Joining us on this week’s “Blank Canvas” is curator Marina Reyes Franco from Puerto Rico, who is currently traveling around different nations in the region as this year’s recipient of the 2017 Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) Travel Award for Central America and the Caribbean, a joint effort between the CPPC Travel Award and Independent Curators International (ICI).
On tonight’s “Blank Canvas,” we re-visit with young Bahamian photographer, Melissa Alcena. Alcena has already made a strong impression on the local art scene, with her involvement in the recent exhibition at the D’Aguilar Art Foundation in the group show “Diversions,” which is on view until November 7th. She now embarks on, “Some (re)assembly required,” her first solo exhibition in The Bahamas at the NAGB’s Project Space, where visitors can get a deeper understanding of her photography practise.
Joining Amanda in the “Blank Canvas” studio this week is a new media artist, David Gumbs, who was born in Saint Martin and, since 2009, has been teaching multimedia, trans-media and motion design at the Visual Arts School in Fort-de-France, Martinique.
Returning to “Blank Canvas” are two young Bahamian artists who, until now, have been known as ceramicists. Averia Wright, completed her BFA in Ceramics at the University of Tampa, returned home to work at the NAGB for 4 years as an Assistant Curator, and is now completing her masters (MFA) in “Expanded Practice” at Ohio University. Spurgeonique Morley received a BA in Art Education from UB and was one of the first year of graduates under the newly-formed university. As a practicing artist she has presented at the NAGB, in Transforming Spaces and at Hillside House, among other locations.
Tonight’s “Blank Canvas” sees Bahamian artist, Dede Brown (left), in conversation with Dominican-American artist, Joiri Minaya (right), her collaborator on the next NAGB exhibition, “Double Dutch: Re : Encounter.” The NAGB’s Double Dutch series was conceived as a way to bridge our regional divides, by bringing artists from the region and diaspora together to produce provocative bodies of work through collaboration and exchange.
“Blank Canvas” hosts Bahamian filmmaker Kareem Mortimer, who is premiering his new full-length feature “Cargo” in The Bahamas, at a red carpet event at Atlantis on October 19th.
On this week’s Blank Canvas, we expand into the wider creative community by speaking with a group of young poets from the University of The Bahamas (UB). The “Tingum Collective” is a group born from a creative writing class at UB under Assistant Professor Tiffany Austin (third from left), who visits us in the studio with her group to speak about the power of the spoken word.
Tonight on Blank Canvas, host Amanda Coulson is joined by Michael Edwards, Assistant Professor at UB, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, Vice President of Creative Nassau and Dr. Ian Bethell-Bennett, Associate Professor at UB as they discuss the Orange Economy.
Joining host, Amanda Coulson, on The Blank Canvas tonight are Tessa Whitehead, curator of the upcoming show at The D’Aguilar Art Foundation, entitled “Diversions” and participating artists Melissa Alcena and Sofia Whitehead.
On this week’s “Blank Canvas,” Amanda is visited in the studio by Bahamian artist Lavar Munroe.
Born and raised in Grant’s Town, Munroe has been moving from strength-to-strength on the global stage and is well-known in international art circles, having participated in the prestigious Venice Biennale, as well as having had museum and gallery shows. He studied at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) and completed a Masters at Washington University in St. Louis in 2013. Since then he has had a studio practice based largely in the United States.