BARBADOS ARTS EVENTS June 2018
March 2018
Cover Art by Rupert Piggott
All information correct at time of publishing. Please phone or email relevant galleries to confirm dates of events as they may be subject to change. Updates as news of arts events comes in each month may be viewed on http://corriescott.net/page28.htm Published by Corrie Scott
corriescott@gmail.com
www.corriescott.net
Welcome to Barbados Monthly Arts Events This is a completely free magazine created out of the need to inform so that we can get to exhibitions, artist talks, workshops and more, rather than hearing about events after they have taken place. I encourage anyone with a visual arts event to get in contact with me at corriescott@gmail.com and I will add a free page for you. Let’s get the arts out there! Please, pass this magazine on to others and so help the creative side of Barbados get all the exposure possible. Corrie
PATRICK WALDEMAR
Heartfelt congratulations to our new Prime Minister of Barbados, the Right Honourable Mia Mottley, and the newly elected Barbados government. We look forward to seeing all of the arts flourish under a regime that we know respects the arts in Barbados. Image courtesy of Alex Carrington (Lex Carrington)
TERRENCE RUPERT PIGGOTT By LauraLin Hutchinson When an artist steps out of the framework of self and its familiar boundaries of expression and ventures into the realm of renewal and reinvention it can be unsettling to the psyches of those viewers wanting to stay within the comfortable confines of their own expectancy. The spectrum of responses may range from quiet surprise, bafflement, awe even mild outrage or total shock. Terence Rupert Piggott’s exhibition at ‘NuEdge Gallery’ in the posh Limegrove Lifestyle Centre on the west coast of Barbados was a bit like sticking one’s finger in a socket – a jolt to the system and the senses, eliciting all the above mentioned responses and in a word – electrifying. Anyone familiar with the collective body of the artist’s work over the years would know what I’m saying; this new work is such a departure from former styles as to be almost mind boggling. The exhibition featured about a dozen or so of his latest pieces and was really quite stunning. Large, bright canvases black and white and splattered with colour, acrylic resins seemingly wet and runny and sleek in suspension, shiny ultra modern techno chromatic flat screens or geometric cubes raised in relief, confetti drops of palette scrapings floating between glistening glass, ropes and stripped canvas separating and binding opponent worlds and energies. The exhibition is entitled ‘POLYCHROMATIC VISIONS –Beyond the realms of canvas’ and I can see within the spectacular swirl of light, dark and colour – stories of life, primordial ooze, the exploration of cosmic realms and relationships, dichotomy, separation, anger, joy. There is a playful hopefulness and bright happiness seen through transparent windows fragile yet resilient. While elsewhere, the universe explodes and births into colourful beingness. There is a touch of the divine and extraordinary inventiveness and artistry . The creative mind and skillful hand behind all this awesomeness is the artist now known as Piggott, who some call Terence and who I’ve always known as Rupert or Pert. He is not new to the art scene, he’s been around for many years but somehow something of a hidden element. When I first saw his work in the early 90s my thought was he is a ‘fuh real’ talent and will be one of Barbados’ top artists soon. Years later however, he would still be a mostly unknown name even though he does have a following with both local and international buyers who have been collecting his art for years.
His canvases, large even then, were filled with pain and dark morbidity and brilliance reflecting both his grief over the death of his mother and his latent artistic genius. He agrees it was some of his best work. Time passed and then there was this fabulous showing in 2005 at Lancaster House with more massive canvasses and where his interest had turned to textures, incorporating raw rope and burlap extending beyond the pictures edge. With large sweeping strokes and churning seas there were still undercurrents of darkness and death stalking, lying in the paint itself. An introspective piece ‘Inner Self’ was bought by the Barbados National Art Gallery for its collection. In 2007 he was accepted to the Instituto Superior De Arte in Cuba a place of great learning and where the teachers called him ‘maestro’. He disappears off my radar then surfaces with his Barbadiana series which spans a number of years, documenting typical market scenes and field workers, colourful sometimes woeful figures, boats and so forth rendered with a casual smooth ease, . In the commercial marketplace and especially Rodney Arthur’s ‘ Freedom Fine Art Gallery’ his work sells and sells, bread and butter art that pays the bills. For awhile he seems to have traded in his dark edginess for the shallow safety of commercial viablity. But eventually the transformation begins, signs of the artist’s restless discontent, in the “Revivalist’ series, there are more local scenes but the figures become stylized - the blades of cane and blades of the cane cutters cutlasses slash and flay as they do battle with each other, the field workers heads atrophy and the bodies extend, backing us bent and faceless caught in lacerated colour, thick paint and tangled fiberglass fibers. The market becomes a place of dappled cubes and impressionistic delight; there is a sweetness with an original interpretive flare. More recently follows “Absence – Presence” which explores the absence and presence of subject and self as Piggott dives into a realm of pure abstraction and spirituality and by now he has become the Nu Edge Gallery’s top seller. Yet amazingly Rupert is still not a household name. Most people who aren’t in the Art world or aren’t buyers, still don’t know of him here. His art sells, but he has never been one to sell himself. He is soft spoken, almost shy. Handsome, he has a lovely wide smile which transforms his face that is otherwise in deep contemplation with a furrowed brow, always pondering his next act of creation. He, like most ‘fuh real’ artists, lives and breathes his art and not a day goes by that he doesn’t create something. “I am an artist now, before and forever” although he considers his teenage daughter Tara Blu to be his ‘best creation ever’
He has been an actor and a model, owned a T-shirt and clothing company, and been a Bar/ Restaurant manager but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t being true to himself or honouring his creative passion. Giving up the day job is the turning point for many artists, the moment when one makes that total commitment to one’s craft. It takes courage especially in places where Artists are still hardly honoured or given their due. The journey for Rupert has been one of self discovery, reinvention, interpretation and the realization of unlimited potential, it has also become an exploration of textural possibilities and unconventional use of materials, surface treatments and experimentation. He reuses and recycles found and used materials and in his latest collection for instance are embedded old paint tubes, endless scrapings of paint from his palette and strips of old canvasses. Or like an alchemist or magician he mixes stuff together and makes matter from nothing. From inception to completion each piece is a wonderous journey. Although preceded by long periods of introspection, he prefers a spontaneous process letting the paint flow and follow its own path and describe its own destiny; while the mind of the artist orchestrates and facilitates the process and the master designer remains very aware of his connectivity to the creator and the creation. In his deepest moments of dark despair his muse and mistress, his art, has never left him. In those moments she draws him out of himself and rescues him from drowning. Through her he is released from inner turmoil and finds joy. In his self-effacing manner he refers to himself as a student, always learning. The surprising element in this latest exhibition of his, is the colourful, clear, bright sense of happiness and wonderment. Amidst the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ the utterings of ‘brilliant’, ‘awesome’ ‘amazing’ or being dumbstruck…’well its such a departure…’ those of the Art world there agreed that it is time for Piggott’s work to be seen on an international platform, because the quality level of the work has gone beyond our ‘small island’ framework . The artist clasps his hands together and bows to his guests; he thanks each individually for coming. He is not a big talker and not inclined to be out front, something he is trying to do more of now, though it doesn’t come easy, he says with that smile. At the Biennale when the artists were to talk about their work on stage, he duct taped his mouth and stood with arms crossed next to his painting. Terence Rupert Piggott – now you know.
