GRaNDeUR
GRaNDeUR
CHANTAL E.Y. BETHEL · CLAUDETTE DEAN
LAURIE TUCHEL · PAULA BOYD FARRINGTON
O P E N I N G N I G H T
7 November 2024
5 PM to 9 PM
THE D’AGUILAR ART FOUNDATION
8A Virginia Street
Downtown Nassau, The Bahamas
GRaNDeUR
Is the magnificence of life often found within the tiny fleeting moments?
In the places where we choose to be enthralled by the earth, and present for each other?
How do we navigate the big dramatic moments and milestones while listening to the small still voice within?
These questions arise as part of an art conversation sparked between friends, collaborators in art, and longtime community members uplifting the island of Grand Bahama.
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With works by artists Chantal Bethel, Claudette Dean, Paula Boyd Farrington, and Laurie Tuchel, the exhibit showcases interpretations of questions more relevant than ever as the world grapples with shifts in energy and spiritual consciousness. In times which call for urgent planetary care alongside empathy and compassion as valued components in forging viable new paths for our collective humanity, these four Grand Bahama artists look to each other, as well as to their beloved island (which has withstood so much) in shining a light of inspiration, solidarity, and personal creative expression.
CHANTAL E.Y. BETHEL
“I believe in the power of artistic expression as a catalyst for healing and transformation. Through my work, I explore the emotional intricacies of our inner worlds, drawing symbolic connections to nature through motifs like the butterfly, the nautilus shell, and the lotus flower. Yet, transformation is not merely signified by these symbols; it reflects the profound journey that precedes their final forms—the emergence of the delicate butterfly, the spiraling shell, or the blooming flower. In this collection, I navigate the path from darkness to light, acknowledging the uncertainty and discomfort along the way, while embracing the potential for deep and transformative healing.”
opposite Papillon
Chantal Bethel
48” x 48”
acrylic crackle on canvas
above Renaissance
Chantal Bethel
opposite Sérénité
Chantal Bethel
18”
x 24”
acrylic crackle on wood panel
30” x 24”
acrylic crackle on canvas
CHANTAL E.Y. BETHEL
The Caribbean has long been seen as a space of mystery, natural wonder, resistance, and strength— and Chantal Bethel’s practice follows in this tradition. Her working methodology around social concerns and the spiritual has given her an enduring practice that has connected deeply with local, regional, and international audiences.
A mixed-media artist, Bethel channels mysticism and resilience into transformative works that uncover light within the cracks. She developed her signature style through the discovery of Kroma crackle medium, a technique that serves as a metaphor for unveiling hidden truths beneath the surface. This cathartic process brings forth powerful, emotive works that reflect the complexities of the human experience. chantalbethelart.com
Évolution
Top piece: 24” x 18”
panel
Bottom piece: 18” x 18”
Chantal Bethel Diptych
acrylic crackle plexiglass on
acrylic crackle weathered wood on panel
Ode á la joie
Chantal Bethel
5” x 10”
acrylic crackle on wood
Ode á la Paix
Chantal Bethel
6” x 10”
acrylic crackle on wood
Ode á l’amour
Chantal Bethel
8” x 10”
acrylic crackle on wood
Ode à l’Unité
Chantal Bethel
10” x 10”
acrylic crackle on wood
CLAUDETTE DEAN
“I continue to be moved by the sight of row upon row of trees on Grand Bahama—trees that died in Hurricane Dorian and still remain standing. A symbol of courage, strength, and resilience, I have used the Tree as a common thread in my body of work for Grandeur, and Nature as an inspiration. In the darkness we are Saved by the Light. Love is The Tie that Binds. After devastation and destruction, a triumphant Ascent, and The Tree of Life continues its cycle of renewal. Love, Unity, Peace and Joy are ours to be claimed.”
