Highlight: Pictures from our Current Exhibitions

To celebrate Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider, we are sharing some great gallery shots of the exhibition, as well as The Bahamian Landscape below!

Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider

Permanent Exhibition: The Bahamian Landscape

Visit The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas to see Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider and Permanant Exhibition: The Bahamian Landscape on the second floor! For further information on the exhibition, tours, education and cultural programs, please call 328-5800/1.

Feel free to send us a comment or email, we look forward to hearing from you.

Permanent Exhibition: The Bahamian Landscape

  Permanent Exhibition: The Bahamian Landscape 

Photograph by Cydne Colbey

With the opening of Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider, The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas ushered in another exhibition, The Bahamian Landscape. Located in the Permanent Exhibition section of the gallery on the first floor, this exhibition seeks to present a comprehensive look into Bahamian Art and the National Collection.

The visitor’s journey through The Bahamian Landscape can start from two areas. If one enters through the main entrance of the gallery, they are immediately entrenched in a historical retelling of the Bahamian physical and cultural landscape. Large colourful landscapes dominate the gallery space, all competing for the visitor’s visual attention. Depicting a variety of scenes, these pieces attempt to define and understand how Bahamians and visitors understand the Bahamian environment. Artists such as Rolfe Harris, Dorman Stubbs, Jacob F. Coonley, Brent Malone and Maxwell Taylor are only a few of the 20+ artists represented in this space.

As the visitor progresses through the space, they are taken to a different section of the exhibition where notions of self and “Bahamianism” are explored. Visitors are struck by the vivid stares from the portraits on the right wall that seem to follow as you go along. The other wall contains emotional pieces rich with symbolism and abstraction by artists such as Jolyon Benjamin, John Beadle and Kendal Hanna.

If one enters The Bahamian Landscape through the stairs within the Gallery, they are experiencing a very different part of the exhibition. The first thing they see is the domineering wooden sculpture by artist, Antonius Roberts. To the left is the Intuitive room, and to the right is the Contemporary part of the show. Each room offers a unique cross-section of Bahamian Art, yet, juxtaposed together explore the historical with the new and the trained artist versus the untrained.

All in all, The Bahamian Landscape brings forth a wide cross-section of Bahamian art to the table. Foreign visitors and Bahamians alike, will delight in the wide range of artists represented, boasting at least 10 women artists, and pieces spanning over 100 years of art.

-AK

 The Bahamian Landscape is part of the new Permanent Exhibition section, on display till October 2012. For further information on this exhibition and the artwork displayed in it, please call 328.5800/1.

New NAGB: Blank Canvas Page

The NAGB: Blank Canvas now as its own page on our website!

Updated every week, the page includes information on guests, hosts and links to any Blank Canvas shows that you may have missed.

To go to the official Blank Canvas page, click Here.

To listen online or download past shows, click Here or click on the dates below.

To see Blank Canvas pictures, click Here.

Feature from the Exhibition: The Dragon

The Dragon, ND 

Amos Ferguson 

House Paint on Board 

36 x 30 
On display in Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider

“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.” Revelations 12:3-4

The octagonal shape of The Dragon is striking for Amos Ferguson being that it is not its normal 36 x 30 sheet of cardboard that Ferguson is known for and is aptly applied to the depiction Ferguson chose to paint.  The seven-headed dragon from the book of Revelations in the bible is a phenomenal story that most will not forget based on the writers extensive description.

Ferguson illustrates stars littered across the piece with one is at the tip of the dragons tail. Standing on the earth the stars seem to meet him, his wings are outstretched in all its wonder, the seven heads are all bearing sharp teeth with red lined mouths. He is described in the story as a red dragon, however Ferguson uses green and yellow stokes along with red strokes to design the dragon’s body. His use of color shows some awareness of a color theory whereas the complimentary green causes the dragon to seem redder and analogous yellow gives a more dynamic accent to the color. The way that he simplifies the description and does not add every single detail to the painting can be looked at two ways: either an oversight or a brilliant simplification of the subject matter. Seeing that Ferguson always states that he “paints by faith and not by sight” the latter seems more accurate.

Intuitive painter Amos Ferguson’s deliberate use of house paint in his paintings and the precision of the application to cardboard is a feat in itself to be commended. In exhibiting Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider this collection of paintings shows a considerable volume of his work consists of religious subject matter. Ferguson sometimes had headaches and felt that he had to paint what was in his head in order to get rid of the headache. His faith in God is continually depicted and each story he chose showed its importance.

-AW  

The Dragon is on view in Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider. The NAGB is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 4:00pm, Sunday 12:00 to 4:00 pm.

Get Involved: NAGB Internships and Work Study Programs

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas has established a Summer 2012 internship program for high school, college and graduate students who are interested in the visual arts and careers in this field.

Internship and Work Study Program
Interns will receive hands on experience in working within a museum setting and art studio space. The internship program would create yet another facet of learning for those young adults looking to gain experience in the arts, thus influencing future career decisions. Internships and work-study are the best way to acquire experience in a desired field of study. The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas offers internships and work-study programs within several galleries departments are as follows:

• Curatorial
• Education
• Library
• Media and Public Relations
• Membership
• Office Management

Interested individuals may apply either to the NAGB Internship or to the NAGB Work-study program.

Download Internship Application: Page 1 & Page 2
Download Work-study Application: Page 1 & Page 2


The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and Popopstudios Center for the Visual Arts
Summer 2012 Collaboration Internship Program
The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and Popopstudios Center for the Visual Arts has established a summer 2012 internship program for high school, college and graduate students who are interested in the visual arts and the careers in this field. Interns will receive hands on experience in working within a museum setting and art studio space. The internship program would create yet another facet of learning for those young adults looking to gain experience in the arts, thus influencing future career decisions.

Download Application: Page 1,  Page 2 & Page 3

About The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas is committed to engaging the history of Bahamian Art and Visual culture and supporting contemporary movements and experimental contemporary art practice. The NAGB assists in defining the Bahamian art movement and supports the artistic community by expanding its audiences, helping to define its standards and practices and by broadening its impact.

NAGB Intern: Cydne Coleby

Hi everybody my name is Cydne Coleby, on the NAGB’s newest volunteers. Outside of my volunteering, I am currently a second year Art major at the College of The Bahamas, but I was recently accepted to OTIS College of Art and Design to study Digital Media, and I am currently in the process of transferring over for the upcoming fall semester.

During my time at the gallery, I assisted with the hanging of their most recent show Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider a retrospective of the late Amos Ferguson’s work. Now I’ll be honest with you, I admittedly wasn’t a big Amos Ferguson fan, but this show has won me over. The team here at the NAGB did an amazing job with this show. So if you weren’t planning on seeing it, I think you should strongly reconsider. I’d also like to thank everyone at the NAGB for not only offering me such a wonderful opportunity, but for also being amazing people!

Photographs taken by Cydne Coleby.

Permenant Exhibition: Bahamian Landscape 

Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider Introduction Section

Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider Ballroom

 

Amos Ferguson: Bahamian Outsider Ballroom

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas has established a Summer 2012 internship program for high school, college and graduate students who are interested in the visual arts and careers in this field.

Interns will receive hands on experience in working within a museum setting and art studio space. The internship program would create yet another facet of learning for those young adults looking to gain experience in the arts, thus influencing future career decisions.

For further information and to download application forms pleases visit Here or call the Gallery at 328-5800/1.

Free Gallery Day for Bahamians

Celebrate Father's Day at our "Free Gallery Day for Bahamians" on Sunday, June 17th, 2012.

Any interested persons are encouraged to attend.