LauraLin Hutchinson
TERRENCE PIGGOTT Terrence Piggott lives and works in Barbados. His work is part of numerous private and public collections around the world. www.rupertpiggott.com This piece was originally featured in MACO Caribbean Living 2017 New Edge Gallery has since closed and is now On the Wall Art Gallery at Limegrove where some of the artist's work can be seen.
Photography of the art by LauraLin Hutchinson and Corrie Scott
LAURALIN HUTCHINSON LauraLin is an occasional feature writer having published in most of the local glossies from time to time over the last 30+ years. More recently she has done a number of profiles specifically on artists. Otherwise she works part time at On The Wall Art Gallery, runs her home accommodation business Shambhala Homestays and in summer will be reviving her meditation and healing practice. Tel - 269 5112
Email - laurynhutch@hotmail.com
ARTISTS ALLIANCE BARBADOS
OPEN CALL TO ARTISTS
‘MANIFESTO 2018. Interrogating Barbados as a land, a society and an economy’
Artists are invited to create a new artwork that responds to and is inspired by the Barbados General Elections 2018, to be shown in November 2018 or later. The artwork could be visual, audio, photography, digital or film. "What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who only has eyes if he's a painter, ears if he's a musician, … Quite the contrary, he is at the same time a political being constantly alert to the horrifying, passionate or pleasing events in the world, shaping himself completely in their image. How is it possible to be uninterested in other men and by virtue of what cold nonchalance can you detach yourself from the life that they supply so copiously?” Pablo Picasso. Concept Note The issues of any society can be interrogated by the arts. The arts shape society, show unique views on complex issues and provide strategies for social and political advancement. The most current issue in Barbados today is the pending general elections to select a popular government for the next five years. On election day 2018, Barbadians will again exercise their most basic civic responsibility to select the few people they believe to be more knowledgeable and capable than themselves to make decisions in their name and order the country. Deeming the political parties “six to half dozen”, a large percentage of the voting population will skim the manifestos to find clear and systematic differences on a wide range of issues in attempts to make reasonable votes. Voters, rightly or wrongly, assumes detailed inquiry and analysis were undertaken and that there are clear evidence bases for the precedence of particular proposals. These manifestos, full of rhetoric and populist soundbites, are often situated within the broader agendas of social justice, fairness and equality, usually with ‘prosperity’ as a key feature targeting “the man in the streets” and those disillusioned with political processes. However, the means by which these policies would be operationalised and come together as a mutually reinforcing set of policies with transformative potential is much less well articulated. “Elections have consequences” as they define us, shape our economic security and future prosperity, and rank us in the global order.
Please contact Oneka Small if interested in submitting work
"You are invited to MEET THE ARTISTS in the exhibition of 'WORK FROM THE NATIONAL COLLECTION' at the Queen's Park Gallery on Saturday June 9th from 4pm -6pm. Ronald Williams has agreed to make a presentation on his work in the exhibition.
ADAM PATTERSON a note (to self) on resistance, vulnerability and soft-shell urchins: i've spent so long tensing my body, growing hard and brittle spikes, trying to be inhospitable, trying to be strong, trying to resist anything (gaze / projection / subjugation), trying to be invisible, trying to be violently hypervisible, that i sometimes fear what it means to be vulnerable, and to locate power in vulnerability and softness. the hard-shell / hard-spiked urchin cannot be held tightly in the hands of anyone (whether it be lover or oppressor), lest it snap and shatter in the tension of a fist. there is no elasticity or reflex in the brittle bones of a hard-shell creature. sure, there is fortress-like defence, but there is no chance for embrace or confrontation without shatter. hardness can protect itself, but hardness cannot speak or be spoken to - it will only ever tense or annihilate itself from the pressure of being approached. and then i wonder, this desire to be hard, to be resistant, stubborn and immovable - is it a fear of being vulnerable? is it an inclination towards those more 'valuable' assets of my own embedded toxic masculinity?; a machismo of flexed muscle, tensed bones, an illusory male bravado conjured to survive, valuable in the sense that i may resist those oppressive gazes and grazes, but at what cost? reading Audre Lorde has opened me towards ideas of vulnerability, of sharing, of the erotic, and has softened me in the knowledge that it's okay to retract my spikes - that there may even be power in the decision to retract - that, instead of being brittle, an ultimate softness, a sponginess, the ability to be squeezed and to reflex, like bread dough, is a much sturdier, more intelligent defence than the bricks of stone forts and the bones of sea urchins. i don't want to harden any more, i don't want to snap, i want to wear a soft spongy shell, capable of being held, being loved, though without erasive or erosive compromise of what comprises me.
