S H O P :

Oasis Summer POP-up SHOP

TONIGHT:
Friday, July 21
5pm–7pm, and
TOMORROW:
Sat, July 22
10am–6pm
Oasis West, Sandyport

Here’s the summer shopping event you won’t want to miss – the Oasis Summer POP-up SHOP!

If you haven’t been to Oasis West (beneath Club One Fitness) in Sandyport yet, then now is the time to visit the store that marries furnishings and accessories with art when the Summer POP-up SHOP event takes place tonight, Friday, July 21st from 5-7pm and tomorrow, Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

Crafts, jewelry, coffees, swimwear, teas and candles – lots of one-of-a-kind show pieces will be on display and available when artisans like Arcadian Treasures, Rebecca Christen Resortwear, Café Channing Noelle Coffee, Tea and Delicacies, GLOW Candles, Kim Donald Necklaces, Krystal Treco artwork, LVC Resortwear and Rodero Miller Jewelry and Treasures gather for the biggest and most diverse POP up SHOP of the summer season.

Their treasures will be set against the backdrop of the grand unveiling of the new collection of furnishings and accessories at Oasis West, home of McKinney Designs and so much more. Oasis West, organic, dynamic and original pieces to live with and love. Call today at (242) 601-0244 or visit their website: oasislivingbahamas.com.

CLICK HERE for Oasis’ Facebook page.

E X H I B I T I O N :

NAGB Double Dutch:
“Of Skin and Sand” by Leasho Johnson and Edrin Symonette

OPENS TONIGHT:
Friday, July 21st
At 7pm
The NAGB, West Hill St

The NAGB invites the general public to the opening of another installment of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas’ Double Dutch exhibition series entitled _“Of Skin and Sand”, which brings together Jamaican artist Leasho Johnson and Bahamian
artist Edrin Symonette who have developed individual projects that speak towards issues of gender constructs, masculinity and sexuality within a Black Caribbean context. Boundaries are reinforced and broken down through societal and practical experimentations as they work in the NAGB’s Ballroom to develop unique installations that dialogue with each other in confrontational and powerful ways.

Double Dutch brings together artists from the region and diaspora to produce provocative bodies of work through collaboration and exchange. The project works against ideas of nationalism and the insularity of our creative environs by creating an experimental hub to explore regional and diasporic culture, our creative acumen and sensibilities.

Tonight’s opening will also include an Artists’ Talk with both artists and a special poetry reading by Bahamian poet and spoken word artist Tanicia Pratt. The event is free and open to the public.

CLICK HERE for event’s Facebook page.
CLICK HERE for more info at the NAGB site.

A magistrate
gets poetic

by Alesha Cadet

By day she rules over a magistrate’s court, but in her free time Ancella Evans uses poetry as an outlet to deal with life’s joys and challenges. The themes of love, victory and death are all brought together in her first collection of short poems called “Any Way the Cat Jumps.”

“The title of the book itself encompasses the message of the book and it very relatable. The message of the book is simply this: no matter what happens in life, you must have faith to believe that in the end it will be all right with you,” Magistrate Evans told Tribune Weekend.

“While my grandparents are deceased, I draw strength from the life lessons that they taught me during my formative years. For example, the poem ‘My Granddaddy’s Hands’ is a tribute to my grandfather, Rev Byron Smith. The poem ‘Mother’ celebrates the legacy of my maternal grandmother, Ruth Smith.”

Another poem, “A Child’s Prayer,” is based on her experience of working with street youth in Brazil. The first part of the poem is written in Portuguese. Meanwhile, “Another Time, Another Place” talks about her idyllic childhood summers spent in the picturesque settlement of Smith’s Hill, South Andros. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article on Pg 17 of the Tribune Weekend.

Out of the Darkness

by Danielle Barnes

After being unemployed for over a year, popular local musician and artist Steve “TooLoose” Holden had to face yet another challenge – an unexpected medical condition which led to mounting treatment costs, but which ultimately restored some of his faith in life.

