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Smith & Benjamin’s ‘BAHAMIAN ART & CULTURE’
A Weekly Digest of Art & Cultural News from
The Bahamas and the World – Since 2000

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CLICK HERE to see online version.

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Friday, March 22nd, 2019
Issue No. 375

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COVER IMAGE:
“Provision 1” (2019) by Bahamian artist Christopher Outten.
(Mixed media on canvas / Image courtesy of artist)
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See story below.

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art & cultural
events calendar

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TONIGHT:

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A R T I S T / T A L K :

NAGB NE9 presents: In Conversation with
Sonia Farmer and Shivanee Ramlochan

• TONIGHT: Friday, March 22nd | 7pm–8:30pm | At the NAGB

Sonia shivanee

(L) Bahamian bookmaker and poet Sonia Farmer. (R) Trinidadian poet, arts reporter, and book blogger Shivanee Ramlochan (Photo of Shivanee © Marlon James)

The NAGB welcomes the public to In Conversation with Bahamian artist, bookmaker, and poet Sonia Farmer and acclaimed Trinidadian poet Shivanee Ramlochan on Friday, March 22nd, 2019 from 7:00 pm.

Farmer and Ramlochan will discuss their NE9 project ‘The Red Thread Cycle’ a collaborative artist book project. Shivanee Ramlochan’s first poetry collection, Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting (Peepal Tree Press, 2017) has been met with overwhelming regional and international praise. The work catalogues sexual assault and its aftermath is not easy on the eye, heart, or gut—but we must be open to what the pain of these poems teach us about trauma and survival in the Caribbean.

The artists will discuss the more extensive collaboration, intricacies and triggers around sexual violence and trauma and the ability to heal through true connection, awareness and engagement. The event is free and open to the public and is a part of the National Exhibition 9 “The Fruit and The Seed” programming. [...]

CLICK HERE for full details at NAGB website.
CLICK HERE for event page.

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THIS WEEKEND:

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C O N C E R T :

The Nassau Music Society presents: Jazz Vocalist Jacqui Naylor & Pianist Art Khu

TOMORROW & SUNDAY:
• Saturday, March 23rd | 6:30pm | At the Current, Baha Mar
• Sunday, March 24th | 4:30pm | At the BNT Retreat, Village Road

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“Naylor remains one of the most superbly arresting vocalists around.”
–JazzTimes

The Nassau Music Society presents its final concerts of the season: Jacqui Naylor and Art Khu, jazz vocal and piano duo.

Jacqui Naylor is a vocalist and songwriter equally at ease singing the music of Johnny Mercer and David Byrne as she is in her own original music. She has recorded and released 10 albums, making the ‘top ten’ lists of USA Today, Jazziz, The Washington Post and more. With a wide vocal range, she has made the mixing and “smashing” of genres and eras her stock-in-trade, gaining fans and notoriety throughout the world by singing the lyrics and melody of jazz standards over the grooves of well-known rock songs and vice versa. “Naylor has the chops and sensitivity to pull it off,” writes New York Magazine.

Naylor and Khu will appear in two separate performances:

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Jacqui Naylor

JAZZ CAFÉ:
• Saturday, March 23rd
• The Current: Baha Mar Gallery & Art Center​
• 6:30pm–Art & Wine
• 7pm–Concert

The Duo takes the stage alongside top Bahamian musicians Adrian D’Aguilar, bass, and Kevin Dean, drums. Don't miss the chance to hear them perform a version of of the Rodgers and Hart classic “My Funny Valentine” over ACDC’s “Back In Black”, or fresh takes on more contemporary covers like a stripped-down tribute to David Bowie on “Space Oddity” and a popular Bossa Nova version of REM’s “Losing My Religion,” tango tested on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance. Come early and enjoy a glass of wine during Wine & Art before the concert. Complimentary wine, courtesy of Young’s Fine Wine, will also be served at intermission.

Concert-goers Restaurant Specials
After the concert, and for the last time this concert season, be sure to take advantage of the fabulous special food & drink offers from our restaurant partners at Baha Mar. Enjoy 20% off at Cleo, Fi’Lia, Katsuya and Regatta Buffet, and 50% off your first cocktail at The Jazz Bar. Reservations are recommended and be sure to present your concert ticket stub to claim the special offer.

