Pot Luck

Pot Luck brings together a vital body of work by renowned artist and architect Eddie Minnis, whose editorial cartoons captured the pulse of Bahamian life during the 70s and 80s when public discourse looked very different from what we know today. This exhibition marks the second presentation of Pot Luck, expanding on its initial showing at the William C. Allen Gallery at the Central Bank of The Bahamas curated by Ulrich Voges. Reimagined here, the exhibition broadens the conversation around Minnis’s editorial cartoon work, positioning it not only as historical record, but as living commentary—one that continues to resonate in the present.

Produced over a ten-year period across two major newspapers, The Nassau Guardian and The Tribune, these works were created daily in direct response to current events. Organised into sections including Society & Politics, Culture, Sports, Education, Junkanoo, Agriculture, Independence, and the familiar world of Granny and Fleabag, the exhibition reveals the breadth of Minnis’s cartooning practice. These cartoons address issues that feel strikingly familiar today, such as education reform, infrastructure, food security, governance, cultural preservation, and national identity. Rooted in observation and memory, Minnis’s recurring characters evolved over time, taking on personalities that audiences recognised and trusted. Through them, Minnis was able to say things plainly, sometimes uncomfortably, but always with humour.

The presentation of this exhibition at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas underscores the importance of such work within a national context. Cartoons, comics, and sequential drawings have a rare ability to transcend age groups, often becoming someone’s first encounter with political or social critique. As The Bahamas continues to evolve—socially, politically, and culturally—this exhibition invites us to look back not with nostalgia, but with intention, reminding us that reflection, humour, and critique are essential tools in shaping who we are and who we want to become.