Currently browsing: Highlights

The MAX/AMOS Exhibition: Last Stop, Exuma

In the fall of 2015, NAGB director Amanda Coulson gave a directive: We must take art to the Family Islands, starting with Grand Bahama. So, Community Outreach Officer Abby Smith got down to the business of developing an exhibition that would also be an act of community and cultural affirmation – using the National Collection. With Assistant Curator Natalie Willis, herself a Grand Bahamian, the two co-curated the museum’s first inter-island exhibition – “MAX/AMOS: A Tale of Two Paradises”.

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Fabric Printing Workshop brings crowd to NAGB: NAGB Kicks off Fall Programming

By Katrina Cartwright. As a part of The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas’ monthly programming, the “Fabric Printing Workshop” with Joiri Minaya, the first workshop for the fall season, was held on Saturday, October 14th on the Gallery’s grounds. Led by Double Dutch artist Joiri Minaya, a diverse group of 19 participants were introduced to the basics of block printing then invited to try out their designs on fabric.

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Mural Programme Transforms Exuma International Airport

On Thursday, September 28th, the traveling exhibition “Max/Amos: A Tale of Two Paradises” landed on Exuma soil and journeyed to Wenshua Art Gallery in Georgetown to be installed, in preparation for the opening reception and a week of programming including a mural project, which is a part of The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas’ (NAGB) Mural Programme.

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Mixed Media Summer Art Campers Shine at August Opening: The Joy of Fostering Creativity

By Malika M Pryor. The air was filled with anticipation, impatient little legs swinging from the laps of their parents, who were awaiting the brief remarks and activity ahead. Younger siblings toddled through the centre aisle while teens, hovering in the back rows, eyed the assortment of fruits and cakes little more than an arm’s length away. The scene described would seem more fitting for a wedding but, in fact, it was the opening reception for the NAGB’s Mixed Media Summer Art Camp’s (MMSAC) 2017 Exhibition, A Journey Through Time: Telling Our Story. Taking centre stage in the cube-shaped gallery within a gallery, or Project Space (The PS), campers’ art transformed the room into a fantastic burst of colour, light and joy on Tuesday, August 1st.

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Reporting From Rome: The Care in Curating

By Natalie Willis. Three weeks of Italian summer and being surrounded by art professionals sounds like a dream, and in many ways, of course, it is. From the “shallow” things—like eating gelato for breakfast (which, I’ll have you know, is entirely civilised)—to the deeper stuff, of discussing intense readings around the purpose and history of curatorial practice and being able to view Caravaggio paintings in resplendent old buildings, the Goldsmiths ‘Curating The Contemporary’ summer art intensive, hosted at the British School at Rome, was an education, and in ways I had not anticipated. I was supported by the Charitable Arts Foundation as well as The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas to embark on this journey of professional development that would prove to also be one of intense personal development

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Mixed Media Summer Art Camp: Igniting creativity

By Malika. N Pryor-Martin. The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas’ (NAGB) Mixed Media Summer Art Camp (MMSAC), is a program designed with creativity, discovery, and fun in mind – every day. A blend of art exploration and classic camp activity, the MMSAC serves as a space where young people are learning without even knowing it. From the very youngest to the most senior participant, the goal of the camp is to encourage our campers to express the full range of their creative ideas.

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World Oceans Day Mural: Protecting our seas and supporting public artworks

By Natalie Willis.A national institution of art coming together with one of the biggest hotel corporations doesn’t sound like your usual pairing – but public artwork has no prejudices, no bounds, and as such, the most unlikely collaborations can often be the most fruitful. The NAGB, along with Sandals Royal Bahamian and the Sandals Foundation have teamed up to bring forth a lighthearted public project with a serious message. For World Oceans Day, established visual artists in the community were commissioned to produce a vibrant wall mural with the idea of drawing attention to the need to not just protect our waters, but to truly care for them as they are such a strong part of what makes our country the place it is – in geography, in culture and especially in our history.

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Lamare’s Frame Building Workshop brings a crowd: Hands on experience at the NAGB

By Katrina Cartwright.  As a part of his retrospective “Love, Loss and Life,” artist Thierry Lamare hosted a frame-building workshop at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB) on May 20, 2017. In just over three hours, he generously shared techniques that he has used to build driftwood frames for his paintings over the years. More than thirteen people from diverse backgrounds and varying degrees of experience were in attendance. Artists, art enthusiasts, craftspersons and a few do-it-yourselfers came seeking to acquire a new skill, build on existing knowledge or satisfy their curiosity.

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