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ART & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE BAHAMAS • • • • Can't see the images? CLICK HERE! • • • • TOP IMAGE: "So high; I’ll fly over it", 2013 by Bahamian art
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ART & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE BAHAMAS
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Can't see the images? CLICK HERE!
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TOP IMAGE:
"So high; I’ll fly over it", 2013 by Bahamian artist John Beadle
Black iron, chain-link fence, paint, clear coat and limestone, 60.5” x 42.5” x 11”
© Photo The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
"The John Beadle Project" Exhibition exhibition opens tomorrow night, Thursday, April 25 at 7pm at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Nassau. |
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 |
 John Beadle in his studio / © Photo by Nadia Huggins |
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 Artwork by John Beadle
© Photo by John Cox |
The John Beadle Project
OPENS TOMORROW
Thursday, April 25, 2013
7pm to 9pm
National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
“The John Beadle Project” features a series of new works by Bahamian artist John Beadle, who is known as an accomplished painter but in recent years has broadened his range to include sculpture and large-scale installation.
“As an artist who is finely attuned to the issues of our society, he is known for works that quietly yet deeply observe and raise unsettling questions about our human condition and how we see and treat each other,” says NAGB director Amanda Coulson.
“Born to a Bahamian mother and Jamaican father, Beadle has himself felt the sting of xenophobia and many of his pieces judiciously critique our relationship to our own émigré community and delves into issues – personal, psychological and societal – that are a result of both migration and immigration.
“Immigration is an act of the outside coming in, though this ‘outside’ is usually somewhere distant, somewhere perhaps unfamiliar or scary.”
Coulson notes however that in his new body of work, Beadle turns his gaze closer to home, further inward, and addresses issues of fear and security within our homeland, treating the “outside” as that perceived through the car or house window [...]
CLICK HERE to read full article by Erica Wells of the Guardian. |
Master Artists of
The Bahamas
OPENS TOMORROW
Thursday, April 25, 2013
7pm to 9pm
National Art Gallery
of The Bahamas
On its final leg, this travelling exhibition—which has been shown at the Waterloo Center for the Arts in Iowa and the Museum of Fine Arts in Tallahassee, Florida—comes home to The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas.
Instigated by the Waterloo Center for the Arts (WCA) and filmmaker Karen Arthur—whose many films include “Brent Malone: Father of Bahamian Art,” and “Amos Ferguson: Match Me if You Can,” among others—this project was initially conceived to raise the profile of Bahamian art in the United States and bring the work of Bahamian artists to new audiences. Filmmaker Arthur, with her partner Thomas Neuwirth, had finished producing the Island Films production “Artists of The Bahamas” and this inspired the Iowan curators—Cammie Scully and Kent Shankle—to stage the show, focusing on the artists featured in the film [...]
CLICK HERE to read full article by Erica Wells of the Guardian. |
"A Girl Called Nettie" Book Launch
Friday, April 26, 2013
At 6pm
You are cordially invited to join Netica Symonette at the official launch of her book "A Girl Called Nettie – A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love" on Friday, 26th April 2013, 6.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m. at Casuarinas of Cable Beach, West Bay Street.
The book is an intimate account of Ms. Symonette’s personal life over the past seven decades, breaking barriers and blazing trails.
Ms. Symonette will be on hand to sign books. Cocktails will be served.
Please RSVP at (242) 327-7921. |
Tychiko Cox in Recital
with Dr Christy Lee, Piano
Friday, April 26, 2013 at 7.30pm |
The Gallery at Old Fort Bay
presents "Chroma"
Artwork by Imogene Walkine and Marco Mullings
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 from 5.30pm to 8pm |
 Artwork by Maria Govan |
Popopstudios presents
"JAB" –
A Look at
Trinidad's Traditional
Carnival
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
At 6pm
The public is invited to attend the opening of an exhibition by Bahamian artist and filmmaker Maria Govan at Popopstudios in Chippingham on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 starting at 6pm.
In February 2013, the D'Aguilar Art Foundation gave a grant to Govan to take a look at Trinidad's Carnival. There, she connected with veteran Trinidadian photographer, Abigail Hadeed, who has been documenting Traditional Carnival for many decades. With her access, Govan was able to capture some incredible images and video -- aspects of Carnival that we often don't see.
The show will be a combination of photos, video and paintings which will hopefully leave viewers with a memorable taste of Trinidad's Traditional Carnival.
CLICK HERE to learn more the event. |
Liquid Courage Gallery presents "Interkosmos"
Opens May 2, 2013
5pm to 8pm
Liquid Courage Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by British artists Rory and Ella McCartney.
INTERKOSMOS showcases a series of re-appropriated photographs, which document the Russian Space programme during the 1950s. Only recently declassified, the images are at once, historical illustrations and stunning compositions.