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Art Khu on piano. (Photo © www.nunoconceicao.com)

JAZZ IN THE GARDENS:
• Sunday, March 24th
• The Bahamas National Trust Retreat, Village Road • 4:30pm for 5pm

Naylor performs with long time collaborator, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Art Khu. His thoughtful arrangements of jazz standards sit comfortably next to the duo’s originals like “This Is How It Starts” and “Here We Are At Last.” “It’s refreshing to hear Naylor and Khu in the raw – just the cozy, intimate pairing of her Amy Winehouse-meets-Pearl Bailey sound and his elegantly informed playing,” writes JazzTimes.

Weather permitting, this will be an open-air performance in one of the gardens. Concert seating is picnic-style and on a first come, first served basis with designated, well-marked areas for blankets, low-back chairs and high-back chairs Concert goers are encouraged to bring picnics and refreshments (small coolers or insulated bags–no oversized coolers please) and your own blankets or chairs. Chairs will also be available at The Trust. In the event of rain, the concert will take place under the gazebo. A complimentary glass of wine, courtesy of Young’s Fine Wine, will be served at the beginning of the concert.

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Concert-goers Restaurant Specials
Complete your evening with a post-concert dinner at one of the NMS’ partner restaurants: At Mahogany House, enjoy a 2-for-1 aperitif special and/or a complimentary glass of Prosecco with dinner. At Spritz Restaurant & Bar, four dining NMS members can enjoy a complimentary bottle of wine. At The Green Parrot Harbour Front, receive a complimentary glass of wine with dinner, or a complimentary bottle of wine for four diners. Reservations are recommended. Present your ticket stub or membership card to claim the special offer.

Tickets are $35 for Members and $40 for non-members and are available on the NMS website and at three convenient Custom Computers locations (Old Fort Town Centre, Cable Beach and Cotton Tree Plaza just before Harbour Bay), or at the door on the evenings of the concerts.

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets at the NMS website.
CLICK HERE to view Jacqui performing “NOCTURNE.”
CLICK HERE to listen to Jacqui perform “MY FUNNY VALENTINE.”

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4th Sundays in March at the NAGB

• Sunday, March 24, 2019 | Noon–5pm | At the NAGB

NAGB-4th Sundays-march 2019

This 4th Sunday in the month of March, the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) invites you to include it on your list of activities as Daylight Savings Time extends the day.

Get a free tour this Sunday of the NAGB’s current exhibitions, “NE9: The Fruit and the Seed”, Tamika Galanis’ “Homecoming: Talking to the Dead” and the Permanent Exhibition “Hard Mouth: From the Tongue of the Ocean”. Add an exciting element to your visitor experience and connect with and learn more about the artworks at the NAGB. Tours will be held every 30 minutes beginning at 12 Noon. Interested persons can stop in at the Mixed Media Store to sign up for an available tour and meet the NAGB’s staff.

Interested in becoming a volunteer tour guide? Contact Education Officer, Katrina Cartwright at kcartwright@nagb.org.bs or call 328-5800.

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NEXT WEEK:

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C H A R I T Y :

“An Evening at the Races”:
A Charity Fundraiser for the
Cancer Society of The Bahamas

• Saturday, March 30th | 6pm | Old Fort Bay Club, Nassau

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On Saturday, March 30th, The Cancer Society of The Bahamas will be benefitted by a charity fundraiser event entitled “An Evening at the Races” at Old Fort Bay Club, Nassau. The dress code will be smart attire with hats or fascinators. Cocktails begin at 6pm and the Races start at 7pm. Tickets are $150.

There will be 8 races in total and 10 horses running in each race.

There are two sponsorship donations packages available: A RACE Sponsorship Donation for $3,000 and a HORSE Sponsorship Donation at $300 each. Full Race details and information will be listed in the evening’s event brochure which will be circulated before and at the event.

For tickets, please call:
Jennifer: 424-2667 / Carrie: 424-2441 / Tracie: 424-5992.

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SAVE THE DATE:

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J A Z Z / F E S T I V A L :

Eleuthera...All That Jazz Festival 2019

April 10–14, 2019 | Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, The Bahamas

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An amazing 5 days of some of the best jazz music anywhere! From April 10th–14th, 2019 on the beautiful family island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas, a mix of local Bahamian and international musicians will come together for the annual Eleuthera... All That Jazz Festival 2019 to perform exciting jazz at venues around the island.

Tickets for Saturday night’s Levy Concert and Sunday’s Tip Top Lunchtime Concert are now available at the link below.

