Affected, Afflicted and Takin’ Last!

Reflections on the second session in the “Youngie and Exuma” Lecture series

by: Patrice Francis


My soul drippin’ man.

I serious.

I need one o’ dem big tin tub what Mama used to soak da white clothes in.

Set it down.

Yeah.

Set it down right dere

On Doongalik porch

So when we walk outta here

Our pride

An’ tanks

wouldn’t waste on da good wood floor what

Jackson build.



Yall tink I playin’ eh?

I drippin’ in my soul.

I so full

Gussie Mae ain’ gat nuttin on me.

I swelling from da inside

An’ ain nobody fix me.

I fine.

I so fine

Cus tonight I realize dese lecture

Mutual.

Yall tink lecture mean experts standing to da mic

Talking at us?

Dat ain what Jackson an’ Mr. Carter mean when dey say lecture.

Dey mean we bringing da porch inside,

comin’ tagedder an’ using

Youngie an’ Exuma as lengendary springboards

So we could bounce off from dem,

An’ share all o’ who we is wit’ each udder,

An’ da world.

Das why people in da plastic chair an’

On da Junkanoo-smeared wooden blocks

Cud say something tonight,

Cus dey experience tings too.

Dis da first time, in a long time,

We had conversation beyond words

Cus we was soaking up da expressions of each udder,

And dat was enough.





Yall does ever see Charles Carter stand to any mic

An’ ask Ronnie Butler ‘bout Culmersville?

Ah?Yall ever ask Ronnie why he sing:“Wake up early one morning,

Kiss my Mama goodbye?”

Yall ain know dem hits like

“Gern Down Burma Road”

Was taking root in Ronnie from he Culmersville days

When Youngie would stop he bike, pick up he strings,

An’ play for Ronnie Ma?

Ah?

Where else yall ga learn da underground railroad

Of Bahamian music?

Yall ever hear Ronnie sing an’ at da same time

Watch Matthew Wildgoose

Lean forward so far

Dat he look like he ga jump in da song with Ronnie

And come out painting him too?

When since Cookie Allens does be reminiscing on any wooden block on Village Road?

Cookie, voice we grow up on, spitting out her own remembrance of when

nassau was Nassau,

An’ MUSIC was capitalized.





Yall ain been

So yall ain see

Orchid stand dere an’ prove intelligence don’ need no costume.

No bey.

Da girl bad.

Wit’ her Mummy, Daddy, Auntie an’ Grammie in da room,

She stan’ on da two feet what God gee her,

an’ learn us

an’ we ain once tink bout age.

She ain rig it up wit’ pretense.

She laugh us up,

an’ we remember we did forget

dat art an’ music supposed to be reflections.

When ain no udder mirror, art an’ music gattie be da glass.

Take dat!

Set it down right dere.

One a dem big tin tub

An’ le’ me squeeze out all dis gratitude I have in me

For being born in dis place,

For being alive at such a time as dis.

Yeah Esther, wit’ all due respect, Bahamian woman could say dat too.

Dis ting start wit’ Youngie an’ Exuma,

Wit’ Pam an’ Jackson

Fred an’ Carter

Orchid an’ Anku

Zippy an’he sons.

It pick up wit’Ronnie an’ erry soul in Culmersville,

(Lord I born off Shirley Street)

But wherever ya navel string bury

If ya was dere tonight,

Ya woulda realize

We ain dead.

We sleep.

We been sleeping,

Fa decades now.

Get mix up.

After da excitement bout Independence die down,

We start tinking somebody owe us something

But tonight I realize

We don’ need politics to spread her mouth

So we could get grin on.

I’ne wan’ see no more unjust gingivitis grinning at us.

We could grin at wesef.

We could revitalize our own soul –

By gathering,

By talking to each udder,

By learning we neighbour name,

An’ bearing we brudder burden.

By popping in one Ronnie cd,

By remembering Exuma was a man, an island an’ a planet,

A planet, an island an’ a man.

By picking up one guitar now an’ den,

An’ whether we play it or not,

Waving dem strings up ta heaven

An’ tanking God for forming Youngie.

Yeah, grunt right dere

Cus Bain town ain no ghetto,

An’ Timothy Gibson did already know

Dat pledging to excel

Is still da best revenge.

So we taking last in udder ways now,

But all we want is fa dem ta pay us what dey owe us.

Not hand-outs or welfare,

Jes gee us back what dey tief from us so we could fare well.

We finally hearing you Tony. We listening too.

Listening forward.



Pam an’ Jackson build it,

We gattie come.

Da porch bigger,

But da bench wider too

So more o’ we could fit.

Bring um!