Artistic Interventions May 14th – June 17th, 2018 We are excited to share that in the spirit of ICOM International Museums Day 2018 theme of "Hyperconnected Museums: New Approaches, New Publics", The Barbados Museum & Historical Society have invited local contemporary artists to critically engage with its collections through a series of interventions. Six artists' works are interwoven in the museum's galleries, interrogating and recontextualizing the historical narratives on display. Open to the public from May 14th – June 17th, 2018, visitors can collect an intervention site map on arrival to the museum to navigate the placement of artworks. Participating artists: Llanor Alleyne Annalee Davis Katherine Kennedy Adam Patterson Adrian Richards Kraig Yearwood For more information contact the Assistant Curator Social History and Engagement Tel: 538-0201 historycurator@barbmuse.org.bb
‘The
Changing Face Of Barbadian Landscapes’ Exhibition Opening Wednesday, 4th April - June 4th at The Barbados Museum. This exhibition is free to Barbadian residents, with ID. for more information please call the Barbados Museum and Historical Society on 537 9422. THE CHANGING LANDSCAPES
FACE
OF
BARBADIAN
Curated by Allison Callender Temporary exhibition, open now through until June 4th 2018! A variety of prints and paintings from the Barbados Museum and Historical Society's fine art collection dating back to the 1830s (most which have never been exhibited) are used in the exhibition The Changing Face of Barbadian Landscapes to showcase the changing scenes of Barbados. Using the term "landscape" loosely, the works on display also feature aspects of Barbadian seascape and include landscapes with structures in a range of media including watercolour, oils and prints. This exhibition is free to Barbadian residents, for more information please call the Barbados Museum and Historical Society on 537 9422.
On the Block & Glammuh: one play and one visual artist’s impressions on the life of black youth in contemporary Barbados-Part I Icil Phillips “Don’t afraid to be different. Conformity is practically a death sentence to an artist. In other words: if you’re doing what everyone else has done, you don’t give yourself the chance to do what nobody but you can do.” [Z.Z. Packer-AfricanAmerican author, 2003.] By a series of coincidences several of the young artists in both the theatre and the visual art arena are investigating the life of black youth caught in the culture of the block. Like their subjects they have defied the restrictions that conformity imposes and have struck out to explore what it feels to be the marginalized, and the misunderstood. Both end products present a curious tale, bitter in parts, sad in others but to a large degree true to the vision that they have of the block as a social space created by and for black males existing on the margins of Barbadian society. Glenville Lovell, who has several important productions of his plays in Barbados, and was recently awarded the Earl Warner Trust Barbados Lifetime Achievement Award, begins his conversation with a muted interpretation of the block using seven characters to tell what is an artistic quest sullied by life circumstances spanning intrigue, sex, dislike for class and what it entails, violence, poverty and the defiance of the system that has confined them to the ghetto.[Oh how I hate that word!] I say muted because the playwright never goes the whole way in his expose. We never get the sense in their portrayal that these characters are truly products of this environment. The block for them is a stopping off place, never a kingdom that they own, control and inhabit. As such their desperation about life, a sense of their cruelty, the grittiness that characterizes such existence is missing.
In contrast, Ronald Williams a studio artist and graduate of the BFA programme at Barbados Community College[BCC], who has several important exhibitions to his credit, is strident in his imagining of life on the block making bold statements about the chosen personas who inhabit the block. Williams creates seven commentaries on block life using digital images in collage, but for this review I will address only four. In both cases, the artists assume the stance of the outsider- Lovell as the elder observer intent on salvaging some sense of community, while Williams exposes the underlying angst of young men caught in the society’s materialistic outlook Ronald Williams-artist- Glammuh Series The block for Lovell is the place of negotiation especially in modern times when opportunities for social advancement seem scarce. It is also a reminder of the brutality of the slave past where those on the auction block have no agency, no say in the outcome except to comply or rebel at the peril of death. Goose, the character who precipitates the events in the play, has crossed the social barrier by consorting with the wife of a local judge and he pays the price for his defiance. Williams’ series Glammuh, is dangerously non-conformist in its view that the block is the place of auction.There is no block as family unit, alternative home. Underneath the exterior glamour or “glammuh” as he calls it, there is an ugly side that suggests all have been bought and sold. Williams deconstructs several myths starting by revealing that our familiar Caribbean island, described as Paradise Isle is not a place of beauty. Skeletons of all sorts abound and the paths taken inevitably cause death and destruction.The stylized palm trees are the leaves of the marijuana plant embellished in parts with fragments of Barbados five-dollar notes- the common currency in local marijuana sales- imposed on a bloodied sun. Each revealed semi-automatic weapon represents a body, a death that results from the forbidden trade in drugs for guns and the bloody sun casts a lengthening dark shadow across the landscape coloured in gold to replicate the lucre of the trade. For Williams, the island and its attendant blocks represent a place of death.
Lovell’s one act play starts with the microcosm of the block, which Matthew Squires depicts as an open area ringed by palings,with rough and tumble furniture made from pallets, the detritus of the yard evident in discarded tyres, bottles, dilapidated furniture and the obligatory graffiti.This realist representation captures the environment well. Squires borrows from the Greek tradition of the periaktoi with a pivoting series of flats upstage that become the walls of the club when the scene changes except for the hospital scene where it is most needed. This vista’s crudeness is seemingly a mirror of the roughness of the people in it and while the play seems to offer an escape of sorts through communitas and the love of poetry, inevitably the pressure of outside forces gathers to destroy any sense of progress. Williams also addresses these circumstances in Shoe Game#1. The absence of a torso can be interpreted in two ways: as the apparent triumph of the male inhabitants of the block over adversity and material deprivation in this refusal to identify facially this success, and as the ability to surmount the odds through a display of the trappings that now define them - the popular timberland boots in ochre, with loosened laces, the gaudy watch, the taboo camouflage pants, the trunk bearing a skull in a Louis Vuitton covering to suggest omniscient death, and the superior brand of rum pouring so many red dice in an effervescent sparkle to suggest not only that the the subject has to overcome many odds to achieve this sense of entitlement, but that the stiffened hand on the bottle neck is holding a penis in an assertion of the subject’s triumphant maleness. The artist foregoes faces or camouflages them in the whole series as if they are not needed to identify the archetypes in this new theatre of life. We know them all from their poses, their desire to be noticed, from their curious affront to the system that neglects them.
Where Williams expresses what seems like disdain for the cheapening of human existence that the block represents, On the Block takes a different perspective, through the costuming, the sound design, lighting and the staging of the play. There is no bling signifying the ostentation of these dwellers. They are still open to change and redemption as Lovell shows by the play’s end. Most seem to be living at home and just pass through for the occasional lime, to smoke, drink and converse with and learn from Goose when he was alive. The dress of the opening reflects some of Williams’ ideas about the social status the block members have achieved but these trappings are not sustained. The use of the red suggests rebellion and bravado, on one hand, but on the other, alludes to the spectre of HIV/AIDS infection which has touched this community through Goose. This contrasts vividly with the later choices where the dress is stripped down to reflect the homeliness of the people via their apparel .
