Something new and exciting is happening in The Bahamas. The sun, sand and sea are stunning as ever, but in recent years a new wind of creativity has begun to reshape the landscape of this island country.

The explosion of tourism in the 1960s compelled artists to limit their output to what would quickly sell, causing traditional craft and fine art to spiral toward the predictable. After independence from England in 1973, a lively conversation exploring what it means to be Bahamian ensued. Realizing that artists play a significant role in nation building, Parliament established The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas in 1996. NAGB officially opened in a beautifully restored 1860s mansion in Nassau in 2003.

With a new home for contemporary Bahamian art, the “pretty picture” days are giving way to a new era. Fresh voices are exploring diverse subject matter, and in the process are becoming recognized around the world. This show features work of some of the most important of those voices, including several who are in the permanent collection of NAGB.

The works in this exhibit will be auctioned March 17. Proceeds will support the establishment of the Exnihilo Art Center in Nassau and create a scholarship fund for emerging Bahamian artists.

Out Of Nothing
The Preview Exhibition

February 28-March 15
Glen Echo Park Popcorn Gallery
7300 MacArthur Blvd
Glen Echo, MD 20812
Gallery Hours noon - 6pm Saturday & Sunday

 

Artists:

Oramae Pinder

Giavanna Swaby

April Bey

Maxwell Taylor

Toby Lunn

Sue Katz

Heino Schmid

Katrina Cartwright

Michael Edwards

Checked out this amazing venue for our Out Of Nothing Party and Art Auction. Such a cool building will show off the lovely works by the fantastic Bahamian artists!

JOIN US
Tuesday, March 17
6PM - 8PM
FOR AN EVENING
At District Architecture Center
421 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
SO YOU CAN
• Sample Bahamian Deliciousness • Enjoy Live Music
• Win Prizes • Bid In The Auction Of Original Art

Applications are new being accepted for the Exnihilo Art Award

$1000 to be awarded to a student pursuing a post-secondary degree in art.

Intended for students from the outer islands of The Bahamas (also known as Family Islands) The Exnihilo Art Award seeks to provide financial assistance for those individuals who may otherwise be unable to attend college due to the barrier of being from a Family Island.

The Exnihilo Art Award is a scholarship providing financial assistance to a student accepted or enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution pursuing studies in art. The award has a maximum value of $1000.00 and is a merit based scholarship for one year with the possibility of reapplication to students who maintain a G.P.A. of 3.0 out of a possible 4.0.

Applications are now being accepted here.

All applications must be submitted by May 31, 2018.

I attended a lively panel discussion this Wednesday about the development of contemporary art in the Caribbean. The panel was comprised of artists currently showing at Transformer Gallery in DC. The exhibition is made up of primarily artists from Jamaica, but the discussion revolved around the current trends and limitations for Caribbean artists in general, one being the heavy tendency to cater to the tourism industry. Younger artists are finding a new voice that pushes against this trend and are struggling to get a footing.

Of great interest to me in terms of Exnihilo is the need for support in this region in the form of residencies. The number of residencies in the region is four.

Yea. Four. That's it. And all of them are tiny off-shoots from artist's personal studios.

There is this groundswell of expression in this region that has so much potential, and yet needs support. It was also very clear that another limitation is the very governments of these countries. A common thread seems to be the lack of understanding of contemporary art with the continued focus on themes of tourism that continue to serve up a misconception of these cultures while hindering the true artistic voice. "Tropicalization" was one of the defining words for this. Representational images that romanticize these regions are popularized and continue to sell either commercially or in private collections.