Pierre Fougère Cherisme was born in Torbeck, Haiti. In 1997 Cherisme opened a crafts store in Torbeck, near the southern port of Les Cayes, selling items from the rich voodoo culture of Haiti. With increasing political violence, tourists stopped coming. Aid to Artisans, a nonprofit in Hartford, Connecticut, Intervened as an intermediary. With this connection, Cherisme now sells handicrafts, locally and abroad. Cherisme is permanently exhibited at the Marassa Gallery.