The lighting carries a murkiness for the scenes where Goose loses his life and Boyland meets the policeman Edwards after midnight. Generally there is little brightness except for the ending and these choices by the lighting designer Shad Stuart convey well that this block carries a sense of foreboding. As the play progresses we see the playwright’s intention: to offer a balm, an outlet for the out-of-sorts youths shocked by Goose’s sudden death and left destitute from his passing. This is through their reliance on poetry to express their deep feelings about their lives. However, the power of the poetry is never explored especially at the end where the block community engages in a slam to commemorate Goose’s passing. The director chooses to arrange his players in a semi circle in recitative mode. There is no experimentation with the energy such slams produce, no attempt to give the characters a distinctive poetic voice and no involvement of the audience on either of the nights I attended. The space which became limited by the many set pieces seriously curtailed meaningful movement by the players and the playwright’s vision of the space as an auction block never materializes no doubt because there is no obvious governing concept for the play. In several instances the movement arrived at failed to communicate well motivation or intention.
In comparison, Williams’ commentary is assertive, defiant and commanding of our attention. We are familiar with the popularity of the tattooed body which becomes a canvas for a variety of social statements or personal sentiments. The block is one place we will find this three dimensional form where the wearer is constantly adding to the pictures being created as a form of resistance to the conforming body and its conventions. In Up 2 de Time the upper torso bears a watch face for a head with a suspended cap with its brand name logo. While the body is decked with the scarves associated with the gang world, the replacement of the face with a flashy timepiece comments on the temporal nature of the persona who in attaining his success forfeits his life. This depiction confirms one of the realities of block life, not explored in the play. The Guns X Roses collage is even more direct particularly in its studied pose, its seeming frivolity with ornate jacket design and the rose sprouting from the gun muzzle.Underneath however, is a comment on the futility of this lifestyle.The pistol packing persona harks back to the bravado of the outlaw of the American western where guns give ultimate power.The placement of the rose suggests the the silliness of the circus clown who shoots scarves and myriad non-threatening objects during his routine, but an underlying statement is that guns and warfare can be discarded for things of beauty like roses. In an unusual choice the figure carries a face partially masked by a scarf but whose eyes are painted to resemble mysterious and penetrative highly decorated orbs that spill over to the neck,head and partially revealed body, and fracture into petals with an ornate gold hue on the jacket.The artist finishes his portrait of the block dandy with six pheasant feathers as a form of rakish crown indicating that the subject is at the same time, hunter and trophy combined. These two examples from Williams’ work express using the vanitas style the futility of life on the block.There is only a temporary freedom to be frittered away in clothes and the trappings of a pseudo successful life.The outcomes in the play and the four collages are the same: loss and anguish; regret and the inevitable future of neglect, pain and death.
On the Block gives us similarly Boyland [Jonathan Howard] who is linked to Goose’s tragic end since he sees the whole murder unfold. The introduction of two complicating factors-the newspaper columnist, Bill Harrison, seeking the reasons for the murder, played quite well by Junior Weathered and the exploitative policeman, Edwards- who carries a grudge- handled ably by Simon Alleyne in both casts, place the community on the block at risk of disintegration. Trip [Kiara Smith] is the first to fall prey to the policeman’s enticements. Smith is fairly distinctive in her characterization and we feel sorry for her when she faces expulsion by her block peers. Boyland and his girlfriend Black Eye [Renesha Lawrence] who must take the money from both the policemen and the columnist in order to allow for his escape from a vengeful judge, also find themselves facing life-altering changes. The descent into madness shown by Tek-Nine[Mikhail Prescod] symbolizes the the anomie of the block. I question the freedom with which the policemen and the columnist appear on the block as well as Trip who is regarded as a snitch. This seems an incredible occurrence given the real life rules applied by those who hold moral authority on the block. The reporter’s revelation that he is gay is another aspect of the play that needs to be reviewed given the the block’s male stance in real life. These issues and their solutions should be reimagined by Lovell himself. Since the director becomes a painter of sorts using bodies and all the theatrical elements at his disposal, some comment is necessary on the directing efforts of Na La whose style here contradicts what was his best conceptual work so far, Mouth Open Story Jump Out. Unbelievable is the director’s imposition of bodies who inhabit the block but have no function.They neither carry news, nor relate in any way to the principals while in the same space. They are not a feature of the script. This directorial choice takes away focus from the important action in the foreground and weakens the story being played out. In addition, no attempt is made to suggest through the staging the concept of the auction block which is at the heart of the playwright’s work. The use of females to play male parts also complicates what the playwright intended as his message. The choices for the transitions where the sound and lighting pick up the fast forward motion of a film may offer some glitz but again it does not add anything to the work. These choices suggest the director is not happy with a realistic mode and feels obligated to make it what it is not. A great deal of attention was needed for the pace of the play for both casts which was slow and never built to any climactic moment. Additionally, greater vocal variety was needed from the players, something the director should not overlook. The most comfortable actors on stage were Howard, Smith, Weathered, Alleyne and Serge Phillips from the first cast and Maia Best, Danico Waterman and Brandon Gaskin from the second.
Nonetheless, what helps this play is the boldness of the writing. Lovell as a post-modernist poet uses all the language of the street. What appears shocking at first becomes less so as the play develops. By the time we reach the finale we can see why the vulgar language is a language of inclusion and part of the liberating influence of the block. There are touches of humour and there are the serious moments intertwined. Lovell takes on the challenge to represent an aspect of Barbadian life that is being scrutinized on all fronts. This in itself is a daring action. He shows that the language of the gun is all too real and that not all of those on the block are hardened in their vices. The block would seem to represent for him a microcosm of the larger world where youth must find their place regardless of their circumstances.There is a solution in the entrepreneurial impulse characterized by Trip but often short circuited by poverty and the lack of a supportive family. Then there is the option to write about one’s life as play or poem and use that to understand self. There will always be a form of corrupt justice to overthrow and there will always be the need to know yourself fully. The discussion that followed the Friday performances, was an interesting development no doubt intended for the audience to give its responses to what is a very new play. The discussion, led by radio talk show host and youth activist Corey Layne on the final Friday, was robust and prompted much talk about what the block represents for the youth, and the continuing generation gap. The actors who spoke are knowledgeable about the situation the play mirrors as are the patrons who added to the discourse. The future success of this play will lie in its revision to accommodate the solutions to the problematic actions that belie the real circumstances of the block. Also more innovative directing should help. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest, I give it 6 for its language, set design, lighting and its decision to engage the play-going community through discussion. By the way, I think I prefer the treatment of the social issue evident in Williams’ work. His is a no-holds-barred expression of his revulsion at what our society has become .
