All posts by admin

Unplugged Sessions at Fiona’s Theatre

24 June 2019 Highlights

By Kevanté Cash, NAGB Correspondent. Rashad Leamount and Chase Fernander curate the first of many soul sessions to be held at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. Bodies sway, hands raised and heads bop from left to right; feet resist the urge to get up and shake, while mouths formulate to ad lib the words to songs hearts may know. There is magic in the air at Fiona’s Theatre, where an eclectic group of musical artists are performing. They are setting the mood for what to make of the rest of the year with events held here, as this appears to be the start of something new. “Unplugged” a part of A Season at Fiona’s, curated by Rashad Leamount and Chase Fernander, marries the two art worlds, inviting one into its backyard.

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Blank Canvas: June 19th, 2019, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

20 June 2019 Podcasts

On this week’s Blank Canvas we host international guests visiting from the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, located in Miami in the Coconut Grove area. As many here know, this area was settled long ago—at the turn of the 20th century—by Bahamians and the museum has traced records that show Bahamians working as both masons, domestic staff and gardeners. The question of the impact of Bahamian culture and migration on Vizcaya’s design, construction and life on the estate is intriguing.

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Check Yourself: Thinking About Stereotypes and Chan Pratt’s Sincerity in Painting Over-the-Hill

19 June 2019 Articles

By Natalie Willis. A man walks along a row of houses with a crowbar in one hand, a piece of wood in the other, he is speaking to someone: a friend, an acquaintance, a family member, a neighbour perhaps? The houses are neat, patched up with care – no doubt due to the stresses of time and hurricanes alike, there’s only so much this old clapboard can take. The street is neat, orderly, a pubescent boy leans against a tree in the shade, and things feel calm, serene in the row of homes. This is not what people think of when they think of the current state of Over-the-Hill (OTH). Bain and Grants Town are woefully underserved communities, that much is certain, but they are also demonised for circumstances largely beyond their control in a cold, classist manner of stereotyping.

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“Wellington Street Dwelling”: Exploring the Bahamian Vernacular

17 June 2019 Articles

By Kelly Fowler, Guest Writer. An island landscape in the mind of a non-native may include picturesque coastal scenes of blue and turquoise shaded waters gradually transitioning to crystalline, onto shallow shores of powder white sandy beach, and further to lush foliage of coconut and palm trees. To the native Bahamian, the island landscape may vary considerably. The landscape may range anywhere from the quintessential narrow, yet neat streets featuring well-kept,  board houses nestled among vibrant Bougainvillea, Poinciana and golden shower trees, to scenes of markets, daily life and the historic Over-the-Hill community where centuries-old silk cotton grow, fruit trees flourish and royal Bahamian potcakes roam freely. Both the outsider’s notion and the insider’s experience are represented in Bahamian art. Melissa Maura’s 1983 oil on canvas painting entitled Wellington Street Dwelling is a glimpse into an insider’s experience of island life and landscape. The painting draws the viewer into the lived experience of the native Bahamian and invites the onlooker to reflect on the diversity of the island landscape and how the landscape has changed over time.

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UB and NAGB formalise agreement for the arts

14 June 2019 News

University of The Bahamas (UB) and the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) have solidified an agreement that will facilitate academic and cultural interchange in arts education, research and collaboration, thereby strengthening the relationship between the two national institutions.

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