opposite
Ascent
Claudette Dean 48” x 48”
acrylic on wood panel
opposite
The Tree of Life
Tryptic
Claudette Dean
36” x 36”
Acrylic and metal leaf on canvas
left
Saved by The Light Tryptic
Claudette Dean
12” x 36”
Transfer and acrylic on wood panel
CLAUDETTE DEAN
Established within her community, Claudette Dean has lived, worked, and produced tender creative offerings in Grand Bahama for decades. In many ways, we can look at her practice as an investigation into her environment, and a means of finding oneself, the divine, and the higher level of connection this can bring us in this life. For Claudette, “my work is more about what unites us than separates us”, as she is a heart-centered and long-standing member of the Bahamian art community. The time spent grounding herself in the particulars of the landscape, and tending to her intuitive creativity, has helped form a creative practice that has flourished and grown wild and expansive. These works are, in many ways, meditataions. Her works on canvas in particular elicit a palpable poeticism, magic, and dreaminess, gifting us a sense of calm and care in these various mediations on landscape and spirit that make up her oeuvre. claudettedean.com
opposite
The Tie that Binds
Claudette Dean
20” x 20” acrylic and paper on wood panel
Love Was There Everywhere
5” x 10”
acrylic painting and handmade book, with original story, on wood
6” x 10”
acrylic painting and handmade book, with original story, on wood
Claudette Dean
Inner Sanctum
Claudette Dean
Finding Peace
and handmade
Claudette Dean
8” x 10”
acrylic painting and handmade book, with original story, on wood
Joy Journal
Claudette Dean
10” x 10”
acrylic painting
book, with original story, on wood
LAURIE TUCHEL
“At the heart of my practice lies a deep connection to the natural world and an exploration into the way we, as humans, experience it. I find the mood of our landscape can mirror the mood of our soul. Its seasonal challenges and triumphs can reflect our own undulating hopes and desires. We have seen her ravaged and we have seen her reborn, as we ourselves, have been seen. GRaNDeUR reflects a personal exploration on this theme. For 22 years I’ve called Grand Bahama home. For 11 years I have tried to express this connection through paint. For this exhibition I have used a palette of greens and blues based on the view out my back door. The shades of green speak of renewal and renewed energy, The blues reflect the tranquility for which I strive. My brushwork tries to capture the wind blowing, the birds flying, the flowers waving. These paintings are a glimpse into the way that I personally experience the world around me. I share this series of paintings with you as a celebration of gratitude.”
opposite
A Morning’s Reflection
Laurie Tuchel 48” x 48” oil on canvas
A Breath of the Wind
Laurie Tuchel 24” x 36” oil on canvas
An Awakening
Laurie Tuchel
24” x 30” oil on canvas
LAURIE TUCHEL
Laurie Tuchel approaches her practice from a sense of positivity, embracing imperfection, and looking to storytelling as a means of connecting to and representing community. The painting and textile artist comes to her creative and cultural heritage work from a grounding in cultural anthropology, leading with the idea that a person’s story is a combination of a life’s journey and its place within its time and natural environment. Influenced by her years of work with the Grand Bahama Heritage Foundation, she uses painting, collage, and needlepointed tapestries as a means of bearing witness to individual and collective histories to narrativize their ongoing strengths and challenges. In her engagement with oil paint, and the loftiness of that tradition, she approaches painting from a place of levity, curiosity and the pure love of mark-making. For Laurie, it is a joy and privilege to sustain a creative practice, and this shows in the attentiveness and care with which she approaches her work on both the canvas and needlepoints. laurietuchel.com
Me, Myself and I
Laurie Tuchel
30” x 24” oil on canvas
Rhythm of Love
Laurie Tuchel
5” x 10”
Hand needlepointed pieces on wood panel
6” x 10”
Hand needlepointed pieces on wood panel
Rhythm of Peace
Laurie Tuchel
Rhythm of Unity
Laurie Tuchel
8” x 10”
Hand needlepointed pieces on wood panel
Rhythm of Joy
Laurie Tuchel
10” x 10”
Hand needlepointed pieces on wood panel
PAULA BOYD FARRINGTON
“Seeing the innate majesty within a well-worn Queen Conch shell sparked this series of work honoring a Bahamian staple whose vitality and ongoing presence in our vibrant ocean may depend on our ability to see afresh this everyday sustenance that is fast disappearing within Caribbean seas.
My love of mixed media and collage is seen in these pieces, using electronic scissors and digital tools to blend images from my handpainted acrylic abstracts, monoprints, and fluid inks atop photos that called me to imagine unseen joy and personalities in these iconic sea snails.”