Play: On the Block Playwright: Glenville Lovell Venue: Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre, Queen’s Park, Bridgetown Show dates: April 26-28, May 3-5, 2018 Director-NaLa Theatre-Arts Co-ordinator-Michelle Cox Black Eye-Renesha Lawrence/Maia Best Boyland-Jonathan Howard/Keisha Morris Skins-Serge Phillips/Brandon Gaskin Tek Nine-Mikhail Prescod/Danico Waterman Trip- Kiara Smith/Olivia Cumberbatch The Columnist =Bill Harrison- Junior Weathered/Noel Williams Edwards-the Policeman-Simon Alleyne Producers: The Gap Theatre & Division of Fine Arts, BCC Production Manager-Nancii Yearwood Technical Director- Afi Farrell Stage Manager- Danielle Walcott Set Design- Matthew Squires Lighting Design-Shad Stuart Makeup Design- Mark Maynard Sound Design-Ronaldo Atherley Costume Design- Chee-Annika Mayers Props Mistress- Dale-Lan Wilkinson
ICIL PHILLIPS is a retired secondary school teacher of Literature and Theatre Arts and a member of the International Association of Theatre Critics [IATC]
Art By Akin-Yemi Presents The Crayon Gun-Shotta Block Tour!!! We Starting at Lot #187 A.K.A Kill House, then we touching Up RED ZONE 4Th Genna and Shellington Gully, then We Hitting Up ROAD VIEW and Link WILD PACK!! Stay Tune Cause We Coming To Ah Hood Near You Bang Bang!!
QUEENS PARK GALLERY
‘ARTWORK FROM THE NATIONAL COLLECTION' at Queen's Park Gallery. May 2nd - June 9th. Tues.-Sat. 10am -6pm (closed for lunch from 1.30pm-2.30pm) The "Emancipation 'series are part of an exhibition of work from the National Collection. The majority of the work in the exhibition is normally in storage and the rest of the work is from the National Cultural Foundation's collection. Some of the artists whose work is on display are : Edmund Gill, Fielding Babb; David Gall; Nick Whittle; Neville Crawford, Ronald Williams, Francis Griffith; Chris Clarke; Joyce Daniel; Ricardo Skeete; Stanley Greaves; Norma Talma; Denyse Menard-Greenidge; Ivan Payne; Arthur Atkinson. Curated by Janice Whittle.
www.barbadosphotographicsociety.com
The Barbados Photographic Society hosted another successful workshop held on May 1st. Raymonte Forde reports on the �Portraiture session with Izabela Kopec and Charles McClean� Read the article in the BPS website (click on image) and see a few of the images taken by BPS members. https:// barphotosoc.wixsite.com/home/single-post/2018/05/04/Portraiture-session-with-Izabela-Kopec-and-Cha rles-McClean
The Barbados Photographic Society held its AGM Sunday 20th January, 2018 at UWI, Cave Hill, Barbados. We would like to welcome the new Executive and officers (please see listing below). The new Executive looks forward to serving you, with the help of all our members. Do write to us and put your ideas for events, workshops, exhibitions and more. Please know that the BPS Executive gives of their time, expertise (in different fields and knowledge) for free so we ask that members be willing to step up to collaborate and work on their ideas. Write to us at membersinfo@barbadosphotographicsociety.com Within a few weeks we will have a draft for members of Field trips, events, monthly themes on our Facebook page for you to join into, exhibition ideas and much more. Members plus those who may like to join the BPS who could not make it to the meeting may contact our Treasurer, Sherlock Lord (231-5053) and make arrangements to pay. $65 for new members, $45 for annual renewal. Being a member gives you Open Wall with talks and workshops, Field Trips, exhibitions at galleries plus online exhibitions, competitions (with prizes), travel to countries with the BPS, percentages off at supporting businesses and more. BPS Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/Barbadosphoto / BPS Website https://barphotosoc.wixsite.com/home BPS email membersinfo@barbadosphotographicsociety.com
Wonderful Open Wall event for BPS members held at UWI yesterday Sat 26th May. A packed afternoon which turned into evening and as we left UWI we still lingered and talked outside until after 7pm! . Album here show just a few images of the workshop and more Link to album . https:// photos.app.goo.gl/aW8ANiUBrJSNleaw2 Raymond Patrick Maughan started the event with a talk on black and white photography while a slide show presented many of his stunning black and white images. Followed by Victor E. Gittens and Alison Elliot showing us images from the BPS Belize trip while entertaining and informing us on the flora, fauna and history of Belize while running a slide show. We ended with a still life challenge with 4 tables with many objects which we each had 6 minutes to stage and photograph. 3 winners emerged. Michele Johnson, Marita Greenidge and Victor Gittens. Prizes presented were vouchers for Laurie Dash. Refreshments and lots of talk on photography as we interacted. Our thanks to Cheryl and the planning committe for organising a wonderful afternoon/evening for us members. The perks of being a member of the BPS are the Open Wall events such as this and the field trips. Why not join the BPS and take part
LEX CARRINGTON ALEX CARRINGTON
Congratulations to The Honourable John King, our new Minister of The Creative Economy, Culture and Sports. May he encompass ALL of the arts in Bim. (Photography JB Photography)
RODRIGUE DAGENAIS
BOOGLES SYKES
ADRIAN RICHARDS
RAYMOND MAUGHAN
ROLF TORSEINSTON
ANDRE WILLIAMS
KATARINA KOVACS
IZABELA KOPEC
DON JORDAN
CRAIG MASCOLL
JENNY GONSALVES
JENNY GONSALVES
CORRIE SCOTT
ANGUS W FORDE
ANGUS W FORDE
ANDRE DONAWAA
ALLAN WALROND
DJ DAVIS
RODRIGE DAGENAIS
HASANI MCcLEAN
ROGER HANNANT
BERNARD WALLACE POOLER
DON JORDAN
JABARRIO MYKAEL HOLLIGAN
RUPERT DA SILVA
HASANI McCLEAN
RAYMOND MAUGHAN
CLAIRE BLONDEAU
MARK KING & LLANOR ALLEYNE IN COLLABORATION
GROVE/ON THE WALL ART GALLERY At Limegrove, Holetown Mon - Sat 10am - 2pm and 4pm - 6pm limegroveartgallery@icloud.com 246 234 9145 Curator Vanita Comissiong email vanitacom@caribsurf.com www.onthewallartgallery.com
PORTERS GALLERY Porters, St James
ARTHUR ATKINSON
JULIANNE GILL
ERIC BELGRAVE
RAS AKYEM
CATHY CUMMINS
TRACY GREENIDGE
BRIAN KIRBY
YASMIN VIZCARRONDO Art 4D People is on from Wednesday May 30th-June 2nd at Sheraton Mall, from 3:00 - 8pm. All are welcome to paint on this canvas.
