Beyond Borders was created in response to the beauty found even in the midst of the hardships and challenges of everyday life in Haiti. Using fair trade principles of fair wages, this piece helps provide the Haitian community real economic improvement and lives bettered through the creation and sharing of their beautiful art. Each Beyond Borders item is handcrafted by a Haitian artist using recycled materials. The result is this unique and memorable gift with the highest quality craftsmanship. You’ll love the art…and the fact that you’ve contributed to the recovery from the earthquake in 2010. Today the center of Haitian metal arts is the village of Croix-des-Bouquets, where the clang-clang of metal on metal, the workers with their tools banging out the sculptures, is a constant music. The artisans start with designs inspired by nature and culture. From cardboard patterns, they trace their design with chalk on the flattened metal from torn-down oil drums. With chisels and hammers, they carefully cut and decorate the metal. Each piece is shaped and smoothed, and on many of the pieces the artist will proudly chisel his or her name into the metal sculpture. Then the piece is coated with a weather-resistant varnish. 28" tall x 23" wide.