Self-taught artist Mimi Desir (Myrlene Legendre Desir) was born in Bassin Mayan, near Gonaives, Haiti, in 1962. Mimi developed a passion for art at an early age (5-9); she studied art classes at George Washington, University, Montgomery College, and Maryland University, influenced by French impressionists. She paints in both impressionism and realism styles. She has exhibited in several art galleries and libraries in the U.S and received several awards and recognitions (Massasoit Community College, Official Citation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Senate, Caribbeans Art Gallery award (Boston); featured in the anthology Presence Feminine Dans L'Art Haitien by art historian Marie Alice Theard; featured in the anthology Migrating Colors by the Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts) and media coverage (Boston Haitian Reporter, Everett Independent, Daily News, Hyde Park Herald)