Members of the Caribbean visual art community demonstrate unity, progression at Tilting Axis conference.

Dedicated to forging infrastructure between independent art organizations and museums operating across the Caribbean, U.S., E.U., U.K., African continent and China, the international visual arts conference, “Tilting Axis: Within and beyond the Caribbean – shifting models of sustainability and connectivity”, was held recently in Barbados.

            A two-day event, Tilting Axis was held over February 27 and 28 and was coordinated by the Fresh Milk Art Platform, Inc. in collaboration with ARC Magazine, Res Artis and the Pèrez Art Museum, Miami.

            Founding Director of Fresh Milk Annalee Davis noted Tilting Axis’ potential to serve as a catalyst to unite the Caribbean in a movement that could strengthen the region’s visual arts voice.

            “Many of us working in the region have been speaking with one another, in some cases for many years, but today is the first time that artist-led initiatives have come together from the Dutch, Spanish, French and English territories to meet physically in the Caribbean. It is critical that this gathering is taking place on Caribbean soil, and that we consider the visual arts sector from within the archipelago as a counterpoint to the many decisions that have been and are often made about the region externally,” she said in her welcome address.

            At the conference, leaders in the visual arts movements in their respective communities convened to negotiate strategic regional and international alliances for the formalization and further development of Caribbean art. More than 30 visual art professionals from neighboring Caribbean countries and nations as far away as Senegal came together in the hopes of developing a strategic plan for continued collaboration. Doing her part for The Bahamas and international art fair VOLTA NY was National Art Gallery of The Bahamas Amanda Coulson, who represented the country’s local art community at the convention.

            Deborah Anzinger, the director of Jamaican visual art initiative NLS, underscored the importance of one of the conference’s objectives – that of broadening and improving access to the region’s visual art markets.

            “In creating markets for contemporary art in the Caribbean, we are developing the ecosystem and all the underlying components that drive that market, [including] the environment for artists to make great work; art writers, researchers and funders to help make that work accessible to the public; international museums and galleries to show the work; advisors and dealers to get the work placed in collections. Shared programming, exchanges and educational initiatives developed between the institutions present address these key components,” said Anzinger.

            It is hoped that Tilting Axis and its ongoing reverberation will create opportunities for visual artists living in the Caribbean and contribute to professional and economic development in the region via the creation of formal collaborations between key art institutions and organizations throughout the Caribbean.

            “As more eyes are turning to look at this space, we need to be cognizant of what they are seeing, and consider how and what we want them to experience. Tilting Axis aspires to become a conduit; supporting the professionalization of artists and formalizing engagements, leading to greater visibility and accessibility of contemporary Caribbean art,” said Holly Bynoe, ARC Magazine co-founder and Tilting Axis administrative team member.

            To find out more about Tilting Axis, email Bynoe or Davis at tiltingaxis@gmail.com.

Transforming Spaces 2015 kicks off: Panelists explain successful visual art entrepreneurism

The 2015 Transforming Spaces season kicked off on Thursday, March 19 with two panel discussions at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB).

            The first talk, titled “So money”, was led by Jay Koment and Uli Voges, who hoped to examine art entrepreneurism and developing a successful business as a visual artist. As the director of New Providence Art and Antiques and the co-founder of Transforming Spaces, Koment is no stranger to giving guidance on topics like branding, pricing and legal protection. An international art dealer, founder of the former Galeries Voges + Partner (Frankfurt, Germany) and co-founder of both VOLTA Basel and VOLTA New York, Voges is also well-versed in advising artists on developing their professional networks and building rapport with clientele and audiences.

            Focusing on the strategic methods artists should use to promote themselves, Koment and Voges honed in on the visual arts economy from both international and Bahamian perspectives. Ceramicist and NAGB Curatorial Assistant Averia Wright found the talk enlightening.

            “It’s an important conversation to have because, working at the National Art Gallery, we always have issues with artists and how they go about dealing with the business aspect of their careers,” explained Wright. “Money is an important part of the career, and we should be able to support ourselves through our talents rather than going through a completely different field and doing art on the side.”

            The second discussion, titled “You belong here”, was led by Baha Mar Public Relations and Communications Strategist Royann Dean. NAGB Director Amanda Coulson and College of The Bahamas Dean of Liberal and Fine Arts Dr. Ian Bethell-Bennett served as panelists on the talk centered on the connection between visual arts and the hospitality industry.

            The panelists touched on Baha Mar’s unprecedented focus on the local visual arts community, which has already had an effect on Bahamian artists, many of whom have been commissioned to create pieces for the mega resort. Other topics included the importance of understanding trade agreements between The Bahamas, the Caribbean and European nations.

            Dr. Bethell-Bennett explained the ease with which European Union citizens are able to migrate to The Bahamas and work, compared to the process Bahamians, particularly Bahamian artists, undergo when moving to the Continent for work.