Tickets for Wednesday Jazz on the Other Side as well as the Levy Concert and Tip Top Concerts are also available at the Buccaneer Gift Shop in Governor's Harbour, Island Made Gift Shop in Gregory Town and Princess Street Gallery on Harbour Island.

The Festival aids The Haynes Library and scholarship fund in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera. There is a strong educational element for the children of Eleuthera, many of whom have little or no music in the school curriculum. Get your tickets today!

For more information: eleutheraallthatjazz@gmail.com.

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.
CLICK HERE for full information at the Festival website.
CLICK HERE for updates at the Festival’s Facebook page.

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art & culture stories
from the bahamas

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The world renowned Nassau Public Library over the years. TOP: Nassau Public Library (Source: oldnassau.com); MIDDLE: ‘Public Library’  (estimated c.1890-1930), handcoloured colonial-era postcard by James “Doc” Sands. (Source: nagb.org.bs); BOTTOM: Current shot of the Library (Source: bahamas.com)

Let’s stop ‘Paving Paradise’ at the expense of heritage assets

by Patricia Glinton-Meicholas

If history, heritage and culture are food for the nourishment of the intellect and definition of identity, I would say that these assets of The Bahamas are suffering grave malnutrition. This essay is intended to be a call for a capital campaign to preserve, enhance and bring to deserving prominence a treasure of Bahamian heritage—The Nassau Public Library (NPL).

In an e-mail I received recently, a highly literate acquaintance expressed dismay at the distressed state of the NPL, and in so doing, reawakened in me my deep concern for the way a preponderance of my people treat anything that can’t be immediately consumed to feed the flesh or turned in the currency to satisfy greed.

Although my name may still be somewhere in a file case of little membership cards, I have not visited the Library in many years. When I was last there, I was seized by depression at how little official attention was being paid to that historic structure, which generations of staff and volunteers have tried bravely to keep alive. Once a repository of historic books, charts, newspapers and photographs, lack of security and modern means of tracking inventory, have doubtless permitted generations of ‘scholars’ and antique hounds to pilfer many irreplaceable heritage assets.

There is much about Nassau Public Library that should stimulate greater efforts for its preservation. Dating from the 1790s, the structure housing the Library was probably Nassau’s first purpose-built gaol. This octagonal building with a basement and third-floor cupola is an architectural gem, which provides character to an old city whose character is having its uniqueness and charm consumed by a growing love of glass, characterless concrete and where-in-the-world-is-design. I believe it once boasted a bell that summoned the Assembly.

Although fearing for the continuance of NPL and historic documents that may still be housed there, we must be glad that it still stands—its stout walls have withstood many a hurricane, as have those of the cut stone ‘Cotton Ginny’ east of Parliament and Rawson Squares, and of the Dawson Roberts building, distinguished by its hand-dressed stones and red wooden shutters on the northern corner of Shirley and Parliament Streets. Noteworthy is the government’s purchase and renovation of the Villa Doyle and situating the National Art Gallery there. Similarly, the Central Bank of The Bahamas wonderfully restored the 18th-century jewel called Balcony House and created a lifestyle museum there. It is just as good to see that the old mansions on East Hill Street are being restored. [...]

CLICK HERE to read full editorial at Eyewitness News.

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"Old 2" by Christopher Outten

The Cultural Surface

In conversation with Bahamian visual artist Christopher Outten on the becomings of his debut exhibition.

by Kevanté A.C. Cash

One of the beauties in the Bahamian creative landscape is the ability the community has to expand and build upon the precepts and concepts of art and artistry in times past to create what exists today as contemporary art. Artists of such a genre tend to incorporate a “voice” within their work that speaks toward social and/ or political issues they may find interest in and seek to advocate for, while ultimately staying true to their practice and sometimes, even honouring master artists they’ve been inspired by.

Artist Christopher Outten does just that with his most recent body of work entitled “The Cultural Surface” displayed within his debut exhibition held at the Doongalik Art Studios during the month of February.

I had an opportunity to attend the show’s opening night and host a conversation with Outten about the process in preparation for the show and how it finally feels to have a seat at the table among peers and the greats.