A few weeks ago he was diagnosed with retinal detachment. He started feeling the symptoms as he was working on a painting commission. He described it as a darkness creeping up in the corner of his right eye.

After going online to research his symptoms he came to the conclusion that he was suffering from optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve which is usually temporary and does not require surgery.

However, a week later his symptoms had not gone away. In fact, they had become more pronounced. He realised that his condition may be more serious than he originally thought, so he went to the Princess Margaret Hospital’s Eye Clinic for testing. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article in The Tribune.

Bahamian becomes photographer to the stars

by Danielle Barnes

He has shot music stars like Chris Brown, T.I. and DJ Khaled, social media personalities like Blac Chyna and Gigi Gorgeous, but Bahamian photographer Jamie Bruce is still dreaming of the day when his home country fully recognizes his art.

Photographers use their cameras as tools of exploration. They capture images that the naked eye often overlooks. Their images are proof that a world beyond our everyday view exists.

Jamie has been capturing moments with his camera for as long as he can remember. In high school he was always the go-to person for shooting photos of his classmates. He referred to himself as a “mini photojournalist,” leaving pen and paper behind to create stories with his camera.

He went to college at The Art Institute of Miami, where he majored in Audio Production. During his studies, he learned a lot about film and photography. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article on Pg 12 of the Tribune Weekend.

Art documenting history

Intersecting complex
histories with art

by Dr Ian Bethell-Bennett

Art is a well-known document of history. All types of creative expression chronicle the moment they depict. Portraits, much like those on display in Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, are examples of this, especially the Goyas, for example. This column chooses to focus on the interlocking of art and history: “Art History,” its learning and teaching. So much happens in this somewhat fraught intersection between art and history, especially in a country like ours, where scant attention is paid to culture, except for its commodification and consumption.

As a part of a history course on race, class and gender in The Bahamas, students attended a number of discussions at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and walked around Downtown Nassau to see first-hand where history was left to crumble and collapse. It is ironic that we continually argue about attracting tourists to our shores, yet we are thrilled to see history fall around us. One of the major attractions that draw people to this small country is that it is the landfall of Columbus in 1492. We seem unable to connect the dots when it comes to privileging stories and experiences, even when not beneficial, so that they promote local development and empowerment.

In 1992, the Dominican Republic, especially Santo Domingo, made millions of tourist dollars by focusing on the landfall and presence of Cólon, even though theirs was not the point of ‘discovery’. Today, The Bahamas is discussing pulling down a statue of Columbus that attracts thousands of tourists a year, but yet has done nothing to own the geographical indicator of Columbus’s landing, allowing Cat Island and San Salvador to fall into a state of national embarrassment. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article in The Nassau Guardian.

What’s going on at the NAGB?

Resuscitating the land, reclaiming lost spaces.

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas opened on July 7, 2003, just three days before the country would celebrate its 30th year of independence from the British. Nearly a decade in the making, the NAGB was mandated with the task of preserving and propelling Bahamian culture through the visual arts.

As a nation, we wrestle with the vestiges of a difficult past that is both wondrous in its resilience, beauty, non-violent resistance and depth, and then incredibly painful in its treatment of the predominantly African-descended population, the misuse of its natural resources, the violence and displacement of the poor. It is a story and series of stories that are frequently told on the walls of the NAGB by Bahamian masters like Max Taylor, Amos Ferguson and Jackson Burnside as well as the next generation’s practitioners: Dionne Benjamin-Smith, Lillian Blades and Jeffrey Meris, among others.

However, the walls on which the artworks hang also tell a story. Villa Doyle, the facility wherein the NAGB is housed, was the built in the 1860s by the then colony’s first Chief Justice, Sir William Doyle. It was later expanded in the 1920s to include a ballroom, among other features reserved for the elite. Over time, it was sold, abandoned and fell into grave disrepair. Before 1997, when the seven-year restoration began, the grand colonial home atop the hill was a shadow of herself, a ghost. But next door was a lesser-known yet equally haunting narrative. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article at The Nassau Guardian.

