miwa

created by Talie and Lunise Cerin

Nov 6 - 8, 2025

Icebox Project Space

a note from our artistic director

This season at Journey Arts is unfolding a little like a map. The starting point — that little star that declares You Are Here — is this debut of MIWA. Wandering through a visual village of Lunise Cerin’s filmed portraits of Haitian women, you’ll be led towards a jewel-box performance space where you can bask in the sounds of Talie Cerin’s chamber ensemble love letter to Haiti. Find your reflection here, or embrace the glittering reflection of another’s world.

In April you can choose to step off the threshold and onto the map with the Journey Arts signature Table Sessions. Bring friends, or make some new friends at the 7th iteration of this Billy Penn favorite “hidden gem” performance/dinner/conversation series. Look for an announcement on Journey Arts social media about where the Table Sessions will take you this season.

And in June you can follow your own path to a place of belonging with TO BE HERE, a community-led performance and exhibit conceived and created by Lynda Grace Black and Magda Martinez. This art installation and story-based production literally traverses the globe, sharing the heart-stories of a group of Philadelphians making home a long way from home.

Find yourself on the map, in the mirror, on the threshold, in the story this season at Journey Arts. Find your place, take stock of where you are, declare your starting point — and then step out and take in the possibilities.

Marla Burkholder

Lunise Cerin

ARTIST STATEMENT

Welcome to MIWA!

This exhibit, like most of my work, is a love letter to my community: the Haitian community in Haiti and in the diaspora. We hope this space can serve as a departure from the heaviness of 2025 and provide an opportunity to immerse yourself in a full-body celebration of Haitian traditions and practices as they are taught and transmitted across generations and borders. As a person raised between Haiti and Philly, I often find myself longing for the land, but always held and embraced by her people. This exhibit hopes to honor that continuum, the ways our love and care persist. If you are Haitian, we hope you catch glimpses of yourself reflected back to you in every corner of this exhibit. If you are a friend, we welcome you with open arms. We hope that this exhibit inspires a renewed commitment to Haiti’s future in you. These clips are portions of an ongoing documentary film project. Visit miwafilm.com to learn about ways to support this ongoing work.

Toward a more loving world.

Talie Cerin

ARTIST STATEMENT

Receive this concert as an extension of the rooms you just walked through—the ones my sister so lovingly put together; a cycle of old folk songs, new folk songs, adopted folk songs. If a folk song is a sonic invitation into a people, then these are invitations into the traditions that have held me. Five songs: a prayer or incantation, a lullaby, a manifesto, a medley of children’s game songs, a hymn.

Everything is a puzzle. The repetitive melodies, the questions, the small thoughts that circled my head over the past year—all of them finally clicked when I sat down to make this. I hadn’t realized they were part of the same piece. They’d felt random, fleeting. The stream of consciousness in my head has sounded something like the spiraling melody of “Oh What a Wonderful, Wonderful Day” we used to sing at church in Port-au-Prince; lines from a sweet little poem about hide and seek my mother once posted on Facebook; the words I wish I could say to the grandmothers I never met. That one perfect line of my great-aunt singing “au secours” on a 1980s recording; the funny song my uncles made up to tease people for leaving parties too early—right after eating.

They all land somewhere here, scattered through these few songs. This is my mirror: a Haitian sifting, synthesizing, singing my way through exile.

Meet the Team Behind MIWA (The Film)

  • Lunise Cerin

    DIRECTOR/EDITOR/PRODUCER

    Lunise Cerin is a writer, Director, Editor, and Storyroducer from Port-au-Prince and Philadelphia. Cerin began her film career in Los Angeles at the SVOD Black and Sexy TV, producing short-form narrative content, and pivoted to documentary in 2018. She has worked as a feature documentary editor and story producer, the most recent being “The Fight For Haiti” (2024) directed by Etant Dupain. Cerin received an MFA in screenwriting from Columbia University in 2024. Cerin is currently in post-production for her directorial debut, the documentary film "Miwa" for which she received William Penn, NEA, and IPMF grants. Lunise teaches film in the Visual Studies Department at Haverford College in PA.

  • Leonica Pierre-Maintus

    PRODUCER

    Leonica Pierre Maintus est une artiste passioné, dotée d’une solide experience sur scène et a l’écran, et d’une grande capacité d’adaptation aux rôles variés. Enthousiaste, créative et professionnelle, avec une formation rigoureuse et un engagement profond dans l’art dramatique et la production cinematographique.

    Leonica Pierre Maintus is a passionate artist with extensive experience on stage and screen, with a strong capacity to adapt to various roles. Leonica is enthusiastic, creative, and professional, with rigorous training and a deep commitment to drama and film production.

  • Mélodie Cerin

    PRODUCER

    Melodie Cerin is a creative producer and grant manager, from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As a grant manager, Melodie works with grassroots organizations in Haiti and the diaspora to find and manage funds for their activism, art, peace-building, and educational initiatives. Melodie is Co-editor at Woy Magazine, and the Grants Manager for Ayiti Community Trust. 