This brother and sister duo are based in London, UK and this is their first collaborative artwork. Both artists have accomplished and eclectic artistic accolades in their own-right; Ella, a graduate of Royal Academy of Art, London is a sculptor. Recent exhibitions include a performance at the ICA, London titled “On Language”. Rory, a graduate of The Slade School of Fine Art, is a painter. Recent projects include a performance at the V&A museum, London “Cut & Paste” and a solo show with Arch 402, London.
CLICK HERE to view Liquid Courage Gallery's Facebook page. |
A New Direction – Mother & Child III
New works by Jessica & Erin Colebrooke
Saturday, May 4, 2013 | 10am to 3pm
Hillside House, Cumberland Street |
 Bahamian Writer Helen Klonaris |
New Online Workshops from the Gaulin Project for May 2013
A Light Through My Window:
Writing the Spiritual Memoir
May 6-June 30
In this 8-week online writing workshop, we’ll read published memoirs, poetry, and nonfiction that illumines the spiritual experience from diverse traditions. We’ll write weekly and discuss both craft and our spiritual journeys. We’ll work towards a rich and inspired portfolio of writings that tell your story of a personal relationship to the divine.
The cost of "A Light Through My Window" is $450. Registration for the course requires payment at least one week in advance of the start date of the course.
• • •
When My Body Speaks
May 6-June 30
In this 8-week online workshop, participants will be guided gently and soulfully through a variety of techniques to invite and coax the body to voice. We’ll read and talk about the writings of others, we’ll write our own stories down, we’ll gather to us a literary testimony to honor our bodies’ sorrows, struggles, yearnings, and triumphs in this lifetime.
The cost of "When My Body Speaks" is $450. Registration for the course requires payment at least one week in advance of the start date of the course.
• • •
CLICK HERE for full details or email helenklonaris@gmail.com. |
NY Book Launch & Reading of Bahamian book
Thursday, May 2, 2013
You are invited to the New York book launch of Angelique Nixon's collection "Saltwater Healing - A Myth Memoir and Poems" at the bookstore, fair trade cafe and activist center, Bluestockings on Thursday, 2 May 2013, 7:00-9:30pm.
Angelique will read from her art and poetry collection, and she will be joined by the editor Sonia Farmer and fellow poets Charan P. Morris and Gabrielle Civil, who will also read at the event. The limited edition, letterpress cover, hand-bound book will be available for purchase.
Published by Poinciana Paper Press, "Saltwater Healing" uses the Bahamian landscape to explore difficulty personal stories as a way to heal. The book includes selected poems and a full color reproduction of the literary artwork the author describes as "myth memoir" - 18 panels weaved together with straw, fabric, and plant materials, which were originally featured as an installation in Transforming Spaces FIBRE at The Hub in Nassau, The Bahamas.
"Saltwater Healing" was officially released by Poinciana Paper Press earlier this year on 3rd February 2013 at Doongalik Studios Art Gallery in Nassau, The Bahamas. |
Conchservation Logo Competition
Deadline: TODAY! Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 5pm
CLICK HERE for full details. |
New art gallery opens in Nassau
This past Sunday, a new boutique art gallery opened in Nassau in the Prince George Plaza, Bay Street. The Toni Gallery is a realization of a dream of young Bahamian artist Toni Alexia Roach.
"I have always loved art. I studied fine art in Michigan where I received my BFA in Visual Arts from Andrews University. I was offered a job at an Advertising Agency in Michigan, but turned it down because it wasn't really what I wanted to do. So I came home and after working for my father doing marketing and administrative work, I finally decided to open my own art gallery that would assist young and aspiring artists with exposure as well as creating an additional outlet for creatives and giving tourists an idea of the extent of our cultural beauty."
Roach expressed that she intends to further her education by attaining an MFA, but her focus right now is contributing to the art community in The Bahamas.
"Because I have spent so many years abroad (in boarding school as well as college), I've felt an estrangement from my country and my culture, and I'm so happy to be part of it again and to find a way to help it to grow and flourish."
The store has been operating for a number of weeks prior to the Grand Opening which was organised to introduce itself to the Bahamian public and to support and encourage local artists and art galleries. "It's small, but we've already had a positive response from visitors who enjoy viewing and purchasing Bahamian art."
CLICK HERE to learn more about the gallery. |
 His Excellency Sir Arthur Foulkes, Governor General of The Bahamas, receives a copy of Netica Symonette's new book. |
Netica Symonette presents book to Governor General
“A Girl Called Nettie. A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love” is the poignant but inspiring story of the life, trials and tribulations of Netica Symonette, a Bahamian icon and female pacesetter in the hospitality industry of the country. While not at the forefront of the suffrage movement, Netica Symonette has certainly been an activist in the country’s primary industry, charting the path for both Bahamian men and women in the field. The release of her autobiography is timely as the country again finds itself at the crossroads of questioning where are the leaders-in-training among Bahamians in this important sector of the economy.