            “It seems to be a one-way channel and not a two-way channel,” said COB Assistant Professor of Art Michael Edwards. “The successive government administrations sign on to these things without explaining fully to their citizens what these agreements may mean down the road.”

            NAGB Director Coulson took the chance to encourage locals and private Bahamian institutions to take initiative in lobbying for change and projects that would benefit the Bahamian art community, rather than relying on government leadership.

            The Transforming Spaces 2015 art tour takes place today and tomorrow, Sunday, March 22. To find out more about Transforming Spaces, visit http://www.bahamastransformingspaces.com.

The NAGB announces 2015 Easter Egg hunt

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) will be hosting an Easter egg hunt for kids ages 12 and under on Saturday, April 4. Next month, youngsters are invited to join the NAGB team from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., for a few hours of basket weaving, candy searching, face painting and seasonal festivities. The cost of $10 per child includes admission and a snack and drink. The deadline for registration and payment is Wednesday, April 1. For more information, contact Education and Curatorial Support Associate Abby Smith at 328-5800 or asmith@nagb.org.bs.

Re-membering the past: Margot Bethel and Nicolette Bethel take on Transforming Spaces 2015 family-style

Teaming up to transform part of the grounds at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) this year are cousins College of The Bahamas Assistant Professor of Sociology Nicolette Bethel and artist and designer Margot Bethel, who will be assembling a representation of a former family home. The artwork was originally planned as a piece for the Seventh National Exhibition, Antillean: an Ecology, but the project had to be delayed due to conflicting schedules.

            Each year, the Transforming Spaces bus tour unveils thought-provoking transformations in galleries and creative spaces across New Providence. This year, the tour will be held over March 21 and 22 and will treat explorers to metamorphosed areas at Hillside House, Doongalik Studios, PopopStudios, the D’Aguilar Art Foundation, The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) and Liquid Courage Gallery. While the Transforming Spaces works are normally only exhibited over the weekend, the Bethels’ installation will continue to exist for several months at the NAGB.

            Transforming Spaces 2015 has set itself apart from previous years by foregoing a universal theme, giving participating artists more sovereignty than ever before. Artists have been asked to use each gallery’s history, location and position in the context of Bahamian society as inspiration for transforming the space.

            The Bethels’ family house, known for more than a century as 672 Bay Street, was the childhood home of both women’s fathers. Their paternal grandmother lived in the property for 70 years, and it originally belonged to her mother-in-law. Ten years ago, the home was demolished without notice or permission.

            “In February 2005, I drove past my grandmother’s house on East Bay Street to find a bulldozer sitting on top of it,” wrote Nicolette Bethel on her blog, nicobethel.net.

“We had not booked any bulldozer. We had no intention of demolishing the house. My cousin Margot and I had, in fact, begun the long, slow process of renovation.”

            Hoping to salvage pieces of the home, Margot Bethel combed the wreckage for shutters, window frames and timbers of Abaco pine. Her findings – stored in a shipping container onsite – were hauled away, also without notice or permission.

            “Subsequently, looters took the limestone that the house had been raised upon and also the ones forming the cistern on the western side of the house. Still, other pieces were removed from another location Margot had stored them at and taken for garbage. Whatever is left are remnants,” said Nicolette Bethel.

             The Bethels’ transformative piece involves words; poems; original possessions from the home, including family Bibles, photographs, tea cups and journals, and a model of a portion of the demolished home. Both women will be evoking their respective knowledge of theatre and thespian experiences in the transformation.

            “I have many years’ experience building and designing for both film and theatre, and, naturally, Nicolette is a playwright, director and theatre festival founder,” said Margot Bethel. “Theatre and drama are important components of the piece because of the way they connect to the narrative side of the project and the fact that we are not only remembering but also using new found objects to represent others that were lost. We are, essentially, writing and re-writing our familial histories, so the installation may have the distinct feel of a theatre set.”

            Titled “If”, the installation’s name evokes emotions like longing and regret.

            “It was also used by our family as a means of expressing emphatic agreement, as in, ‘Did it hurt?’ ‘If!’ Or, ‘Did you look fabulous?’ ‘If!’” explained Nicolette Bethel, who added that “If” will be a work in progress.

            Designed to be a ‘living’ piece that will continue to evolve even after the 2015 tour has completed, the artists will be adding to, re-working and exploring new perspectives of the installation in months to come. Nicolette Bethel hopes it will “do justice to the memories of those who have gone before”.

            “I hope that our relatives will be moved by what we recall, and I hope we pay homage to what is great in the most humble bits of our past.”

            “I hope people get a sense of a family whose lives are neither simplified nor distilled. I hope they see the diversity, even the messiness of our collective histories as people who inhabit and have inhabited these islands, and I hope people see how we are not always what we are seen to be,” added Margot Bethel.