    Melodie has worked as a producer in narrative, documentary and music video projects shot in Haiti and in the Haitian diaspora. Her credits include production art buyer for the short film Victorine (2024) directed by Lunise Cerin. She has also contributed to other films like The Fight for Haiti (2024) by Etant Dupain and the documentary The Lisette Project (2022) directed by Jean B. Cerin as a translator and research assistant.

  • Thierry Prinston

    CINEMATOGRAPHER (HAITI)

  • Taj Devore

    CINEMATOGRAPHER (PHILADELPHIA)

  • ADDITONAL CREDITS

    Cinematography: Christian Hayden, Watson Balmyr, Morancy Enelson,  Wood-Jerry Gabriel, GK Fredericks

    Production Assistants: Wenderly Joseph, Tafari Robertson

    Assistant Editor: Patrick Nichols

    Post Production Sound and Production Sound Recorder: Charlie Raboteau

    Post Production Color: GK Fredericks

Meet the Cast of MIWA

  • Gabrielle Aurel

    Gabie was born in Haiti and is an American citizen.  She has a BS in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University in Decatur, GA.  Gabie has a diverse background in government and development work and is the main driver of Sonje Ayiti in Haiti.  Her entrepreneurial leadership and empathy make her the ideal person to execute life-changing projects in a country with many socio-economic challenges.

  • Mélissa Beauvery

    Mélissa is a Haitian-American writer, poet and spoken word performer from Brooklyn, NY. Beauvery has released two poetry albums “My Grandmother’s Tongue” and “Pye Fanm” both projects feature poetry in Haitian Kreyol and English and serve as a tribute to the women, the land, and the culture of Haiti.

  • Caciana Compere

    Caciana Compere is a woman’s health Nurse Practitioner from Brooklyn, NY living in Philadelphia, a proud Haitian American and mother of one.

  • Licia Devierge

    Licia Devierge is a midwife/birthworker from Limbé, Haiti with over 60 years of experience Licia has hand delivered multiple generations of babies in the north of Haiti. 

  • Letisha Golafaie

    Letisha is a painter, photographer, gardener, herbalist and community organizer from Manapan Boston, living and growing in Philadelphia. As an abstractionist, they have explored resolution and expressions in and through deep layering complexity. They bring the same level of expansiveness to their engagements with community and organizing.

  • Naomieh Jovin

    Naomieh is a visual artist with a focus in photography. She received her BFA in Photography and Digital Arts from Moore College of Art and Design (‘17). Her work is influenced by the absence of her late mother as well as her experiences growing up as a first generation Haitian-American.

  • Mercelyne Latortue

    Mercelyne is a gardener, educator, chef and founder of Epis by Merc, Mercelyne also co-leads an apothecary garden course in Philadelphia. Raised in NY and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She majored in public health at Temple University and has dedicated her career to connecting people with food, herbs, and the movement for a more just world.

  • Vivianne Pierre

    Vivianne is a Manmbo, Vodou Priestess living in Mon Rouge, Haiti. She has been serving as a mystic for over 30 years, a mother and a pilar of the vodou communities in the north of Haiti.

  • Anaïse Raymond

    Anaïse is a dancer, cultural worker and vodou practitioner, and pye poudre or pilgrim, for Port-au-Prince Haiti who uses her platform to educate her fellow Haitians on the history importance of the Haitian vodou traditions.

  • Sonje Ayiti

    Sonje Ayiti is a group of Haitian and international humanitarians who collaborate to uplift the Haitian community through education, economic development, and health promotion. The long-term vision is to provide the tools for Haitians to help themselves. www.sonjeayiti.com

  • Also Featuring

    Agr. Loudenie Prevoir, Mélodie Cerin, Lunise Cerin, Lunise Jules, Rhodes Jules Garçon, Rosie Aristile

about

the band

  • Mollie Ducoste began taking violin lessons at three years old in group Suzuki classes. She studied classically until college at Hampton University, where she began pursuing jazz violin while completing a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. She has spent summers playing her jazz violin in New Orleans with Ellis Marsalis, Wendell Brunious, Carl LeBlanc, Charmaine Neville, and Tonya Boyd-Cannon. A North Carolina native, Mollie relocated to the Philadelphia area in 2017, where she has since released two EPs, Voices and Taste under her artist name, Mollie Rose.

  • Victoria Lee is a cellist new to Philadelphia’s music scene. By day, she’s a copywriter at an ad agency. By night (and on weekends, and holidays, and sometimes while she’s supposed to be at work but please don’t tell her boss), you can find her schlepping her cello to either a rehearsal, the studio, or a funeral gig… the cello is a somber instrument. She’s performed with the Chicago Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and collaborated with artists including Lili K., Qari, Shawnee Dez, NNAMDĪ and Chance the Rapper. Victoria also co-writes, produces and stars in her web series Low Strung.

  • Veronica MJ is an instrumentalist, DJ, educator, and curator based in Philadelphia. She is drawn to sound involving the intersection of experimental, improvisational, and traditional practice; has a passion for creating and realizing diverse types of artistic programs and communal art experiences; and is an active member of the creative and Latin music scene in Philadelphia. A versatile musician, Veronica shape-shifts as both a violinist and violist as well as between different genres and languages within music. Most recently, Veronica is an active DJ on the Afro-Latin dance scene in Philadelphia, producing and organizing salsa and bachata events throughout the area.

