Welcome to Mixed Media, the official blog of The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB).

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Director's Review: Tales From New York

ththe Studio Museum of HarleThis article reviews the large-scale exhibition, Caribbean: Crossroads of the World. Located in New York, the exhibition stretches across three museums (The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Queens Museum, and El Museo del Barrio). The Director of The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Amanda Coulson reviews the overall exhibition and details her experiences with each institution.

Escaping Nassau for New York City didn’t mean escaping heat and humidity, but the trip was refreshing for other reasons, mainly the broad range of art shows on view at various art institutions. At The Metropolitan Museum alone I was able to cross centuries, experiencing the Italian Renaissance at the show Bellini, Titian, and Lotto, Modernism in the Elsworth Kelly: Plant Drawings show, and catch up with the contemporary world with at the superb exhibitions, Spies in the House of Art: Photography, Film, and Video.

One of the main reasons I spent time racing around the sweaty city, was to catch the exhibition, entitled, Caribbean: Crossroads of the World. Following shows such as Infinite Island at the Brooklyn Museum and Wrestling with the Image at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington D.C., this exhibition underscores the current fascination with the Caribbean and will, hopefully, pave the way for more international shows that will, perhaps, go even deeper into reflecting Caribbean art practices in general and hopefully, The Bahamas in particular.

As mentioned, the show was very ambitious in its range but perhaps this was also its flaw. Each institution- The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Queens Museum, and El Museo del Barrio—has very definitive mandates, which slightly colored their individual views of the region. Each show also has its own ethos, causing a certain amount of crossover or repetition. This gave a very strong profile to each segment of the show but at the same time, also made them feel disconnected from one another. Somehow, this is actually a reflection of the Caribbean itself, both its strength and its weakness: we are diverse from country to country, island to island; we share histories but are culturally, ethnically and linguistically divided. It’s confusing, complicated and makes the Caribbean hard to pigeonhole. Crossroad's attempt to portray the history and development of fine art in the region was an extremely good start and should be applauded for its range and scale and for bringing the region together under one banner.

Touch, 2012 
Janine Antoni
Video
On display at the Queens Museum of Art
Image courtesy of artist and Luhring Augustine Gallery.

My first stop was El Museo del Barrio. Here I met with Susan Delvalle, the Director of External Affairs. I also had a tour of the educational parts of the museum, which gave me some great ideas for things we could do back at the NAGB. This segment had two sub-shows entitled, Counterpoints, which covers various industries prompted our development over time, and Patriot Acts, which explores the role of Creole cultures and notions of hybridism.

At the Studio Museum in Harlem, I ended up in a long chat with one of the docents about how the region is perceived, which was the topic of one of the sub-shows named, Land of the Outlaw. This show dissected the idea of the Caribbean as a place of pleasure or a site of deviant activity. We talked about how even in one city; there can be very little exchange of ideas and therefore, how hard it is between islands, though he admitted that in his youth he had been to The Bahamas!

Stuffed Swan, 2012
Marlon Griffin
Performance Art and Mixed Media
On display at the Queens Museum of Art
Image courtesy of artist and the Queens Museum of Art

Where were the Bahamian artists?” I hear you ask. The Queens Museum is the answer! The good news is that The Bahamas was represented; the bad news is it skimmed the surface and some of the works were hung in rather odd corners. The best moment for me was walking into the Museum and being hit by a mermaid piece by Amos Ferguson, which opened the whole show. I took a photo with my iPhone and was (naturally and rightly so) told off by a museum guard. I did give them my card and they allowed me to photograph the other Bahamian works on show (no flash!).

 Entrance to the exhibition at the Queens Museum

The Three Sisters, 1980
Amos Ferguson
House Paint on Board
On display at the Queens Museum of Art
Image courtesy of The Studio Museum of Harlem

One of the sections at the Queens Museum was Kingdoms of the World whose aim was to consider the spiritual practices, beliefs, art forms and religions that coexist in the region. Carnival was a large factor and this is where the 4 Brent Malone etchings were, though no real explanation of Junkanoo was given.

Drummer and Rushing, 1983
Brent Malone
Etchings
On display at the Queens Museum of Art
Image courtesy of the Queens Museum of Art and The Elizabeth Foundation of the Arts

There could have been so much more Bahamian work and I had a nice meeting with Debra Wimpfheimer, the Director of Strategic Partnerships, encouraging her and her curatorial team to come down and see what we have to offer for future shows. Nonetheless, I prefer to see the glass as half full: it’s still a great achievement to have our artists represented in such a ground-breaking show as this and for Brent Malone’s prints to be shown alongside those by Paul Gaugin, is great. The Crossroads catalogue is still not published but once it is we will be receiving a free copy for our Library where you’re welcome to lounge and read. Come down and take a look: it’s packed with a lot of knowledge after years of research but, of course, if you can make it to NY, this is a must-see show and should not be missed.

Jonkonnu Ribbons (1993) and Untitled (1986),
Brent Malone
Etchings
On display at the Queens Museum of Art
Image courtesy of Queens Museum of Art and The Elizabeth Foundation of the Arts

Further Reading:
NY Times Article on Caribbean: Crossroads of the World
El Museo Del Barrio New York
The Studio Museum
Queens Museum Of Art

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The All-Star Amateur Artists Night Amos Edition: Flyer, Rules and Application Form

All-Star Amateur Artist is back a second time around and this time the NAGB would like for artists to try their hand at Amos.

To view past AAA Nights click Here.
Official AAA Night Webpage
FaceBook Event: AAA Submission Deadlines
FaceBook Event: AAA Exhibition Opening

Important Dates:
Deadline for Submissions is at 4:00PM, Friday, October 12, 2012
The All-Star Amateur Artist Night takes place Friday, October 26, 6:30 to 8:30 PM

Call For Artworks:
Download Call For Artworks: Here.