My friends and I,

We sit in da middle tonight,

And we was surrounded by us.

Couldn’t put Matthew up no closer,

He woulda fall in Ronnie song fa true

An we wouldna bin able to pull him out,

Too far gone we sef.



Cat Island, we coming.

Acklins, Fred tell us an’ we hear him.

Andros, Zippy den plant da seed

An’ Carter den smell fertility

An’ we growing toward this tingdey lecturing ‘bout.

Dey jes trying to point we back ta we,

Dey trying to bring da culture of Grants Town graveyards -

All dat posthumous loving, an’ up talking an’ front biting an’ singing,

Yeah dey trying to bring da goodness

Into pre-death: life.

Now.

Set it down now man.

I can’ leak all dis thankfulness,

An’ identity on dis floor an’ call it art.

Cookie might slip,

Jackson Mummy might slip,

An’ I’ne care what Ronnie sing,

She ain wearing no whoppers.

Oh Lord,

Now.

Annuder legend

Or unsung Bahamian

Can’ die

Before we realize we rich. Conch ain need no bone.

We rich.

Yall ain hear Carter:

“We come to take ownership of something

That ain nobody else entitled to -

Bahamian culture.”

Last!



Doongalik Studios is proud of the response to our Youngie & Exuma Lecture Series. It is always a pleasure to hear from our public and to know that we are making true impact. Thank you to Patrice Francis for her wonderful and thrilling reflections of the past few weeks and we hope that they will inspire others to join us for the final installment of the lecture series tomorrow at 6pm! #18 Village Road!

More on the Y&E Lecture Series!

Doongalik Studios Art Gallery in conjunction in Carter Marketing, The Endowment for the Performing Arts, the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation and the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture is proud to announce their free Lecture Series every Thursday from 6-9 pm during the month of October to complement the present Exhibition of these two Bahamian icons. The first lecture featured presentations by Fred Ferguson and Charles Carter to a stand room only crowd and was capped off by the melodious sounds of ‘Zippy’ Frazier and Sons from Andros.

The Exhibition, which opened to an appreciative crowd on October 1st, was mounted in celebration of the 100th birthday of Joseph “Youngie Spence” e and the 40th anniversary of the release of Tony “Exuma” McKay’ s classic album ‘ Exuma’ . Curated by Orchid Burnside, a former intern at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. the Exhibition features a panoply of memorabilia relating to both artists.

“We were amazed at the wealth of information available mostly internationally on both of these artists,” stated Ms Burnside. “They are highly respected all over the world and yet here in The Bahamas, the home of their birth, they are hardly known and certainly not celebrated. This Exhibition aims to remedy that.”

Along with extensive newspaper and magazine articles, album covers, music reviews, video footage and music the Exhibition also has a fantastic array of photographs particularly of Joseph Spence courtesy of Guy Droussart , a Belgian photographer and musician, who travelled to The Bahamas in the 1970’ s to photograph and record Spence and his family. Droussart has spent his lifetime collecting information on his hero and was extremely pleased to know that the artist was being celebrated in such a fashion. Spence’s family was out in grand numbers at the Opening. Charles Carter stated, “The Youngie & Exuma exhibit happily exceeds even my expectations that were sky high to begin with. See it often. Take the kids“ . and Fred Ferguson agreed adding “it is long overdue for recognition to be given to these two great artistic icons of the Bahamas and I hope that this opens the door for the further recognition and appreciation for many of our unsung artistic giants. “

Another amazing aspect of the Exhibition is the collection of 41 paintings by Tony ‘ Exuma’ McKay that was kindly loaned by a variety of collectors. “Most people have no idea that Tony was a painter as well,” stated Jackson Burnside. “He was quite prolific and we are happy to have such a variety of his work on display. The Exhibition took weeks of research and it is a new experience for Doongalik to mount a show of this type but it gave me goose bumps as it came together – these men deserve to be celebrated on an ongoing basis – if we fail to celebrate our own, others will own them - so we are bringing them back home and encourage everyone to come out to see it, particularly the school children.”

The Exhibition will be on display until Thursday, November 4. For further information contact the Gallery at 394-1886 or email doongalikart@batelnet.bs.

Here's What You Missed At DGLK!

It was pouring rain, and the traffic was horrendous BUT Fred Ferguson gave a talk on the guitar styling of Joseph Spence and played a few classic Youngie tunes, Charles Carter spoke about the significance of the year 1958 for Bahamian music, and Zippy Frazier came over on LeAir with the... sons (minus the daughters) of Andros to share some awesome anthems with us! Check out this video of the Fraziers singing DRY BONES and join us next week for the second installment of the Youngie & Exuma Lectures Series - Thursday @ 6pm, #18 Village Road!