  • As a young musician in Philadelphia, Dariel Peniazek had the great privilege to be surrounded and inspired by some of the most prolific Jazz, R&b, and gospel players on the scene today. As his career progressed, his love for Latin-American and afro-caribbean music led him to his own musical crossroads, combining the grit and soul of Philadelphia with the captivating rhythms of Latin America. Dariel has shared the stage with a plethora of artists from a variety of musical worlds, including Alain Perez, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Javier Colina, Perico Sambeat, John Swana, David Rivera, Arturo Stable, Braxton Cook, Roman Filiu, Fernando Costa, and others.

  • Timothy Ragsdale is an accomplished bassist and influential educator. Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Timothy is a versatile musician proficient in electric and upright bass with a repertoire spanning from jazz, R&B, soul, gospel and beyond. Timothy's musical journey began playing in churches in Philadelphia, later studying at West Chester University where he earned a BA in Classical Music Performance. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a diverse array of artist and ensembles including but not limited to The Sun Ra Arkestra ,The Black Pearl Orchestra, Marvin Sapp, Denise King and many more.

  • Born and raised in New York City and now based in Philadelphia, Stephanie Rose crafts music that is both raw and vulnerable. Her songs explore self-love, desire, and the freedom of choosing oneself, offering listeners a safe space to feel whatever they need in the moment. With an honest sound that flows and shifts like water, her music invites you to return again and again, each time finding something new to hold onto. Stephanie Rose is currently working on her first EP with her leading single, little bird (ti zwazo) out on all streaming platforms.

  • Arturo Stable is a Grammy-winning percussionist, composer, and creative visionary whose career bridges continents and cultures. Originally from Cuba, he has performed and recorded with many of today’s leading jazz and world artists while releasing five acclaimed albums as a bandleader. Arturo’s music blends jazz, Afro-Cuban traditions, and contemporary sounds into a distinctive voice that is both innovative and deeply rooted. Beyond the stage, he has directed international festivals, produced documentaries, and taught at UCLA, Berklee College and the University of the Arts among others. With every project, Arturo inspires audiences through rhythm, creativity, and a commitment to artistic excellence.

  • Mervin Toussaint is a Philadelphia-based saxophonist, composer, and educator whose music blends jazz, church music, and contemporary influences. A Haitian American artist, he grew up in the Haitian church and, since moving to Philadelphia in 2016, has performed with The Temptations, The Four Tops, Mike Boone, and V. Shayne Frederick. As a bandleader, he has appeared at South Jazz Kitchen, Chris’ Jazz Café, and the MAAS Building, often collaborating with poets and spoken-word artists. His 2022 debut album, LAKAY, explores themes of home, identity, loss, and spirituality. Beyond performing, Toussaint is deeply committed to music education, using his experience to mentor the next generation of artists.

Meet the Exhibition Team

  • Nia Benjamin

    EXHIBITION DESIGNER

    Nia Benjamin is a Black agender, queer director of experimental theatre and multidisciplinary artist— working in film, projection and installation designer, video arts . Their work uses the synthesis of dance, poetry, live music, theatre and video arts to create live performances about the sovereignty, liberation and interiority of Black and Brown, queer and trans* people. Nia is the Co-Artistic Director of Ninth Planet, a Philadelphia based experimental theatre company that makes original works of performance that centers people of color, women, queer and trans* people. Recent credits include: Fallawayinto (2025, Director) On Buried Ground (2024, Director/Co-Creator), Esto No Tiene Nombre by Denice Frohman (2023, Projection and Production Designer), high noon (2024, Director, Co-Creator).

  • Bless Rudisill

    LIGHTING DESIGNER

    Bless is a queer east-coast based lighting designer who aims to use light as a malleable ethereal material in order to explore the spiritual nuances of the human condition as seen through time and memory. Bless wishes to pursue the more primal aspects of being human, and highlights light's influence on our more subconscious experiences .However, in transforming light through different mediums, he aims to not only open paths to understanding his own perspective, but also the perspective of those around him.

  • Rick Rein

    SOUND ENGINEER

    Rick holds a bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of the Arts, where he previously served as an adjunct professor. Based in Philadelphia since 2010, Rein has had a dynamic career as a multi-instrumentalist, performing in a wide range of musical ensembles. His passion for music led him to a second career as a sound engineer, working in recording studios, theaters, and concert venues such as FringeArts, Union Transfer, and Ardmore Music Hall.

special thanks

Marcus Lolo, Mervin Toussaint, Carly Rapaport-Stein, The Cerin Family, The Jules Family, Timothy Belknap, Logan Cryer, Marla Burkholder, Television Farm, Tafari Robertson, Oliver Spencer, Vernon Jordan III, Cait Foster, Charlie Raboteau, GK Fredericks.

Lead funding for MIWA was provided by the William Penn Foundation, with additional support from the Independence Public Media Fund, and development support from the National Endowment for the Arts.