AAA Invitation:
Download official AAA invitation: Here.


Rules of Entry:
Download Rules of Entry: Here.

AAA Application:
Download AAA Application: Here.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

NAGB Intern: Alexis Murray

NAGB Intern, Alexis Murray

Hello everybody, my name is Alexis Murray. I am 17 years of age and I am currently attending Aquinas College as a 12th grader. I like to have fun, I love to laugh, hang out with family and friends, surf the web and I also like doing craft work with my little sister, Allycia.

I want to become a Pediatric nurse when I am older. As a child whenever my mother got sick I would cater to her, like a nurse would for their patient. Becoming a nurse is my desire, my dream. If nursing doesn’t work out for me, my back up plan is to become an Interior Designer and the NAGB helps everyone to have an idea of art. For example Lillian Blades’ piece, Omotayo, it is a very interesting piece of art. She mixes colors and styles in that one piece of art and if she can do it I can do it also.

My friend Yasmin Ford begged me to come to the NAGB's fair that was held on July 28, for more hours for my community service. To tell you the truth I really didn’t want to come here, but I came to support the Gallery and because it was my first time coming here. I had an awesome time working on the drinks and serving snow cones. I wanted to come back and finish my community service after Saturday and I did.

Working with Ms. Benjamin and the others was a greet experience for me. The workers here are really nice and love to have fun, but when it comes to work they get right down to it to get it done. I admire that because it taught me that you could have fun, but know when enough is enough.

I also learned about some of the artist here like Amos Ferguson. I had no clue who he was or that he even existed until I came here at the gallery. I got to view a lot of his work and the other artists, like Lillian Blades. She is my favorite artist. I love The National Art Gallery and I do plan on coming back. I want to thank everybody who I worked with for having me here. You guys do an awesome job with The Gallery. My advice is to keep up the good work. ☺

Our lovely NAGB Interns, we'll miss them!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

NAGB Intern: Jeron Pratt

NAGB Intern, Jeron Pratt

My name is Jeron Pratt. I attend St. Annes High School and I am in the twelfth grade. I had the great pleasure of volunteering and working alongside the NAGB team for my community service. My best friend, who had recently been volunteering, knew I studied art in school and thought it would be good if I had sought out to work at the NAGB. She gave me a call and I am so grateful that she did.

I found this opportunity very beneficial because now I am more open-minded about the art world and its many mysteries. To me, I would compare art to a tree with a variety of branches that makes it complex and interesting. During this experience, the NAGB has helped me to see the value of work while seeing the intense activities that goes on.

The gallery of paintings dedicated to Amos Ferguson, “Bahamian Outsider,” was a blast to view. I can truly say that he is my favorite artist. His artwork seems to bring out a multitude of different lives in the Bahamian world and our culture. It was attractive. It was also pleasing to actually capture what his intentions were for his paintings.

Seeing the immense artwork and collections in the gallery really gave me a new outlook on the arts. Now I feel as if art can be a part of my career for the future. This experience provided a good foundation for me to build on. My friend and I are coming out of this community service experience with positive vibes and many smiles. Thank you NAGB!

NAGB Intern, Jeron (in the purple) helps to set up the Beverages booth during the Membership Drive Fair.  

Thursday, August 9, 2012

NAGB Intern: Yasmin Ford

NAGB Intern, Yasmin getting her chance on the slide.

My name is Yasmin Ford and I attend Aquinas College. I am 16 years old and I am going into the 12th grade. For the future I would like to be something in the Culinary Arts Field, but I want to have Art as a back up. Through my life I have been working with my hands, doing different things dealing with food or art and craft. So I decided to put both of them together to do Culinary Arts, that way I can put my art skills into the food that I make. When I was younger I had I wide range things that I wanted to be, it changed everyday from wanting to be Police Officer, to a Teacher, and Mechanic. Now I made up my mind to be a Chef. With Art being in my background, I decided to go to The National Art Gallery to get a better feel of different kind of Art.

That was a birthday to remember!
On June 26, 2012 at 11 am, I began my community service The National Art Gallery and my first day was great. I got along with everyone at The National Art Gallery. The National Art Gallery is an amazing place to be and it definitely was a wide range of Art to satisfy your taste. As the days went by I got to do things that I never thought I would be doing like: Screen Printing, Drawing signs and drawing on the pavement with chalk in preparation of the Membership Drive Fair. I turned 16 and the staff at The National Art Gallery sang Happy Birthday to me, They also gave me a slice of cake with candle and gave me card signed by everyone. I felt really special that day.

Up to this day I am still grateful that I was able to come to The National Art Gallery and experience this great environment.

If your are reading this right now and need some place to do your community service or some place to go, come down to The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas or just come to tour the premises.


Mixed Media is dedicating the next 3 posts to the hardworking interns that assisted us in the summer!


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Highlight: Pictures from our Membership Drive Fair

In honor of our Membership Drive Fair last week Saturday, the Mixed Media staff want to share some great snap-shots of the event.

Curatorial Trainee, Averia Wright really enjoyed the Face Paint booth!
Island 102.9FM was on call. 
Our Membership Booth got quite a bit of attention when people realized cupcakes were around. 
Artist, Robin Hardy brought his wood turner, giving guests the opportunity to make their own pens.
Our lovely volunteers were amazing.

Our Membership Drive Fair was a great success! The Membership Department and NAGB Staff would like to thank our volunteers for working so tirelessly, our sponsors: Aquapure Water LTD, Doongalik Studios, Something's Different, RBC and Caribbean Bottling Company.

We are still selling limited edition t-shirts so get them while you can! or call 328-5800 for further information.