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Kevanté Cash: Congratulations on your first show! Why is now the ‘right’ time to host it especially after having been in the art scene for years?
Christopher Outten: Thank you! I honestly felt as though my personal development needed focus to pursue an exhibition so intently. The work ethic I acquired while preparing for this show and working a day job, has granted me new levels of discipline I would have not obtained being idle. Preparing for the show has pushed me to improve on my painting, building skills, and communicative abilities with fellow artists and the Bahamian audience. [...]

CLICK HERE for full interview at The Nassau Guardian.

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Pirate Republic Brewing Company played host to one of the island’s hottest bands, Willis & the Illest. Nassau's leading Bahamian band premiered their new, upcoming album with a live, acoustic performance in Pirate Republic’s historic alley located on Woodes Rogers Walk. (Photos courtesy of Dante Carrer for Barefoot Marketing)

Willis & the Illest premier first album

Situated in the heart of downtown Nassau, Pirate Republic Brewing Company played host to one of the island’s hottest bands, Willis & the Illest. On March 1, the leading Bahamian band premiered their new, upcoming album with a live, acoustic performance in Pirate Republic’s historic alley located on Woodes Rogers Walk.

Welcomed by infamous Rum Runners, created for the night by co-sponsor John Watlings, a crowd of over 200 filled the alley and stage area and listened to opening act, KrazyRingo who energized the crowd. “It was a great collaboration of music, local beverages, and fun,” noted John Watlings Managing Partner, Jose Portunondo.

Pirate Republic, which is celebrating its fifth year, as the country’s only craft brewery, hosts live music every Friday either in their taproom or in historic Woodes Rogers Alley. “We are pleased with the turnout tonight, this band truly showcases Bahamian talent” added Alan Willner, Pirate Republic Brewing Company’s, CEO. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article at Eyewitness News.

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Local gallery prepares for
Transforming Spaces 2019

Sankofa evite

by Pamela Burnside

Doongalik Studios is eagerly preparing for the 15th anniversary of the annual Transforming Spaces art tour taking place on Saturday and Sunday, April 6 & 7. Doongalik’s response to this year’s “SUSTAIN” theme is encapsulated in the African adinkra symbol of the sankofa bird that adorns its entry wall. Entitled “Embracing the Past to sustain the Future,” Doongalik’s exhibition will focus on Bahamian Straw, and atrons will be treated to a journey that will take them back to the past and forward into the future via the present utilizing a variety of art mediums from multiple creatives who will proudly expose this extremely important part of Bahamian heritage.

Owner of the gallery, Pam Burnside, stated: “This year’s theme has so much significance for us, as it is advancing the story which my late husband, Jackson, and I envisioned for the Bahamian creative community all those years ago in the 1970s when we formed Doongalik Studios. Jackson predicted that by the year 2020 more visitors will come to The Bahamas for our art, culture and heritage, rather than merely for our sun, sand and sea, and we have been working for decades to ensure that this is indeed the case. Not only has it been our pivotal focus, but it has also been our driving force - it has been our vision and our purpose, a goal and a process, a road and a destination that is fast approaching. All roads have been leading to this point, and we are elated because we have successfully laid down a path that is bringing us there, with invaluable help from our family, our colleagues, our friends, and even strangers!

“My husband was first and foremost, a ‘true true” Bahamian who loved his country with a passion. He was a visionary, like his father before him, and recognized the untapped wealth that lay hidden within the rich potential of The Bahamas’ art, culture and heritage. His untimely death in May 2011 provided even greater impetus to expose this treasure. [...]

CLICK HERE for full story at The Bahamas Weekly.

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Sandilands Occupational Therapy partners with Bahamian artist for first art competition

ARTS COMPETITION FLYER

Clients at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre (SRC) will enjoy the benefits of Art Therapy as Bahamian multidisciplinary artist, Kelley Knowles–Charlow, is partnering with the Sandilands Occupational Therapy Department to host the first annual Art competition for clients and residents of the institution. The competition will be held Wednesday, 24th April, 2019, and organizers encourage the public’s support for this innovative therapeutic programme.

Mrs. Sunitha Pati, head of Occupational Therapy at SRC stressed the significance of Art in mental health rehabilitation. Referring to research by Cathy Malchiodi, a licensed art therapist and clinical counselor, she observed “…art making can be soothing and stress reducing, a way to transcend troubling circumstances or life’s problems. Others have experienced how imagery helps to solve problems, release powerful or distressing emotions, recover from traumatic losses or experiences, or alleviate pain or physical symptoms.” Pati noted that Art Therapy is based on the belief that people can process life experiences through art. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article at NAGB.

