PAINTING LESSONS AT ANDROMEDA

WITH ARTIST JO REED.

Individual classes, group classes - whatever. Contact @joreedartist

“ ‘Andromeda Bridge 1'. Oil on canvas, by our curator, her first oil painting, after lessons with Jo Reed! ������������

Our Art Hub aims to support local artists and artisans by providing them with a space to teach, display and sell their work.

Individual classes, group classes - whatever! Contact @joreedartist and let's get creative!

Photography by Carla Hinds on the BPS Historic Photowalk of the Pierhead and its environs.

The Barbados Photographic Society hosted an Historic Photowalk of the Pierhead and its environs on Saturday June 24th.

The Photowalk was led by Dr. Frederick Alleyne, Historian and Genealogy Researcher.

The Careenage and Pierhead areas in Bridgetown as we know it are about to be redeveloped and changed forever.

The Barbados Photographic Society organised this photowalk to capture the visual memory of the area for posterity and at the same time, learn about the historic importance of the area.

Areas of interest:

Buildings and bond houses

The Old Central Foundry

The Blackwell Screw Dock

The Slave Burial Ground

Lower Bay Street

Nelson Street to Wellington Street

Independence Square

Congratulations to Daniel Alleyne whose piece has been selected and purchased by the Central Banks of Barbados to be a part of their collection. From the Central Banks Crop Over exhibition ‘They Came In Merchant ShipsMovement’ now on at Queenks Park Gallery. The exhibition ended 22nd June.

Barbados National Art Gallery

Sonia Boyce “Crop Over”

2007-2008

Video and Photographic Installation – Harewood House / Barbados Museum & Historical Society

Photographs taken by William Cummins

Sonia Boyce created the installation titled "Crop Over" in 2007-2008, which comprised of video and drawings. The installation, displayed at Harewood House in the United Kingdom and the Barbados Museum & Historical Society in Barbados, features a splitscreen video showcasing the sights and sounds of the Crop Over Festival and Wildey House in Barbados. It includes interviews, archival material, and footage of various Barbadian folk characters and cultural traditions, such as Mother Sally, Donkey Man, Shaggy Bear, Tuk Band, Tilt/Stilt man, and the Landship. The installation goes beyond visually representing the historic festival and delves into the exploration of diasporic belonging, visibility, the role of gender in carnival, and visitor participation in intangible cultural heritage practices.

The exhibition at Harewood House was part of their commemoration of the 200th year anniversary of the abolition of the British transatlantic slave trade. The project was a collaboration between the Barbados Museum & Historical Society, the National Art Gallery Committee in Barbados, and Sonia Boyce. In July 2008, the installation was also exhibited at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, and included photographs of the “Crop Over” work by William Cummins as a collaborative component of the project. Since then, "Crop Over" has been featured in several significant exhibitions, including "Prospect 4: The Lily in Spite of the Swamp" in New Orleans in 2018 a retrospective of Boyce's work at the Manchester Gallery of Art in the same year, the BNAG exhibition “Threshold: Images of our Past, Visions of our Future” in 2021, and “Life Between Islands” at Tate Britain (2021- 2022).

Allison Thompson, in her article "Sonia Boyce and Crop Over" published in Small Axe, reflects on the work, emphasizing Boyce's motivation to uncover the unexplained aspects of the festival and the significance of hybridity in "Crop Over." The installation presents multiple voices, including opposing explanations and contesting stances, creating a diverse narrative.

About the Artist

Sonia Boyce (b.1962) is a highly influential British artist of Caribbean descent and a Professor of Black Art and Design at the University of the Arts London. Throughout her career, she has held numerous solo and group exhibitions and has contributed to academic publications in the field of Black diasporic art. Boyce has also been involved in significant research, including her role as a Director of the African and Asian Visual Artists Archive (AAVAA) from 1996 to 2002. Her works can be found in prestigious collections such as Tate Modern, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Council, and Arts Council Collection. In 2019, she was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to art. Boyce was selected by the British Council to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale 2021 where her exhibition “Feeling Her Way” won the Golden Lion Award for Best National Participation. In her artistic practice, Boyce emphasizes collaboration and participatory situations, often incorporating spontaneous and unrehearsed performative actions. She works across various media, including drawing, print, photography, video, and sound, exploring the relationship between sound and memory, the dynamics of space, and engaging the spectator.

Sources:

Connett, D. “British artist Sonia Boyce wins Golden Lion at Venice Biennale”, The Guardian, April 23rd, 2022

Tate online “Sonia Boyce, OBE”

Thompson, A. “Sonia Boyce Crop Over”, Small Axe, No. 29, June 2009

“Art as a Tool for Change”

5th July, 6pm -9pm at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society in collaboration with the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Due to limited seating arrangements, we kindly ask that you please RSVP by 28 June via the following link: https://bit.ly/artforchangeevent

This event (flyer attached) will feature a lively panel discussion focused on generating dialogue on art and culture in relation to sustainability in the Blue and Green Economies, vulnerable groups, and economic diversification through the Creative Economy. You can also expect other interactive activities, plus information about our recently launched art challenge for youth, including Persons with Disabilities, which this event is in support of.

Please note that light refreshments and snacks will be served.

“The KAC Gallery of Fellow Artists would like to congratulate our “ABsolutely STRACTuous” Exhibition Jury Award winners

“Untitled” (Favorite Art winner) by Kesean Abrams, “Imprisoned Freedom” (Favorite Art Runner-Up) by Cher-Antoinette, and finally Nikki Hill-Smith for Favorite Exhibition Artist!

Also, as curator it is also a great pleasure to share that not only did every artist receive votes, but two received votes for all three of their pieces — an outcome that is music to any curator’s ears. And we’d all like to thank everyone who visited (and revisited!) the exhibition; we are always pleased and humbled but the turnout (site traffic).

The exhibition remains available for viewing under “Past Exhibitions” here: https://bit.ly/kac_gfa-ab-stract-exhibition “

-Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro

The Division of Culture-Prime Minister’s Office in collaboration with The Barbados Arts Council present ‘Paint A Picture of Your Village’ Competition as a part of their Season of Emancipation Celebrations.

��To enter: Entries are to be submitted to Barbados Arts Council Gallery, Pelican Craft Village, St.Michael by July 7th at 12 noon.

Criteria for entries:

Artwork can be in oil, watercolour, pencil, pen and ink or pastel. Digital work must be printed. Art work should be no smaller than 8x 10 inches and no bigger than 36 inches in any direction. The entries will be displayed in an exhibition at the gallery of the Barbados Arts Council in Pelican and thereafter at branch libraries of the National Library Service across the island.

CASH PRIZES:

Ages 8-12

1st prize: $200 BDS

2nd prize $ 100 BDS

3rd prize $50 BDS

Ages 13-17

1st prize $400 BDS

2nd prize: $200 BDS

3rd prize: $100 BDS

Ages: 18 +

1st prize: $1000 BDS

2nd prize: $500 BDS

3rd prize: $300 BDS

BARBADOS ARTS COUNCIL

#20 Pelican Craft Centre, Harbour Road, Bridgetown, Barbados

Tel: (246) 426-4385

Email: thebarbadosartscouncil@gmail.com

Facebook: Barbados Arts Council Official Page

Instagram: BarbadosArtsCouncil www.thebarbadosartscouncil.com