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The National Exhibition is designed to feature the best of Bahamian art produced in the previous two years. This year almost two hundred pieces were submitted for review. The team took on the difficult task of assessing the works and decided on thirty-five pieces representing the work of twenty-three artists for inclusion in the show. Unlike previous years, many socially provocative pieces were submitted and selected and a fair number of sculptural and or installations were also included. The show is very different than in previous years and it is certain to challenge viewers regarding the state of Bahamian Art production.
Comprised of over one hundred and fifty objects from the continent of Africa, the exhibition was drawn from the collection of Kay Crawford who began collecting African Art while a Peace Corp Volunteer in the late 1980s.
After joining the State Department in Africa, Crawford was stationed in countries such as Ethiopia, Guinea and Togo where she was able to increase her collection significantly. She also has been able to travel extensively throughout the continent, collecting works from diverse cultures within Africa such as the Zulus in Southern Africa to works from the nomadic Tuareg (Also Touareg in French) peoples of the Sahara. In the exhibition catalogue, Crawford states “several pieces were acquired just because I found them interesting. Others represent important symbols of the nation or culture. As beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, I am sure some pieces will leave the viewer wondering what they represent or why they are considered works of art. African sculpture is very direct and western audiences are often surprised by its honesty.”
The exhibition was incredibly strong visually, and contained works from countries such as South Africa, Mali, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, and cultures such as The Dogon, Mende, Yoruba, Bakongo, and Senufu people.
Some may wonder why would the National Art Gallery be interested in mounting an African Art exhibition in the Bahamas. Why Africa? Why now? The answer lies in the question posed in the title of the exhibition. While considering current national debates on issues of identity, the Gallery felt that it was the perfect time to ask the question of Africa’s place in this discussion and query in a self reflexive manner that would encourage The Bahamas’ and all Bahamians’ to consider historical, social and cultural impact of Africa on The Bahamas as a part of its Diaspora: What does Africa mean to You? What do you really know about it? It is hoped that in asking the question in the context of a presentation of African Arts that the conversation would move through an understanding of The Bahamas’ historical connection to this diverse and complicated place to a constructive inquiry of our social and cultural connections to the continent.
The exhibition introduces this idea through its catalogue, which contains pieces by Bahamian writers, artists and lay persons such as Marion Bethel, Christian Campbell, John Beadle, Rev. Simeon Hall, Obediah Michael Smith and Ian Fernander reflecting on the question: What is Africa to Me?
However, as with all exhibitions produced by the gallery, at the heart of the it lies a strong educational component in the traditional sense of imparting information, stimulating curiosity and inquiry and illuminating historical, cultural and aesthetic principles that govern African cultures and link its diasporas.
Bahamian History through Couture was an exhibition of nine custom-made dresses worn by notable Bahamian women during great moments in Bahamian history. It was intended to highlight the place of women in Bahamian history and to share the personal stories of the women, who often triumphed in the face of great odds. Highlights included dresses worn by Lady Marguerite Pindling when she danced with Prince Charles during Independence eve and Lady Hermonie Ranfurly’s Paris couture gown worn at the ball she and her husband Governor Ranfurly hosted for Princess Margaret at Government House in 1955.
In March of this year, nine Bahamian artists were invited to exhibit their work at the Nassauishcer Kunsteverein in Wiesbaden, Germany. The show “Funky Nassau: Recovering an Identity” was curated by Amanda Coulson, a Bahamian Art curator and writer living in Germany and co-curated by Erica M. James, the Director and Chief Curator of the NAGB.
The participating artists included John Beadle, Dionne Benjamin-Smith, Lillian Blades, John Cox, Blue Curry, Michael Edwards, Antonius Roberts, Heino Schmid, and Clive J. Stuart.