ROSEMARY PARKINSON
CARLA HINDS STUDENT PROJECT OF 5 YEAR OLD CHILDREN “Old CDs, and I did stick on cut-out construction paper shapes to cover the printed side. Then the students used pastel crayons and finally the Gold "Styli' Stick/ transfer paint marker. We left the shiny side of the CDs untouched, as we want to make a mobile out of them.”
SIAN PAMPELLONE
SUSAN MAINS
HEBRON CHISM
ASHER MAINS
Art By Akin-Yemi Presents The Crayon Gun-Shotta Block Tour!!! We Starting at Lot #187 A.K.A Kill House, then we touching Up RED ZONE 4Th Genna and Shellington Gully, then We Hitting Up ROAD VIEW and Link WILD PACK!! Stay Tune Cause We Coming To Ah Hood Near You Bang Bang!!
TIYI BY DESIGN www.tiyibydesign.com
GINE ON MAGAZINE GineOn.com for a good dose of Bajan artists and live events. https://www.facebook.com/gineonmagazine/ @gineonmagazine gineonmagazine@gmail.com www.gineon.com
Crop Over Visual Arts Forms and Rules. Link here. http://www.ncf.bb/crop-over-2018-registration-forms/ Register for the Crop Over Visual Art Exhibitions for 2018. Any further queries please contact Rodney Ifill FineArt on 417-6627.
Fresh Milk would like to thank everyone who worked with us, supported us, or took an interest in our programming & the fabulous work being done in the Caribbean arts last year. We look forward to an exciting year ahead, and invite you to reflect on 2017 with us through our annual year in review newsletter! https://mailchi.mp/d52406dc901a/fresh-milks-2017-in-review
GALLERY OF CARIBBEAN ART The Gallery Of Caribbean Art Galleries presents the works of a variety of artists Northern Business Centre, Queen Street, Speightstown, St. Peter www.artgallerycaribbean.com
Tel: (246) 419-0858
Specialising in art supplies for the professional to student level. Offering a wide range of products OILS ACRYLICS WATERCOLOURS Golden Paints and mediums, Gamblin, Cotman, Liquitex, Reeves, Galeria, Sargent. Plus a wide range of drawing and colouring equipment. Prisma, Derwent, Reeves, Sargent, Charcoal and Pastels. Easels, Canvases, Watercolour paper, Drawing and Pastel paper. Screen printing and lino block printing supplies.Fabric paint and dyes. Waxes, pottery tools, stencils and more. Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5pm Saturday 8.30am – 3pm. Sunday Closed. Telephone/Fax (246) 436 2950 James Fort Building, Hincks Street, Bridgetown arthub.barbados@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/ArtHubBarbados
THE BARN ART CENTRE The Barn Art Centre. A new art space. "We are offering approximately 650 sq. ft. of space for short term rentals for art and craft related workshops, classes, events, summer camps, yoga, etc., in an old plantation yard at Small Ridge in Christ Church. Juliana Inniss - 231-0335 Jo Anne Johnson - 253-8702 Email - thebarnartcentre@gmail.com
Created in 2016, The Barn Arts Centre is dedicated to the promotion and development of art-based learning. Our mission is to provide a unique learning environment for diverse audiences to experience a range of art based programs. The Centre provides a space for the community and local resource persons to offer and conduct classes and workshops in painting, drawing, pottery, and textiles. We are dedicated to providing an environment that is meaningful to the arts in Barbados. Located on the breezy Small Ridge Plantation in Christ Church, (just ten minutes away from Sheraton Centre. The Barn Arts Centre offers an escape from the quickening pace of life. Here you can be immersed in an environment that fosters your creativity. Our 570 square foot studio is equipped to provide more than adequate space to conduct a variety of classes and workshops. The studio is well lit and ventilated and can comfortably accommodate up to 15 persons. We offer a variety of opportunities for learners, including exhibitions, artist lectures, and single workshops, as well as adult and youth classes. Our artistic programming continues to be essential to our goal of inspiring creativity, fostering self-discovery, and nurturing an appreciation of the arts. The Founders of The Barn Arts Centre are Jo- Anne Johnson and Juliana Inniss. Jo Anne started doing ceramics as a hobby in 1982 and has operated a ceramics studio since 1987, providing services and supplies to people who wished to do slip casted ceramics as a hobby. She has taught many different finishing techniques to her students and learnt many more through experimenting, and trial and error. Juliana has been working with pottery and ceramics since 1992. She began by hand-painting local pottery with bold and colourful designs. After graduating University she made the decision to pursue her passion for art through the medium of ceramics. Juliana has worked with a number of techniques such as casted ceramics, handbuilding, surface decoration and raku firing. Juliana was first introduced to Raku in 2006 during a two week residency in St. Thomas USVI, with this exposure Juliana began mixing her own glazes, constructed her own kiln and has been Raku firing since then. https://www.facebook.com/thebarnartcentre /
TANDEM "where function, form and meaning coexist ". This cooperative project and design store showcasing contemporary design by Barbados resident designers and artists continues at The Colonnade Mall, 1st Floor, East Wing, Broad Street, Bridgetown, Barbados. Monday ( by appointment). Tuesday - Saturday 10AM - 4PM. https://www.facebook.com/tandemovement/
ABOVE BARBADOS Have a look at the higher resolution image (and zoom around) at http://www.abovebarbados.com/sites/default/files/batts_rock_panorama.jpg Would you believe this is a reduced/resized image - the original is double the width/height! Above Barbados offer high-definition aerial photography and video, packages available from $500BDS. Contact Above Barbados today on 231-9583 to discuss your requirements and let us get those stunning shots from a new perspective! Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Join us on Google+
https://www.facebook.com/AboveBarbados https://twitter.com/AboveBarbados https://plus.google.com/+AbovebarbadosPhotography
JUNE SPECIAL! ONLY DIRECT FROM AUTHOR BDS$250 (+ postage if shipping is required). Message through facebook or website. Barbados Bu'n-Bu'n This amazing book by Rosemary Parkinson is on island. Two hard cover coffee table books, with a sleeve that encloses both, 656 pages and 1400 plus photos filled with history, tradition, culture, stories and recipes from Barbados. Book Set Price (2 books): US$150 or Bds$300 plus shipping for those overseas. Payment via PayPal, Western Union or cash.