Minister Pintard says Culture must become national in nature

by Andrew Coakley

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Hon. Michael Pintard said the Government of The Bahamas has made the decision to ensure that the focus on culture has to be National in nature – the reason being that in the past far too many aspects of culture have been New Providence-centered.

“The goal,” added Minister Pintard, “is to make sure that all of the Directors from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture are visible and active throughout The Bahamas.”

It was one in a series of meetings held by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to meet with all leaders on Grand Bahama in each respective area of the Ministry and not only assist them in their endeavors, but also allow them to give their input and throw out creative ideas.

The meeting with Cultural leaders in Grand Bahama was held at Bishop Michael Eldon School auditorium on Saturday, July 15, 2017. Leaders and participants in every aspect of culture attended the meeting, including artisans, Junkanoo leaders, drama and dance performers. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article at The Bahamas Weekly.

Sir Durward, now the world’s oldest Olympian, pens book, “Never Give Up”

by Azaleta Ishmael-Newry

Sir Durward Knowles, who is now the oldest living Olympic champion in the world and a renowned Bahamian sailor, is penning another book to be released in October 2017, a month before his centurion birthday.

Sir Durward has chosen Scholar Books to publish “Never Give Up,” an inspirational book that covers his recovery from serious health complications that had caused him to rearrange his entire life.

In 2010, Sir Durward endured many health struggles undergoing several surgeries, months of recovery and having to learn to walk again. In 2015, he had a relapse and fought hard to get healthy again.

This two-time author has lived to tell his tale and his new upcoming self-help book is filled with his clever wit and advice that can be applied to many facets of one’s life. In an interview on June 23, 2017, Sir Durward shared his thoughts. [...]

CLICK HERE to read full article at The Bahamas Weekly.

“Built on Sand,” (2003) by Dionne Benjamin-Smith, is in some ways the sister work to “Bishops, bishops everywhere and not a drop to drink” (2003). Both works are of the same dimensions, which instantly makes us as viewers try to compare them and view them in the same plane when they are placed near each other, but, it is the critique and use of religion as their subject that makes them read like chapters in a book, feeding into each other and helping to inform a greater whole.

Also, acquired in 2003 at the inception of the NAGB, “Built on Sand” is a testament, if you’ll forgive the pun, to Benjamin-Smith’s work in regards to her criticality of Bahamian social conditions. As mentioned last week, she is a creative practitioner who works as both a visual artist and a graphic artist, and who proudly identifies as Christian, as so many Bahamians do. She has an accessibility in her spirit and life as well as her practice, and communication is, of course, key.

The piece started out of ruminations on an article that Benjamin-Smith read in the paper featuring a photo of an Eleutheran church that “developed a large and devastating crack” that extended from the foundation to the roof. How could something so symbolic not call for artistic interpretation and metaphor? [...]

CLICK HERE for full article at The Nassau Guardian.

Cuban artist receives Basel Davidoff Art Residency

by Nicholas Forrest

Havana-based artist Yornel Martínez Elias has been announced as the fall 2017 resident of the Basel Davidoff Art Residency, from October through December. The Cuban post-conceptualist is the third artist to Davidoff Art Iniviative’s Basel residency program in collaboration with the Art Institute at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design and Atelier Mondial, following Guillermo Rodríguez (b. 1986, Puerto Rico) and Michael Linares (b. 1979, Puerto Rico).

Continuing his ongoing practice of emphasizing and investigating the connection between words and images with an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, which enables him to amplify his interest in what he describes as “visually transcending limits of language,” Martinez will aim to achieve a “reconstruction of a virtual experience emphasizing the creative act and the experience of participants” among other goals during his Basel residency. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article at Blouin Art Info.