Ms. Symonette’s story shows how she defied the management glass ceiling in the workplace that was predominantly male. However, she does not hesitate to address the personal challenges of her search for love, becoming an unwed mother several times over, and the vision and people around her that kept her focused. Ms. Symonette is convinced that “despite the adversity which I faced in accomplishing what I set out to do, the book is truly meant as an inspiration to those generations after me which may feel there is little hope of advancement, achievement or recognition in their own country. Persistence and your own sense of self-worth are critical to your success and accomplishment.”
Ms. Symonette took the opportunity of presenting H.E. Sir Arthur Foulkes with a hard-bound copy of the book on Tuesday, 16th April. The Governor General commended her on this and indicated that he was impressed with the broad distribution of the book worldwide. “It serves as an inspiration to me in the writing of my own memoirs”, Sir Arthur stated.
Sean McWeeney, former Senator and Attorney General, also stated that “Netica is an inspiration to all Bahamians, and her story is remarkable and should be read. We certainly need to replicate more like Netica Symonette for the continued growth and development of the tourism sector.”
Owen Bethel, President of Bahamas FilmInvest International, and organizer of the book launch, stated that “Nettie’s story is one which truly has universal value as an epic documentary or movie about the struggles, against all odds, of a local girl, on her determined road to success. It is a story of inspiration with which many can relate, and while Nettie has yet to write the sequel which reveals a lot of the “juicy” highlights of her journey, the consideration of a film is certainly on the drawing board.” |
 Ms. Symonette was accompanied to the presentation to Sir Arthur Foulkes by her son, Wellington Symonette (far left), Owen Bethel and Sean McWeeney (far right). |
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 Bahamian First Lady Mrs Bernadette Christie (center) with boutique owner Tanya Saunders (left) and designer Theodore Elyett (right). |
Bahamas’ First Lady gives nod to local fashion designer
Fresh off of his win in the first challenge on Mission Catwalk, Season Three, local fashion designer Theodore Elyett is getting a fashion nod from arguably one of the country's biggest trend setters and fashion mavens, the Bahamian Prime Minister's wife, Mrs. Bernadette Christie.
Elyett's winning design—a casual dress which captures the beauty of a Caribbean sunset—instantly became a favorite in the regional and local fashion spheres after the April 13 challenge win. As a part of his win, six to eight pieces of the design were reproduced for sale in Lee's Fifth Avenue in Jamaica. But on Tuesday April 23, 2013, that breathtaking design made its way to Bahamian shores as Elyett made a special presentation of a custom-made dress to Mrs. Christie.
"While my winning design featured a warmer palette, I wanted to make a special gown for Mrs. Christie that definitely said "spring is here!" When I approached Mrs. Christie with the idea to gift her a custom made replica of the original piece, she was quite receptive to the idea and that was quite encouraging,” Elyett said.
Oftentimes twirling in the gown made just for her, Mrs. Christie said she is more than honored to be presented with her very own Theodore Elyett piece.
“Let me first congratulate him because he is such a talented young designer,” Mrs. Christie beamed. “I'm actually privileged to be able to wear one of his designs. People like him will take The Bahamas to the next level in fashion design.
“It's also good that we can find it here in The Bahamas. Sometimes we have great fashion designers but there's nowhere to go and buy their clothes.” |
In addition to being a local fashion designer with the opportunity to dress a revered Bahamian fashionista, Elyett is also scoring big on the retail racks. A small capsule collection of the winning design will be hitting the retail racks and will be available for purchase this summer at the Tanya Saunders Retail Boutique at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel – a first for the Theodore Elyett brand.
"We plan to launch it at the end of June or mid-July,” Elyett adds. “It will be six to eight pieces of the exact design but different fabrication.”
Boutique owner Tanya Saunders says she's delighted to bring a slice of the Theodore Elyett brand to her racks. “The thing I like about Theo's work is that it combines a Bahamian sense of style, but it also is quite European at the same time,” Saunders adds. “His skills are amazing so I‟m really excited to be carrying his stuff.
In less than one month, the Theodore Elyett brand has scored many firsts; first Bahamian to be cast in Mission Catwalk, won the first challenge in the first episode, first designer from The Bahamas in Mission Catwalk to be retailed in Jamaica, first time the brand will be retailed at home.
“I definitely believe these achievements on behalf of The Bahamas and the brand Theodore Elyett are a step in the right direction for fashion in The Bahamas,” he adds. “When you look at regional countries like Trinidad and Tobago their fashion industry is booming, when you look at Jamaica, they used to manufacture for major designer labels around the world.