ROSEMARY PARKINSON + 1 246 436 5865 – + 1 246 264 7448 www.rosemary-parkinson.com www.facebook.com/BarbadosCulinaryJourney
Barbados Bu'n-Bu'n, a collector's item, has won 4 awards for Barbados – Best Photography, Best Design, Best Historical Recipes, Best Self-published Book – then against 5 of the best books in the world WON Best Self-Published Book In The World and honoured at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2015 with Best of the Best In The World by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2015.
Barbados Bu'n-Bu'n has been called "a national treasure" and is being used by our BTMI and BIDC as gifts for dignitaries. The book costs BDS$300 ( $150USD) in Barbados, and is available at Cloister Bookstore, Relish Limegrove, Sandy Lane Golf Club, Cafe Coffee at Washington House, Barbados Golf Club (Durants), Holders Farmers Market (Sunday), Artsplash Gallery (Hastings), just to name a few. For wholesale enquiries (3 or more) call HILARY KNIGHT at 246 432-1169 OR MESSAGE ROSEMARY PARKINSON ON Facebook. BOOKS NOW AVAILABLE IN ENGLAND.
“Come with me. Experience pipes that stan’. Boards that jukk. Jars that are unripe monkeys. Frogs that whistle de tune of a band tucked and a goose on four legs that doan mess with a perky gutter. Hucksters and markets. Farmers and food. Secret recipes deep inside Miss Harriet Boyce and Mrs Jones…man dem gots a mobba-ton o’ tings gine on! Meet Miss Carnetta and she bush fuh medicine; and de pork dat is fat but does like to swan ‘roun a Bridgetown street while sugar an okra-mush hit de artsy-fartsy theatre in Christ Church wrapping up de gap, while reggae swarms ovah de bar hold up wid boisterous wild boars! Music and love. Leh muh show you how to sip on swank with sunsets and full moons but Lawd, as You is my Shepherd, help muh to mekk de people dem beware of donkeys of steel ‘cause Shaggy Bear gots Miss Sally in de pot and she wining an’ dancing to she own tune. Follow me closely when Crop Over done an ‘Kissmuhwillwill’ mount he rums in a shop at Sweet Bottom, happy as breadfruit in a pickle when truff be known. I gine show how a one an two muss dance cuz a cutter ent a cutter wid’out Cuzz, and how the taste of jam dat is jelly sweet cause de peppah hot! Buh wait…I cyan’t forget we gots a cake made with fish in a pot dat bucks. An’ salt baths fuh Sunduh pork too, caw Miss Clarke seh one should’ah nevah eat an forget always remembering an eyeful en a bellyful although, we does know she born a lickmout! So follow de adventure as I turn to history. Great houses and chattels. Bussa & Rachel. National pride. Fish that fly and one dat snaps on anudder called jack. Learn that coucou is not a bird but does eat nice wid a cat dat lives in de sea. Doan tell a soul buh I even teach ’bout lobsters wearing slippers, and tamarind with balls, an bitches black an sweet, men dat does drink beers in banks. Believe you me – BARBADOS BU'N-BU'N gine spill de proverbial beans.. caw I ent known fuh keeping no secrets.” Now as an E-BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXVDSI7 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQT867S https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0NZZIM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6E056V
NIKOLAS SEALY nsdesigns74@gmail.com www.facebook.com/pages/NS-Desig ns/446661088688420?ref=hl
BARBADOS ARTS COUNCIL BAC Gallery, #2 Pelican Craft Centre, Bridgetown (246) 426 4385 thebarbadosartscouncilgallery@gmail.com
ICIL PHILLIPS’ Theatre Eyes Very up to date on both local theatre and overseas happenings. Link here https://www.facebook.com/groups/354529934596080/964541386928262/
THE FESTIVAL ART GALLERY
The Festival Art Gallery is a mobile art gallery showing in excess of 50 local Barbadian artists who are painters, ceramic artists, sculptors and photographers. Bringing Art To The People kathymyearwood@gmail.c om
'The Coral Stone Village Meeting' by Philip King Each piece which has been positioned and topped with other pieces of coral stone. In rows. The front row close to the sea appear to be 'the elders' as they have a little more space between themselves and the 'people'. Created by an Philip King who lives up by Cave Hill. who comes during the week to Batts Rock Bay to build these 'meetings' of coral. It is ever evolving as some are vandalised or the sea knocks them down.