Jamaican
artist tends a subversive flock

With his current show at Socrates Sculpture Park, Jamaican Nari Ward takes the lawn ornament to some odd, hallucinatory places.

by Osman Can Yerebakan

When I visited Nari Ward’s Socrates Sculpture Park exhibition Nari Ward: G.O.A.T. again on a spring day, children were roaming the park, enjoying the mellow weather. Presumably on a day trip from a local school in Queens, these kids of diverse backgrounds and and colors, were climbing on Scapegoat, a mammoth-scale goat figure reclining in the middle of the park. They were giggling at Bipartition Bell, a pair of giant copper goat testicles hanging from a steel and wood structure, facetiously evoking the Liberty Bell in terms of its monumentality and heft.

The Jamaica-born and New York-based Ward has been a prominent figure since the 90s with career highlights like his participation in the 2006 Whitney Biennial and recent win of the Vilcek Prize for the Arts, awarded to immigrant artists. Ward’s mastery lies within his witty manipulation of found mundane objects, and the careful balance he creates between the familiar and peculiar. In the center of his occupation of the Socrates Sculpture Park—the park’s first solo show in its 30-year history—stands Apollo/Poll, a steel, wood, and repurposed vinyl sculpture replicating the iconic Apollo Theater sign in Harlem. With each flicker, LED lights oscillate between “Apollo” and “Poll.” Undertaken during last year’s presidential election, when the country faced extreme polarization and animosity, Ward’s ode to his neighborhood’s landmark venue—now flashing in another up-and-coming neighborhood with working class roots—spearheads his commentary on race and class struggles. [...]

CLICK HERE for full story at The Royal Gazette.

Why Caribbean parents aren’t raising the next Mark Zuckerberg

by Nerissa Golden

It’s 2017 and I swear babies come out of the womb knowing how to handle a smartphone and hack your encrypted iPad. Can’t figure out how to use filters on Instagram or add a doggy face to Snapchat? Ask a five-year-old.

But are we preparing our children to not only manipulate someone else's creation but develop their own? Here are a few reasons why Caribbean parents are not raising the next Mark Zuckerberg.

1. Not answering their whys
It was rude to ask why after being given an instruction from an adult and in some places, it still is a no-no. Children are naturally inquisitive and we need to answer their questions and use today's technology to help them explore alternative points of view even more.

2. Not encouraging their participation online
The internet is not something to be feared and we are creating voyeurs when we do not allow them to start their own conversation around what matters to them. Vloggers are popular but how about helping your child set up their own vlog around things that interest them?

3. Consuming and never creating
Social media is free to use but can be leveraged to create income. How about tying their access to social media to them creating content to share with others? I have a thing about paying for a device that is three times my rent and it not make me any money. [...]

CLICK HERE for full article in the Jamaica Observer.

Do gallerists pick artists for their personality or their talent?

by Daniel Kunitz

What makes a gallerist choose to begin representing a young artist? It’s a question that has vexed many an MFA grad and which remains opaque to most of us. A few years ago, however, a scene in a documentary about Andy Warhol raised a question that cuts to the heart of the matter.

In the film, Irving Blum, then director of the famed Ferus Gallery in L.A., recounts the circumstances that led to him to host Andy Warhol’s first solo painting show, in 1962. While in New York on a scouting trip, friends directed Blum to Warhol’s studio, where the dealer “couldn’t make head or tail” of the artist’s work. The prevailing style of art at the time was abstract, he notes. Blum didn’t especially like what Warhol was doing; he says in the film that he was “confused by it.” However, he continues, “I was engaged by the guy.” He believed in Warhol’s personality—if not the evidence of his talent—enough to fill his gallery with the entire “Campbell’s Soup Cans” series.

Blum’s anecdote has stuck with me because it gets at something both trenchant and counterintuitive: that pure artistic talent might count for less than we might assume in a gallery’s decision to represent a young artist. [...]

CLICK HERE to read full article at Artsy.