Nassau, Bahamas - Art lovers are in for a rare treat this month as a City Wide Exhibition is scheduled to open on Saturday, November 20. Based on the movie ‘Artists of the Bahamas’ produced, directed and photographed by Karen Arthur and Thomas Neuwirth which premiered at the 2008 BIFF Film Festival, the artwork of the eleven Bahamian artists featured in the film will be showcased at six galleries in the City.  The artists include the late Amos Ferguson and Brent Malone, Kendal Hanna, Max Taylor, Dave Smith, Eddie Minnis, Stan Burnside, Jackson Burnside, Antonius Roberts, John Beadle and John Cox. Participating Galleries are located island wide and include Post House featuring Taylor and Roberts, Popop Gallery with Cox and Hanna, D’Aguilar Art Foundation showing Malone and Minnis, National Art Gallery of The Bahamas featuring Ferguson, The Hub with Dave Smith and Doongalik Studios exhibiting Burnside, Beadle and Burnside.  

The official openings will take place simultaneously at each Gallery from 10am-4pm that Saturday. Patrons are invited to spend the day visiting each of the venues. The Artists of the Bahamas exhibition will be on display until Friday, December 10. In addition the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and Doongalik Studios will be holding screenings for students to watch the film and participate in discussions on the artists.

Recommended by the country’s foremost art collector, the late Vincent D’Aguilar, the filmmakers traveled to Nassau from 2006-2008 to research, interview and film the artists and their work. Karen Arthur commented, "This wasn't Paris or London or New York, we were astounded by the skill, diversity and eloquence of these extraordinary Bahamian artists, and felt honored to preserve them and their art on film."

In order to celebrate this rich artistic heritage a group of collectors, Saskia D’Aguilar, Dawn Davies and Pam Burnside decided to plan an art show based on the film which would allow the Bahamian and visiting public the opportunity to share in the viewing of this magnificent array of artwork. These collectors commented, “The Bahamas has an enormously rich artistic heritage and it is important that collectors preserve these treasures for future generations. This film was a major undertaking and we also commend the filmmakers for their foresight in preserving this important part of the country’s fine art history.”

“The Bahamas is entering a very exciting phase in its artistic development. We can see definite progress in the Fine Arts with collaborations between the artists which allows a continual interchange of ideas and events to take place. When you witness the success of the annual Transforming Spaces Art Bus Tour, the theatre festival Shakespeare in Paradise, and the recent CariFringe events, for example, you can see the enormous potential for promoting the country as a destination for art, culture and heritage which will attract more visitors to our shores.”

Because of the film, curators from the Waterloo Centre for the Arts in Iowa contacted the filmmakers to inquire into the possibility of mounting an exhibition and symposium based on the film which is scheduled to take place from October – December 2011. The Waterloo Center for the Arts holds the largest collection of Haitian art in the United States as well as a significant collection of art from other Caribbean countries, including a large number of works by Bahamian artist, the late Amos Ferguson. Cammie Scully and Kent Shankle, Curators at the Waterloo Art Centre will be travelling to Nassau this month to conduct research, interview the artists and view their artwork for selection for the Exhibition as well as meet with government officials to plan and facilitate the exhibition. “The Waterloo Center for the Arts is privileged to be able to host this premiere exhibition of Bahamian art,” stated Ms Scully, “The Artists of the Bahamas Exhibition and Symposium will expose the U.S. to the thriving culture of the Bahamas and their talented artists and plans are also in the making to arrange a tour of the exhibition throughout the USA. By exposing the country’s art to a global audience, interest in traveling to this country will most likely increase as will the visibility and profile of the artistic and cultural heritage of The Bahamas.”

For more information on this Exhibition please contact the individual Galleries for their Opening times or visit www.artistsofthebahamas.com

(VIDEO) Artists of the Bahamas Screening and Interview with FIlmmakers Arthur & Newirth