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Now in its eighth year, Transforming Spaces began with a core group of participants—Jackson Burnside, John Cox, Antonius Roberts, Tyrone Ferguson, Jay Koment and Erica James—who shared one common goal: to get artists to work together to expose Bahamian art. It was an exciting time at the turn of the century—The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas opened its doors with an Inaugural National Exhibition in 2003, finally formally spotlighting Bahamian visual art in the eyes of the country and indeed the region and sparking a series of artistic project and new galleries that continue to develop Bahamian visual art at a rapid pace to this day. One such project is Transforming Spaces, an annual island-wide tour of Nassau’s art galleries. The project has proved to be a great success as artists and art-lovers alike have looked forward to that weekend in spring where participating galleries curate their spaces to present innovative displays of Bahamian art. Though the core committee and participating galleries change every year, the desire to bring Bahamian art to the forefront remains the same.
The 2012 Transforming Spaces Committee
(l to r) Neko Meicholas, Sue Bennet-Williams, John Cox, Margot Bethel, Jay Koment,
Sonia Farmer and Pamela Burnside. (not shown) Amanda Coulson.
That same goal has fueled a significant change in this eighth year of the tour—the introduction of a theme, Fibre, under which artists can create work to be placed into one of the participating galleries. Fibre calls for artists to use indigenous materials in unexpected and exciting ways. Along with a display of native straw pieces at the beginning of the tour at The National Art gallery of The Bahamas, this new body of work for the tour—displayed at Doongalik Studios, New Providence Art & Antiques, Popopstudios, The Hub, The Antonius Roberts Studio and Gallery at Hillside House, The Pink’Un Cottage and the Harry C. Moore Information Center at the College of The Bahamas—will create a singular fascinating narrative that pays homage to and takes innovative departures from traditional native materials and practices.
The call to transform gallery spaces no longer falls to the spaces themselves, but rather to the artists wishing to participate. In this way, Transforming Spaces has expanded its number of participating artists, welcoming more practicing artists locally from the family islands as well as regionally and internationally—from Jamaica, Cuba, Canada and the U.K.—and artists from a wider variety of mediums and practices, including fashion designers, quilters and even writers.
With these developments, this year’s Transforming Spaces tour under the theme of Fibre will prove to be a timely maturation of this event, elevating it from a local happening to a regional one, as Caribbean artistic communities look to our capitol for fascinating insights into visual arts practices.
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How many spaces are involved?
Every year the number of spaces changes slightly depending on which spaces decide to participate that given year.
Where does the money made from the tour go?
Proceeds from the Tour were originally donated to the Brent Malone Fund. However proceeds have also been donated to the Children with AIDS Workshop, COB Students' project/supplies, The New Providence Community Church Haitian Earthquake Relief Fund.
I don‘t really know anything about the local art scene, is this tour something I would enjoy or would I feel excluded or lost?
You will love it!
Every year we have newcomers who have little knowledge of the local art scene in Nassau, and every year they leave excited about what they have seen and learned. Any questions you may have can be answered by our educated tour guides who are all artists. Thanks to them the tour is made easy and enjoyable for any first timers and art aficionados.
I’ve been on the tour before but what makes this year different?
Every year is different, it is never the same experience. Each space will be showcasing a different exhibition and have made provisions to ensure that the experience is unique from all other years. They are actively transforming the spaces from what they were before. To view the exhibitions that will be up during the tour, please see Participating Galleries.
How long is the tour?
The tour is approximately five (5) hours, starting at 10:00am and ending around 3:00pm on both days.
How much is the tour?
The tour is $30 per person.
I’m Sold! Where do I purchase tickets?
You can purchase tickets from The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and, Doongalik Studios (Village Rd). To view their open days, hours and contact information please visit the Tickets Page.
