Slated to open tonight, Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB), “Resurrection” is a retrospective of over 100 paintings by noteworthy Bahamian artist Chan Pratt. The collection prominently features Bahamian landscapes between the 1980s and 1990s with scrupulous attention to the local flora. Having died suddenly–and at a young age–much of Pratt’s work was undocumented and there is an unfortunate lack of historical information on the artist and his practice. To resolve this lack of exposure, the NAGB is working with Dewitt Chan (DC) Pratt, Chan Pratt’s son, and over 20 collectors of Pratt’s work to pay homage to his talent which was sometimes overlooked.

Chan Pratt’s floral adorned landscapes remind us of what our landscape used to look like.

Bahamian artist wins award at winning work in BFA graduation exhibition

Bahamian artist Jodi Minnis was just awarded last week with the Charlene Gordon Award in Visual Art by the College of Arts and Letters of the University of Tampa (UT). Jodi is set to graduate from the University on May 11th with a BFA in Fine Art (Drawing & Painting).

The monetary award is based on the student’s time and body of work created at the University. It was developed by UT’s College of Arts and Letters Advisory Board Chairman and UT Trustee Charlene Gordon. Ms Gordon’s personal criteria in selecting the awardee is that it go to the Senior with the “strongest desire to succeed”.

Minnis states, “I can’t express how grateful I am for the faith that my professors and the faculty of UT have in me. I literally could not have made it through the last two years without their support and understanding. But I did make sure that I included the fact that I graduated from the College of The Bahamas in 2015 with an Associates of Art because foundation is important! I am just so very full and grateful and humbled.”

Minnis’ senior work is also currently being featured in the University of Tampa’s BFA graduation exhibition entitled “Undertones” being held at the University’s Scarfone/Hartley Gallery.

This group exhibition features Minnis’ work along with 9 other graduating women artists working in a variety of techniques. Minnis’ presents two sets of work entitled “I Fried Fish for Me” and “Not Your Bahama Mama” respectively. They include the media of painting, photography, and drawing. The work showcases the themes of race, gender, representation and ‘Caribbeanness’.

Stay tuned for next week’s issue where we will feature in more depth Minnis’ senior projects.

CLICK HERE to visit Jodi Minnis’ website.

Bahamian filmmaker selected for BlackStar Film Festival

SCREEN, the BlackStar Film Festival is being held from April 12th to July 11th, 2019 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. The Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global indigenous communities, showcasing films by Black people from around the world. This year, Bahamian historian, filmmaker and documentarian Tamika Galanis’ short film “When the Lionfish Came” is included in the line up of only six films selected.

“When the Lionfish Came” was also selected by The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to be screened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. as a part of the museum’s first ever Smithsonian African American Film Festival. The Smithsonian also selected the film to be screened at the International Film Festival at Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2018.

“When the Lionfish Came” is a six-minute illustration of disappearing Bahamian culture and sea life, the palpability of the absence of real climate change initiatives, and the continued pursuit of tourism despite cultural decline. It uses shot and found footage of the Bahamian coral reefs, ravaged by invasive lionfish, and the island’s traditional Junkanoo celebration to compose a counter-paradisiacal narrative that advocates the preservation of Bahamian culture and native marine life.

Tamika Galanis is a Bahamian documentarian and multimedia visual artist. A Post-MFA Fellow in the Documentary Arts at Duke University, Galanis’ work examines the complexities of living in a place shrouded in tourism’s ideal during the age of climate concerns. Her photography-based practice includes traditional documentary work and new media abstractions of written, oral, and archival histories.

CLICK HERE to view short film at MOCA.

Lucayan Village to be established at Clifton Heritage National Park

Against the backdrop of balmy ocean breezes and crystal blue waters, ground was broken for the establishment of a Lucayan Village at the historic Clifton Heritage National Park, Southwest Road, on Friday, April 26, 2019. A Lucayan Village Billboard was also unveiled.

The ceremony marked the first in a series of events that are intended to revitalize the heritage, history and culture of Lucayan, European, and African ancestors.

Among the officials at the ceremony were the Hon. Lanisha Rolle, MP and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture; His Excellency Reuben Rahming, MP and High Commissioner to CARICOM; the Hon. Shonel Ferguson, MP and Chairman, Clifton Heritage Authority; Senator Jamal Moss; Mrs. Patricia Minnis, wife of Prime Minister Minnis; Ms. Rhoda Jackson, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Commodore Tellis Bethel; students of Sandilands Primary, Gambier Primary and Windsor schools, members of the Clifton Heritage Authority and the Coalition to Save Clifton.

In her remarks, Ms. Ferguson recognized members of the Coalition who were present and thanked them for their efforts to save the property on which the Clifton Heritage National Park resides. [...]

CLICK HERE for full story at Eyewitness News.