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Jo-Morasco

Painting by Jo Morasco

Grand Bahama art show inspired by Vincent van Gogh

by Angelika Siska

On Sunday, March 10th, Grand Bahama Garden of the Groves well-known Art Class by Angelika Siska proudly presented the works of a group of Grand Bahamian painters including Thea Albert, Eva von Albedyhll, Suzanne Baker, Virginia Caferata, Eva Dehmel, Mary Lips, Arlene Kerber, Nicole Krapac, Karen Matlack, Jo Morasco, Susan Jensen Sweeting, Jane Jensen, Jennifer Campbell, Rose Marie Voakes, Cali Veilleux, Gail Woon and Del Foxton.

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Painting by Cali Veilleux

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Painting done in the Garden of the Groves' 2019 Art Class by Angelika Siska.

The class’s inspiration this year was Vincent van Gogh and his paintings of landscapes especially in southern France. Van Gogh (1853–1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.

It is easy to compare the light on Grand Bahama Island with the light in Provence and so the Dutch painter was a natural choice as inspiration.

The beauty of the island’s botanical retreat called The Garden of the Groves on Grand Bahama is a powerful creative support for painters and artists since Erika Gates developed this beautiful and half forgotten rare gem. The group was grateful to have been invited by her in this their 11th year.

CLICK HERE to see more work at The Bahamas Weekly.

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art news from the region
and around the world

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Caribbean Art Initiative shares two new
Open Calls for Caribbean Creatives

Deadline for Applications: 31 March 2019.

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Caribbean Art Initiative is pleased to announce two Open Calls. The Caribbean Art initiative was established in 2019 as an independent, non-commercial programme and network, working to foster the development of the arts and culture across the entire Caribbean region. Raising awareness and promoting a worldwide dialogue remains a central focus and driving force of the initiative. As part of this mission, the residency aims at enabling an artist from the Caribbean Region to pursue their work outside of their local context, thus bringing Caribbean art into an international environment/discourse.

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Art Residency at Residency Unlimited, New York, USA

Caribbean Art Initiative and Residency Unlimited (RU) are partnering to offer a two-month residency for a Caribbean artist at Residency Unlimited, in Brooklyn, from Aug. to Sep. 2019.

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Art Residency at Gasworks, London, UK

Caribbean Art Initiative and Gasworks are partnering to offer a three-month residency for a Caribbean artist at Gasworks, in London, from Oct. to Dec. 2019.

CLICK HERE for full details re guidelines and eligibility.

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Tilting Axis accepting applications for its Collections and Commissioning Fellowship

Deadline for Submission: 15 April 2019

Tilting Axis Logo

The Tilting Axis Collections and Commissioning Fellowship 2019, Scotland is a direct outcome of the Tilting Axis meetings in 2015 at Fresh Milk in Barbados, in 2016 at the Pérez Art Museum Miami and in 2017 at The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. For its 2019 iteration, Scotland based cultural partners including the Glasgow School of Art, The School of Art History at the University of St Andrews, CCA Glasgow, LUX Scotland, Hospitalfield and curatorial duo Mother Tongue have come together to offer support for a research fellowship to Scotland for an emerging contemporary art practitioner living and working in the Caribbean to share knowledge about current approaches towards commissioning and collecting in the arts.

Who is the Fellowship for?
Curators, researchers, artists, or cultural producers based in the Caribbean region who want to make new links in Scotland and have a keen interest in developing their curatorial practice. Applicants must have a working knowledge of English.

What are the Goals?
This Fellowship opportunity focuses on the development of pragmatic and critical curatorial and artistic practice hailing from the Caribbean region, and is research and practice-led, and mentor-based. The fellow will be invited to Scotland for up to one month from 1 October 2019 to undertake a period of open-ended research and development. Artists or curators may apply to undertake research for a mode of curatorial practice. The Fellowship is focused on alternative forms of Collections and Commissioning, in collaboration with partners across Scotland whose work focuses on various forms of collecting, archiving or supporting the development of artworks.

CLICK HERE for full details at Tilting Axis.

