To Haiti with LOVE…” Malene b Partners with Aid to Artisans Debuting “Tap Tap”- a Limited Edition Carpet for the Haitian Artisan Recovery Fund at the ICFF Show May 15-18, 2010

For Immediate Release: Brooklyn, NY: Malene b- Custom Handmade Carpets will debut Tap Tap, a limited edition carpet accompanied by a tribute letter entitled, “To Haiti with LOVE….” at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) on May 15-18 at the Javits Center in New York City, Booth 1753.

“After witnessing the aftermath of the earthquake I wanted to help. The devastation in Haiti inspired me to create a carpet that is a tribute to Haiti’s legacy in the arts.  The carpet is a stylized abstract of vivid color, incorporating multi textures and bespoke Haiti’s rich and historic culture. I chose to partner this project with “Aid to Artisans”, an arts organization that has been working in Haiti long before the earthquake. Aid to Artisans is a nonprofit org that promotes artisans globally. My Tap Tap carpet will support their Haitian Artisan Recovery Fund.”  Malene Barnett, principal

Tap Tap is inspired by the brightly colored Tap Tap buses that are an artistic expression of the Haitian people. The buses are moving art galleries that illustrate the vibrancy of the people’s every day lives. A recent PBS News Hour segment called, “Solving the Tap Tap puzzle”, explored the artistry and economics of Haiti’s Tap Tap buses. To view the segment, please click on the link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/haiti/view/tap-tap.html

This limited edition carpet will be shown in a 6′ x 9′, made in hand tufted New Zealand wool, specially priced at $1,595. Custom sizes, shapes and colors are available. The carpet is Goodweave certified- child labor free. All proceeds from the sale will go to rebuilding a workshop located in Port au Prince, Haiti that employs 500 artisans. Along with the purchase of this carpet, Aid to Artisans will provide a pictorial book entitled, “The Artisans of Haiti.”

Malene b- Custom Handmade Carpets specializes in globally inspired custom handmade carpets for residential, commercial and hospitality environments.  Malene b carpets are currently available through Sacco Carpet in New York City, Carpet Creations in Miami, Florida and Michaelian & Kohlberg in Boston.

For more information about malene b- Custom Handmade Carpets, please visit our website www.maleneb.com or contact Gary Shafran, Executive VP, gary@maleneb.com or 201-951-0980.

To learn more about Aid to Artisans, visit www.aidtoartisans.org and Goodweave visit www.goodweave.org.