opposite
Queen Conch I
Paula Boyd Farrington
48” x 48”
digital collage
high definition print on acrylic
digital collage
high definition print on acrylic
Queen Conch II
Paula Boyd Farrington
24” x 24”
digital collage
high definition print on acrylic
Queen Conch III
Paula Boyd Farrington
24” x 24”
PAULA BOYD FARRINGTON
Paula Boyd Farrington is a mixed media artist and environmental investigator. She uses material curiosity and visual metaphor as a way to explore social concepts, natural history, and—most importantly—a way to connect to community. She takes her experience in creative cultural work and graphic design, and a heartfelt commitment to making the northern Bahamas her home, in finding a tacit and texture-driven layering that roots her in the landscape physically and emotionally as a naturalized Grand Bahamian. Simply put, she makes work that reaches for you and makes you want to reach back and connect in a sensory way. There is a deference and care in process and intention to her work as an artist who doesn’t seek to insert herself, but rather to assimilate, observe, listen, and adjust to join in community meaningfully and with purpose. theartistpaula.com
Queen Conch Joy
Paula Boyd Farrington
6” x 10”
digital collage
high definition print on metal on wood panel
Queen Conch Unity
Paula Boyd Farrington
8” x 10”
digital collage
high definition print on metal on wood panel
Queen Conch Love
Paula Boyd Farrington
5” x 10”
digital collage
high definition print on metal on wood panel
Queen Conch Peace
Paula Boyd Farrington
10” x 10”
digital collage
high definition print on metal on wood panel
GRaNDeUR A Love Letter to Grand Bahama
by Natalie Willis Whylly, MA, Fine Art, York St. Johns University
“Do you already know that your existence--who and how you are—is in and of itself a contribution to the people and place around you? … And that the people around you, and the place(s), have contributions as well? Do you understand that your quality of life and your survival are tied to how authentic and generous the connections are between you and the people and place you live with and in?” - adrienne maree brown
The 4 artists of GRaNDeUR share a particular experience: of wholeheartedly and intentionally choosing Grand Bahama as their home. Belonging is complicated in the Caribbean, even for those of us born into this landscape, let alone for those who seek belonging here after leaving their home of origin. The majority of us and our ancestors in the region are “from elsewhere” (Hall, 2000), at some point in the family line when it comes to this part of the world and transatlantic histories—be it a fresh branch of new arrivals or one thickened with steadfast years here. There is also another experience they share: having the encouragement, the calling, and the means to pursue a creative practice in this space, particularly as a means of connecting with the landscape and understanding their place within it.
There is also, within this connection to place and of choosing home and seeking belonging, a message of transformation and of stubborn survival. To love a place that can at times make itself hard to love, that can’t always love you back because it operates at times from a place of survival, a place that some say is still reeling from Frances and Jeanne 20 years ago. Whether receiving a West End smile or digging into East End histories, the collective we see in GRaNDeUR does what it says on the tin—they are here to do work for the collective, in grand style.
A grand gesture to a grand island, the work in this exhibition is a distillation of aggregate decades of bearing witness to this particular jewel in the northern Bahamas, along with all her joys and struggles. Covering the changes in the landscape pre and post-Dorian, the highs and lows economically in Grand Bahama over the years, hearing and sharing stories from the community—we see these creatives searching for healing, for purpose, and for light, in meaning as well as aesthetic. In many ways, the 4 artists, along with a few other key co-conspirators, have formed an organic collective akin to a sisterhood— with initiation by way of personal invitation into the fold to create. Beginning with Chantal Bethel and Claudette Dean, who have been living and making work there for decades, this informal family of artists and makers has expanded to include Paula Boyd Farrington and Laurie Tuchel, both of whom also bring decades of experience and love for the island with them. The four have become staples in the Grand Bahamian art community and history.
This strategy of forming collectives and groupings is not a new one. Still, it is and has remained vital to the sustainability and well-being of those operating from the global margins in general, not just creative communities on socio-economic fringes. It is both a very artist thing and a profoundly human thing to seek out communion and the feeling of belonging, and for creatives operating in small places finding support is a matter that concerns more than just professional growth, but also personal growth. It is a deeply intimate relationship and community to build, and it is, for many, the only way that a number of creatives have been able to continue to make work despite the challenges of living here—through the love support and connection of their creative community. And love and support they do.
One of the many impactful branching tendrils of this collective (who have worked on all manner of projects from the Grand Bahama Heritage Foundation, to Girl Guides, to revamping Port Lucaya) is the ARTLUCAYA festival and art initiative, which just completed its second year. Aiming towards supporting and reinvigorating the local orange economy, the festival includes exhibitions, opening reception and programming. It demonstrates a moment of coming together for the wider Grand Bahamian art community, as artists and makers contributed artwork, effort, and time to make more widely accessible the creative brilliance happening locally.
The festival this year, and its proceeds also went toward supporting local high school art teachers with a generous donation for supplies for the classroom.
Anyone who has experienced the high quality of teaching in family islands (despite the infrastructural difficulties of existing on the margins of the better-resourced (but also struggling) capital in New Providence) understands how crucial this is and what an impact it can make to the island. I share this as someone who has been through the Grand Bahama educational ecosystem of care and personally benefitted from the compassion and intention of key members of the art community showing me their support and encouragement. Those from small places have a habit of either leaving entirely, or else choosing to remain (or return) and stubbornly make it more viable, something more sustainable than the “austere milieu in which we work” (Davis, 2019) as artists in the Caribbean. For the women of GRaNDeUR, those who choose a small place can be just as stubborn and formidable of a force for change and good, feeding their own nourishment and nurturing into the local art ecosystem.