Youngie & Exuma Madness Continues!

Whether you missed the opening, haven't had a chance to see the show yet, or can't get enough of Joseph Spence & Tony McKay please join us on Thursdays @ 6pm throughout the month of October for our Youngie & Exuma Lecture Series!

Also, keep an eye out for details on our Sunset Reception! We hope to see you there to celebrate these Bahamian Cultural Icons. (double click on the photo to read larger)

Doongalik Studios Celebrates Youngie & Exuma!

August 4th marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the internationally celebrated guitarist Joseph Spence and the month also marked the 40th anniversary of the world release of Tony McKay’s electrifying album “Exuma the Obeah Man.”

These artists are two of The Bahamas’ most recognizable cultural icons and their artistic genius will be celebrated during October in an exciting Exhibition of original paintings by Tony McKay from private collections along with a wide variety of memorabilia, photographs and articles on both artists as well as selections from their musical repertoire.

The Exhibition, which is being presented by Doongalik Studios and Island FM Radio Station with the assistance of The National Endowment of the Arts, is the first ever of its kind mounted in the country and will be an official event of the 2010 CariFringe Festival taking place here in Nassau from October 1-11.



The Exhibition will be open to the public from October 1 until Wednesday, October 27 and will close with a musical tribute to both artists—stay tuned for more information in our October Newsletter!

Exclusive Video: Max Taylor Drops Some Knowledge at Village Road!

For those of you who missed the official opening of Max Taylor's "Remnants," do not despair! The show will remain open for viewing throughout the summer at Doongalik Studios' Village Road location.

In addition to the usual Artist Walk & Talk, Max Taylor was kind enough to treat patrons to several printmaking demonstrations. Below is a never before seen video of Max Taylor at Doongalik Studios Village Road with students from the Ministry of Education Summer Art Program 2010. Enjoy!



Also, look out for exclusive insight to some of Taylor's works in the show to be featured in this month's Art Newsletter!

DOONGALIK STUDIOS TO HOST MAX TAYLOR’S EXHIBITION ‘REMNANTS’ FOR THE SUMMER

Doongalik Studios Art Gallery, Village Road is honoured to host Max Taylor’s ‘REMNANTS’ Exhibition throughout the summer. The Exhibition comprises an amazing collection of woodcuts, prints, acrylic paintings on canvas and paper, as well as wood sculptures from 2001—2009. The Official Opening of the Exhibition is slated for Thursday, July 8 from 6-9 pm with an Artist’s Walk and Talk taking place at 7pm.



In addition to an appreciative adult audience the Gallery is looking forward to welcoming a continuous stream of summer school students armed with their sketch pads and pencils who will be encouraged to study and draw from this Bahamian master’s work. The Exhibition will be on display until September 24.

Gallery Owner Jackson Burnside, in this 2006 review of the artist, wrote:

As one of the first Bahamian Artists, Maxwell is perhaps our most advanced. He is a stubbornly individualist artist that has followed his own vision, disregarding the commercial aspects of art that could have made his life so comfortable. These are the words that the late Brent Malone, a close friend and fellow artist, used in introducing Max Taylor at the opening of a one-man exhibition at Brent’s Matinee Gallery, on the 12th December, 1978.

After a lifetime of constant search and struggle, Maxwell Taylor has established an international reputation of excellence, and has earned a celebrated place in a society that had no place for artists when he was born. Born in 1939 in Grant’s Town, New Providence, Bahamas, Max Taylor, along with Brent Malone and Kendall Hanna, was one of the first apprentices of the fabled Chelsea Pottery in Nassau. When the pottery closed in 1966, Max found his way to New York. This visit, which was to last approximately twenty years before he moved south to the Carolinas and traveled extensively in Europe observing the social, economic, and political dynamics of many cultures. This exposure opened doors to the unique and intensely sensitive perception of the world of Maxwell Taylor.

Solidly grounded in the consciousness of his Bahamian background, and steeped in the pain and pleasure of the outside world, Taylor works incessantly to record the celebration and the atrocities he sees. The work of Max Taylor is a highly personal and spiritual odyssey creating a time-less quality of the dignity and strength of suffering in the experience of mankind and nature.

Max Taylor is a versatile and accomplished technician and a master of a variety of media - painting, printmaking, ceramics and sculpture. In all of his works the search for meaning, the depth of thinking, and the joy of the graphics is evident. Taylor will tell you I love to draw. I am constantly drawing. I make hundreds of drawings.

For further information on this Exhibition please contact the Gallery at 363-1313 or doongalikart@batelnet.bs