the Move, a free initiative launched by Oolite Arts during Haitian Heritage Month.
“They remind me why I make art in the first place,” Delmont said. “As an adult navigating a world that demands constant production, watching a child simply decide they’re not in the headspace to create is a lesson in itself.”
The workshop was created by Oolite Arts, a Miami Beach arts organization founded in 1984 that has spent more than four decades creating opportunities for emerging artists.
The organization launched the event as a way to give back to the Little Haiti community, which has hosted several Oolite Arts’ programs. Through workshops like this one, artists like Delmont can teach children and adults to make art while talking about identity, memory and community. For two hours, dozens of families and community members gathered to create art, embrace their culture through live music and to support local Haitian vendors.
The event offered participants something increasingly difficult to find: free access to creative spaces and lessons.
“They’re giving us this space for free,” said Catalina Aguayo, education program manager for Oolite Arts. “Doing it here for the first time, it just felt natural as a way of giving back.”
The mission is crucial in Little Haiti, a neighborhood long recognized as a cultural center for Miami’s Haitian community and one grappling with the effects of rapid development and gentrification.
A recent strategic draft plan from the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust and Florida International University found that 37% of properties purchased in the neighborhood since 2019 were bought by outside investors. As growth reshapes the area, artists and community leaders have raised concerns about preserving the cultural spaces that have long defined the neighborhood.
In a city where major galleries and studio spaces are often concentrated in affluent neighborhoods such as Wynwood and the Design District, affordable opportunities for local artists can be difficult to find.
“Haitian artists have a space to exist, and the spaces they’ve created outside of those spaces are very sparse,” Delmont said. “They’re here, but I think Haitian folks really got to dig deep and build their communities, because I don’t think anyone’s just getting up and saying, ‘I want to help Haitian artists today.'”
Among those attending was Nina Baeza, a film student at the University of California, Berkeley, who learned about the event through an online flyer.
Baeza believes communities such as Little Haiti are often overlooked by the traditional art world, despite their cultural influence and artistic contributions.
Public perceptions of Haiti are often shaped by coverage of political instability, economic hardship and natural disasters, leaving little room for stories that highlight the country’s culture, creativity and resilience.
“Historically, it’s been very underrepresented or kind of boxed into just one category,” Baeza said. “Haiti has so much complex art and music that isn’t acknowledged in mainstream spaces. People don’t realize how much global art is impacted by it—whether that’s the vibrant colors, the spiritual themes, or the history of resistance.”
For Baeza, bringing art directly into neighborhoods helps challenge the notion that creative spaces belong only to wealthy audiences.
“Accessibility matters,” she said. “If you only put art in wealthy areas or expensive galleries, you’re telling working-class communities that art isn’t for them. By bringing it to the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, it becomes a part of daily life.”
Organizers hope that visibility can have a lasting impact on the next generation. Seeing artists who share their cultural background succeed in their own community can encourage young people to view creativity not simply as a hobby, but as a possible future.
“It shows these kids that their culture is valuable,” Baeza said, “and that being an artist is a real, viable path they can pursue.”
Earlier in the afternoon, the young girl who had declared herself finished pushed her project aside and moved on to eat.
Delmont never asked her to return to it.
For him, the workshop was never about creating perfect artwork. It was about giving young people the freedom to explore their creativity, connect with their culture and tell their own stories on their own terms.
“This is our opportunity,” Delmont said, “to show the rest of the world that there’s a culture they should learn from.”More than 130 community members gathered at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex this past Saturday for “Oolite Arts on the Move,” a vibrant celebration of Haitian Heritage Month filled with live music, traditional food, and interactive art.
Sponsored by Oolite Arts—a Miami Beach organization dedicated to supporting contemporary creators—the event aimed to make fine art accessible by directly connecting local families with Haitian artists Stephen Arboite and Mark Delmont.
The featured artists hosted a hands-on art workshop, giving parents and children the unique opportunity to create their own artwork side-by-side with professionals.
Beyond creating a space for family-friendly artistic expression, the initiative spotlighted a culture that community members say deserves a larger platform in South Florida’s creative landscape.
“Haiti has so much art and music that isn’t acknowledged,” said Nina Beaza, an attendee from the University of California. “People don’t realize how much global art is impacted by it.”
