The Transforming Spaces Committee is finalizing plans for this year’s 13th Art Tour scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 1 and 2, 2017. The weekend tour will include a morning and afternoon tour on Saturday, and a morning tour on Sunday.
Transforming Spaces has always experimented with its format, but this year they will be returning to the original format of a dedicated guided Bus Tour transporting patrons to and from the various participating galleries which will include: the D’Aguilar Art Foundation (DAF), Doongalik Studios Art Gallery, Hillside House, the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB), New Providence Art & Antiques (NPAA), and PopopStudios International Centre for Visual Arts (ICVA)
Each gallery will be curating its own exhibition for the event and it is expected that approximately 40 artists will be exhibiting their artworks at the various venues. DAF will mount an exhibition of selections from their Collection under the theme “The Art of Losing”; Doongalik Studios Art Gallery has attracted a mixture of nine artists who will exhibit inside the gallery as well as outside in the gardens in response to their theme “Inside/Outside Naturally”; Hillside House will exhibit the works of owner Antonius Roberts, along with Chantal Bethel, June Collie, Tyrone Ferguson, and Jessica Colebrooke’s ceramic students from the University of The Bahamas, whilst NAGB will curate a new permanent exhibition, “Revisiting An Eye for the Tropics” which reconsiders both the National Collection and local private collections in regards to the colonial gaze and our post-colonial lives today, and features the work of over 20 artists; NPAA will once again curate a separate exhibition on the Popop grounds entitled “In the Beginning: Sketch and Build” with original drawings for the Genesis Junkanoo Organization’s 2016 season by Allan Pachino Wallace and Rick Albury, as well as installations by Juan Cartwright and Gino Rolle; and PopopStudios ICVA, in response to the damage wrought by Hurricane Matthew last year, is geared to showcase “Popop Forever” featuring the phenomenal figure drawings of Master Abstract Artist-in-residence, Kendal Hanna, whilst tracing the history of the art space through the works of a group of artists in open studios.
With the ever present goal of exposing Bahamian Art to a larger global audience during the annual art tour, the Committee is extremely pleased to have garnered the support of the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism’s PR machinery, which will ensure promotional access through their various global portals. It is envisioned that this promotion will draw art lovers from all around the world to our shores to experience unique, world-class Bahamian art in these beautiful surroundings.
“We are extremely excited about this partnership,” stated TS Secretary, Pam Burnside, “since The Bahamas is not promoted worldwide as an art destination, a trend that has been profitable for ages in other parts of the world. As the recipient of a prestigious UNESCO designation in 2014, the City of Nassau is primed for exposing an entirely new offering of Bahamian art. Without a doubt, the amazing talent of our Bahamian artists will resonate with the many millions of visitors to our shores.”
TS Treasurer, Antonius Roberts agreed: “For too long, and to our detriment, Bahamian Art and Heritage has been ignored as important cultural offerings, not only to our visitors, but to locals as well. These are the elements that can move this country forward and provide significant economic development to this destination. So we are very happy that the Ministry of Tourism has recognized the value in this collaboration which bodes well for the future of the industry.
“In this vein we extend our appreciation to the Charitable Arts Foundation who have continually assisted us since the inception of the tour, recognizing the importance of this showcase of the arts to the wider public. We also thank Bahamas Experience who has been an initial sponsor offering first class transportation services to our patrons.”
Ticket box offices will be open at the beginning of March, and will be available at Hillside House, NAGB, Doongalik Studios, and The Place for Art. More information can be found on the TS website www.tsbahamas.com and the TS facebook page.