The women of GRaNDeUR follow in a long line of creatives who come together in their factions and connections to build collectives. Some are more formal, like B.C.A.U.S.E. or the Grand Bahama Artist Association, but others are less formal—alumni from universities connecting, the young emerging artists convening at accessible art spaces coming up like those at Project ICE in Nassau. For many familiar to art practice, within the wider art community (and perhaps the nature of making itself) there is a need for us as creatives to congregate and find kin, find like minds to share ideas and struggles, to feel seen, to belong, to be part of something bigger than oneself.
GRaNDeUR, in its sincere welcoming of those who feel compelled to tend to their creative spark, and those who wish to understand their place in the world (in more than just a geographical sense), helps illustrate the everyday magic and vital necessity of connection—to the landscape, and to those who call it home.
When living and working in small places, from the margins of the world, it is easy to feel trapped in a disjointed sense of time and space, as the Caribbean can feel as though time collapses in on itself here, with the constant flux of past, present, and looming precarious future co-mingled and tinting our everyday exchanges. We can see this in the works referencing the northern Bahamian islands after Dorian, which while it may have devastated us initially 5 years ago, we still carry that with us in the present as Grand Bahamians and Abaconians, and we also carry this past in our imaginings of the future— fearful or hopeful alike.
With that disjointed sense of time, existing at times outside of a capitalist obligation of false urgency, also comes a stillness in island time, a calm and centred grounding energy shared throughout the work. Island time here is not the colonially-rooted, problematic trope of lateness or laziness, but instead it is a sort of stillness and slowness of pace that permeates, and within that pause comes some of the magic of the Caribbean, the palpable sense of knowing oneself in the still mirror of the landscape. Works that celebrate the
joy and struggles serve as a necessary counter to the idea that our Bahamas “is not a real place”. Ours is a place that has stood witness to so many storms, atrocities, rebellions and triumphs. It gives wisdom to those who wish to listen, and for those who choose to hear her, Grand Bahama imparts many gems of the spirit. The work of these four artists is our reminder to stop and listen to the wisdom in the natural environment that is there to be had, if we are able to take a moment to be still and actually hear and appreciate it.
The works exhibited as part of GRaNDeUR serve as a testament to the island’s landscape, but they are also symbols of healing, recovery, transformation and growth. In particular the obelisk, with its collective contributions from each of the artists, serves as monument to this resilience. Obelisks in history are ordinarily monolithic, cut from a single piece of stone. Here, it is less about the idea of monolith and more about the composite structure—pieces made from each of the artists to make up one whole. It is a record to their time here, to finding home here, to surviving in this particularly traumatic moment in our hurricane history with our status as an Atlantic small island developing state growing ever more threatened by climate crisis. The monolith sculpture’s inclusion offers a moment of deference to the island and her histories, a small monument to what it means to choose to be part of the Caribbean: this composite, fractal, shifting existence. As we are, all of us here, the sum of many parts from many far-flung corners of the world, collapsed into this particular corner of it, formed around the tongue of the ocean and gritting our teeth in resilience. g
REFERENCES
Brown, Adrienne M. Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, 2017. Davis, Annalee. On Being Committed to a Small Place, 2019.
Hall, Stuart, and Michael Hardt. “Changing States: In the Shadow of Empire”. In Changing States: Contemporary Art and Ideas in an Era of Globalisation, edited by Gilane Tawadros, 132–37. London: Institute of International Visual Arts, 2004.
NATALIE WILLIS WHYLLY
Natalie Willis Whylly is a deeply empathetic and passionate writer, curator, and cultural worker from Grand Bahama, with a focus on accessibility, social sensitivity, representation, and decolonizing heritage. Most recently, whe has taken on the role of Caribbean Editor-At-Large for Burnaway. nwilliscurator.com
Ray of Light Obelisk 2024
Each side of this 72” tall x 18” wide obelisk designed by Claudette Dean and crafted by Frederic Osude features works by each of the artists around themes of:
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
– Meister Eckhart
WITH DEEP APPRECIATION AND SINCERE THANKS TO
THE D’AGUILAR ART FOUNDATION
© 2024 All rights reserved.
Chantal E.Y. Bethel · Claudette Dean · Laurie Tuchel · Paula Boyd Farrington