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The welcome party at the Island House Film Festival (photo: Dede Brown)

A Guide to Caribbean Film Festivals

The Bahamas comes in with two well regarded Film Festivals.

by Dan Mirvish and Emilie Upczak

Whether you’re still defrosting your nether-regions from waiting in line for a Park City shuttle, or sitting in your Bushwick studio apartment eating ramen and surviving the polar vortex, you could probably use a little time on a tropical rum-soaked beach right about now. With all the indie-film attention focused on Sundance/Slamdance (not to mention the chilly, angst-ridden fests in Rotterdam and Berlin), it’s worth remembering that there is an entire circuit of film festivals ringed around the Caribbean Sea. From internationally revered fests like Havana that focus on the biggest Latin American cinema premieres to new local upstarts in Barbados, Bahamas and other islands that support regional filmmaking from a unique cultural perspective, there’s a festival for everyone! And for industry execs and entertainment journalists looking for truly diverse new voices, the Caribbean circuit is the place to find them.

The good news is because of their remoteness, many of these festivals will pay for at least the feature filmmakers, jurors and sometimes other industry-types to fly there, and most will put you up, often in resort hotels just steps away from the beach (and if they don’t put you up, just sleep on the beach). But every festival has its ups and downs with airline and hotel sponsorship, not to mention for many of these fests essential government support, so these perks range from year to year and festival to festival. [...]

CLICK HERE to check out the list at Filmmaker Magazine.

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Harvard Slave Photos

This July 17, 2018 copy photo shows a 1850 Daguerreotype of Renty, a South Carolina slave who Tamara Lanier, of Norwich, Conn., said is her family's patriarch. The portrait was commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz, whose ideas were used to support the enslavement of Africans in the United States. Lanier filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Massachusetts state court, demanding that Harvard turn over the photo and pay damages.

Harvard University sued over allegedly profiting from early photos of slaves

Harvard University has “shamelessly” turned a profit from photos of two 19th-century slaves while ignoring requests to turn the photos over to the slaves' descendants, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Tamara Lanier, of Norwich, Connecticut, is suing the Ivy League school for “wrongful seizure, possession and expropriation” of images she says depict two of her ancestors. Her suit, filed in Massachusetts state court, demands that Harvard immediately turn over the photos, acknowledge her ancestry and pay an unspecified sum in damages.

Harvard spokesman Jonathan Swain said the university "has not yet been served, and with that is in no position to comment on this complaint."At the center of the case is a series of 1850 daguerreotypes, an early type of photo, taken of two South Carolina slaves identified as Renty and his daughter, Delia. Both were posed shirtless and photographed from several angles. The images are believed to be the earliest known photos of American slaves. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article at AJC.

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Nari Ward Carpet-Angel

Nari Ward, “Carpet Angel” (1992), carpet, plastic bags, plastic bottles, carpet runner, springs, wood screws, and rope, 230 x 238 x 36 inches (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Nari Ward’s Angels in America

Ward doesn’t just utilize found objects; he communicates with them — intellectually, visually, soulfully.

by Gregory Volk

Way back in 1996, three friends — Janine Antoni, Marcel Odenbach, and Nari Ward — presented a memorable exhibition, 3 Legged Race, in an abandoned 19th-century firehouse in Harlem. This artist-driven show was for me, and for many others as well, an absolute highlight of that era, and it occurred with little institutional support and next to no money in a neighborhood that was hardly an art-world focus at the time.

The artists didn’t just transport finished works to this unorthodox site. Instead, through various media (videos by Odenbach, a marvelous domestic installation by Antoni, and sculptural installations by the Jamaica-born, New Jersey-raised Ward, who lives in Harlem), they directly engaged the site, opening themselves to it and all its history, entropy, and indications of past lives and use. Their exhibition also uncommonly engaged local residents, just as many Harlem buildings were faltering or abandoned and gentrification and dislocation were on the rise.

One of Ward’s two works in the exhibition was “Hunger Cradle” (1996), a web-like, room-filling structure made from rope and multicolored yarn, in which all sorts of objects found on-site were suspended, including a child’s crib, broken furniture, books, and tools. Nestled in the netting, these mundane items suddenly looked potent and significant, almost like devotional or talismanic objects. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article at Hyperallergic.

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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about us

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Smith & Benjamin’s Bahamian Art & Culture eMagazine

Art & Culture were created to
uplift and inspire mankind.

Bahamian Art & Culture eMagazine is an email magazine concentrating on the art & culture of The Bahamas and 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-in-Chief & Publisher:
dionne@smith-benjamin.com
Stephanie Shivers, Account & Office Manager:
stephanie@smith-benjamin.com

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