“So I feel this is an awesome momentum for The Bahamas and the Bahamian fashion industry to begin to make its mark within the region.”
Mission Catwalk airs every Saturday at 9:30 p.m. and again each Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on Cable 12. Or you can watch on Youtube.com.
CLICK HERE to follow the designer on Facebook. |
 Writer Lelawattee "Asha" Manoo-Rahming |
20 Questions with writer Lelawattee "Asha" Manoo-Rahming
1. What’s been your most inspirational moment in the last five years?
Doing a mini poetry workshop with about 60 10-year-olds at Albury Sayle Primary School during their Literacy Week in September, 2012.
2. What’s your least favorite book?
I thought and thought, but could not come up with one.
3. What’s your favorite genre of literature?
Poetry and magical realism fiction.
4. What are your top 5 movies of all time?
Tough one, don’t know about all time, but here are five movies I really enjoyed, in no particular order: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Star Wars (the very first movie); The Notebook; Pan’s Labyrinth and Fried Green Tomatoes.
CLICK HERE to read full interview in The Guardian. |
NGC Bocas Lit Fest 2013 features Bahamian writer
April 25-28, 2013
The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is Trinidad and Tobago's annual celebration of books, writing, and writers. Award-winning Bahamian writer Sonia Farmer has been chosen as one of the exceptionally talented emerging writers of the Caribbean. She will present her writings on Friday, April 26, 2013 at 12.30pm. The 2013 Bocas Lit Fest runs from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 April. |
National Gallery of Jamaica 'Last Sundays'
Sunday, April 28, 2013
11am-4pm
The National Gallery of Jamaica is pleased to announce its Natural Histories exhibition, the first in a new series, Explorations, in which various thematic issues relevant to Jamaican art and culture will be explored. Natural Histories will open on Sunday, April 28 and will continue until the end of June.
The opening function of Natural Histories will coincide with the National Gallery’s Last Sundays programme for Sunday, April 28. On that day, the Gallery’s doors will open at 11 am and the Gallery will be open to the public until 4 pm, with the now customary free admission and free tours and children’s activities. At 11:30 am, the Natural Histories exhibition will be introduced by its curators, Nicole Smythe Johnson and O’Neil Lawrence, and this will be followed by a performance by the SKYGRASS band. |
The Commonwealth Essay Competition
Deadline: May 1, 2013
Are you a writer? Are you interested in the world around you? Do you want your voice to be heard by others? If so, the Commonwealth Essay Competition is definitely for you. We encourage you to be creative in your response to our topics. You can submit a poem, letter, article, story, essay or even a short play. The choice is yours. Just get writing!
It's only two weeks until the Commonwealth Essay Competition closes for submissions on Wednesday 1st May. In the past couple of weeks, we've received entries from all corners of the Commonwealth, including Canada, Jamaica, Mauritius, New Zealand and Pakistan. It's wonderful to see such a variety of entries!
The competition celebrates and nurtures creative writing and is open to nationals and residents of all Commonwealth countries who are 18 years old or younger.
CLICK HERE for more information. |
Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival 2013 Accepting Submissions
Deadline: May 31 2013
The TTFF seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking through the exhibition of dramatic, documentary and experimental feature and short films made in T&T, the Caribbean and its diaspora. The Festival accepts submissions from Caribbean filmmakers, Caribbean filmmakers in the diaspora, and international filmmakers with films from or about the Caribbean or its diaspora. Submissions must have been produced after 01 January, 2011.
CLICK HERE for more information. |
Triangle Arts Association Residency
Deadline: May 25, 2013
Our juried residencies offer up to 5 artists studio space for 6 months during two sessions: January 1-June 30 and July 1-December 31 2014. The residency offers spacious studios for artists to realize large-scale, long-term projects and provides a collegial working environment. Studio residents are chosen yearly based upon a competitive portfolio submission application that is reviewed by a jury of New York based arts professionals and Triangle board members and staff. Each artist’s stay culminates in an Open Studio exhibition to which the general public is invited. Resident artists will also receive studio visits from critics, writers and curators.
CLICK HERE for more information. |
Smith & Benjamin's
Bahamian Art & Culture Newsletter
Art & Culture were created to
uplift the spirit of mankind.
Bahamian Art & Culture Newsletter is an email newsletter concentrating on the art & culture of The Bahamas and also the world around us. It is published once a week and is a service of Smith & Benjamin Art & Design, a design firm based in Nassau, The Bahamas offering graphic design, custom illustration, fine art, art marketing, art brokerage and publishing.
Dionne Benjamin-Smith, Editor
Tel: (242) 377-0241
Eml: dionne@smith-benjamin.com |
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