ON THE WALL ART GALLERY On The Wall Gallery at Champers Restaurant, located on Accra Beach Monday - Friday Noon-4pm and 7pm-11pm . Please call for weekend hours. 246 234 9145 On The Wall Gallery At Earthworks. Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 1pm
Closed Sunday
On The Wall/Grove Gallery Mon - Sat 10am - 2pm and 4pm - 6pm email limegroveartgallery@icloud.com Vanita Comissiong
tel 246 234 9145
www.onthewallartgallery.com
vanitacom@caribsurf.com
FRANGIPANI ART GALLERIES 1. Sugar Cane Club, Maynards, St Peter,Tel. 422 5026, Ext.5037 2. Savannah Hotel, The Garrison, St M.Tel. 228 3800, Ext. 3823 3. Almond Beach Resort. Heywoods, St. Peter.Tel. 422 4900, Ext. 5864 All galleries open every day except Sundays from 9am to 5pm, closed for lunch 1 to 1.30 pm., with the exemption of Almond which is open on Sundays also. marilda@bernmar.com www.frangipani-art.com
THE FRAME & ART COMPANY & GALLERY Millhouse, Canewood • St. Michael, BB 11005 • Phone (246) 271-6509 • Cell (246) 266-9432
Fresh Milk supports excellence in the visual arts through residencies and programmes that provide Caribbean artists with opportunities for development and foster a thriving art community. Founded in 2011, the organization offers professional support to artists from the Caribbean and further afield. Fresh Milk seeks to stimulate critical thinking and cultivate excellence in contemporary visual art. Its goal is to nurture artists, raise regional awareness about contemporary arts and provide Caribbean artists with opportunities for growth, excellence and success. Website: http://freshmilkbarbados.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/FreshMilkBarbados Twitter: http://twitter.com/FreshMilkBdos Instagram: http://instagram.com/freshmilkbarbados Youtube: http://youtube.com/FreshMilkBarbados Tumblr: http://freshmilk-books.tumblr.com
THE CRANE GALLERY The Crane Gallery is the centre piece of the historic Crane Resort and hosts the work of an eclectic mix of established and up-and-coming Barbadian artists. For more information call 423-6220 or email gallery@thecrane.com.
Tides Gallery Tides Restaurant Balmore House, Holetown, St. James Tel : (246) 432-2084 Email: tidesart@caribsurf.com
Cell (246)230-1968
Museum of parliament The Museum is open on: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Guided tours are conducted subject to availability. Barbadian students with ID have free admission to the Museum. http://www.barbadosparliament.com/page.../show_conte nt/59
BLACK ART STUDIOS Durants Village, Holder's Hill St. James www.facebook.com/oneka.small
Purple Palm is a local business supplying homes and businesses with the highest quality Print and Mirror furnishings. Using the artwork of many local artists in Barbados and the Caribbean plus work from around the world. We have been supplying to the hotel and villa industry for ten years, including prestigious clients such as Sandy Lane, Coral Reef, The Crane Beach Resort, Sugar Cane Club and Sandridge among others. We have also supplied numerous private villas, and work closely with local interior designers. Being directly affiliated with a 40,000 sq ft framing factory our prices are very competitive. Appointments to view our gallery at Rockley Resort can be made through Paul Hoad or Karen McGuire. 246-2332173 paulhoad@caribsurf.com
THE ARTSPLASH CENTRE Paint * Draw * Create & Have Fun! artsplashbarbados@gmail.com www.artsplashbarbados.com
To boldly and brilliantly pursue the adventure in everything artistic and to be a vital and uncommon cultural force in Barbados. www.artsetcbarbados.com
FRANK COLLYMORE HALL AND GRAND SALLE www.fch.org.bb
A monthly programme is produced of all lectures, music and theatre events . To receive it by email or post please email fchmail.com or tel 436 9083 or 84
BARBADOS MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY www.barbmuse.org.bb
BARBADOS MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY SHOP www.barbmuse.org.bb
Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, UWI Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination The University of the West Indies (246) 417-4776 | Fax: (246) 417-8903 ebcci@cavehill.uwi.edu Website: http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/ebcci
QUEEN’S PARK GALLERY
Queen's Park Gallery
Our Mission To fuel the development of culture through training, research and the creation of opportunities in cultural industries. The Role of the NCF The NCF’s two major roles are: developmental and commercial. In its developmental role, the Foundation uses culture as a tool for national development fostering and supporting the various art forms and new cultural products. In its commercial role, the Foundation is responsible for the promotion, production and hosting of cultural festivals and associated events that are considered economically viable or socially acceptable. A key part of this function now includes the responsibility for the staging and execution of major governmental and national events. In addition, as culture becomes more pivotal to national and international policy, the National Cultural Foundation continues to re-assess its responsibilities in light of all its functions. FUNCTIONS of the NCF are: To stimulate and facilitate the development of culture generally To develop, maintain and manage theatres and other cultural facilities and equipment provided by Government To organize cultural festivals Assist persons interested in developing cultural expression. OBJECTIVES of the NCF are: To provide opportunities for Barbadian artists/artistes to showcase their talents with the end result being an increased demand for local work To educate Barbadians concerning their heritage To offer Barbadians and visitors alike a high quality product that informs, educates and entertains To equip our cultural workforce with technological skills and training to excel in their particular art forms To strengthen the local cultural product and in the process increase profits to the shareholders To create high quality products that will be competitive on the local, regional and international markets To maximize the role of the cultural sector in the tourism industry Rodney Ifill, Cultural Officer Visual Arts 424-0909 ext.234 rodney-ifill@ncf.bb www.ncf.bb Annette Nias Cultural Officer - Film and Photography 424-0909 Ext 238 annette-nias@ncf.bb
FRAMING YOUR ART FINE ART FRAMING LTD, Pelican Industrial Park, Bridgetown, Barbados - (246) 426-5325 FAST FRAME FACTORY, Dayrell’s Road, St Michael (246) 426 9994 shaka@fastframefactory.biZ FRAMING STUDIO At the Best of Barbados Head Office, Welches Plantation, H’way 2A
573 6904
THE FRAME & ART COMPANY Millhouse, Canewood • St. Michael, BB 11005 • Phone (246) 271-6509 • Cell (246) 266-9432 ART SUPPLIES THE ART HUB James Fort Building, Hincks Street, Bridgetown, St. Michael. Tel: 436-2950Monday - Saturday 8.30am - 5.00pm (Easy access to parking by the old Heliport Pad) LAURIE DASH, Bay Street, Bridgetown.
eat. drink. play
www.scarletbarbados.com +1 (246) 432 3663 scarlet@caribsurf.com
The quintessential guide to contemporary Caribbean chic. Caribbean travel, homes, cuisine, and people.
www.macomag.com
SCAN ME
Published by Corrie Scott Barbados, West Indies www.corriescott.net