Inwhichin Tings Bahamian Craft Fair!

An enthusiastic group of Bahamians is putting the finishing touches on their plans for the first annual “Inwhichin Tings Bahamian” Craft Fair next month to benefit the public and Bahamian artisans during this 40th anniversary year of Independence. The brainchild of former Insurance executive, Maude Lockhart, the Fair will be held on Saturday, May 4th at the Doongalik Studios grounds on Village Road and the public is invited to come out and “Buy Bahamian by Bahamians’. The Fair will feature a wide rage of artisans selling their unique gift items, crafts, household items, jewelry, straw work and so much more in addition to food  stalls (including fresh conch salad, homemade ice cream, cakes, breads, pastries, preserves), as well as native produce and plants grown by local farmers. Patrons of the Doongalik weekend Farmer’s Market will be in for additional treats as the variety of items for sale will be expanded for that day.

“This has been a dream of mine for such a long time”, stated Maude Lockhart, the event’s founder, “and it is so exciting to know that it is finally happening!” Having retired from the insurance field in 2008, Ms. Lockhart, who is multi-talented and well known as a singer and former fashion designer who had been developing her hobby of working with burlap to make hand bags in her spare time, was now able to devote her energies full time to her craft. “I started out using ordinary burlap, i.e. crocus sack - which was considered the poor man’s fabric, but nowadays it is much more refined and comes in a wide variety of colours that make amazing gift items. I also designed my own line of hand stamps so I have added a variety of household items to the line such as cushions, placemats and curtains. I wanted to be able to showcase these products to the public so in September 2012 I got a group of my friends together: Angela Rahming, Joan Lockhart-Culmer, Gathnie Chea and Jarissa Backford and we started making plans for this event and decided to invite other artisans to join us.”

Manager of Doongalik Studios, Pam Burnside stated, “We are always pleased to encourage and promote Bahamian talent because we believe in the natural creativity of the Bahamian people. We are all still feeling the effects of the economic recession which is not going to abate anytime soon. It is crucial, therefore, that we concentrate on doing more for and by ourselves - looking inwards to our own people to make things happen. If we really want to celebrate 40 years of independence then we have to ‘walk the talk’ at our own doorstep. We can make things happen on a smaller scale right here at home by helping and supporting one another more and keeping the money circulating in the country. This Craft Fair is a step in the right direction, because not only are the artisans developing self sufficiency and pride in the creation of high quality work, but it is also promoting the support of local industry. This conversation needs to be expanded because it can make the world of difference in this Bahamas. I congratulate Maude and her team for taking this bold step which we support 100%.”

The Fair will take place from 10am – 6pm. For more information please contact Ms Lockhart at inwhichin@gmail.com or Doongalik Studios at telephone 394.1886 / email: doongalikart@batelnet.bs.

Save The Date!

Fash|Art 2012 Jackson Burnside III Visual Artist Competition Winner, Attila Feszt, to show at Doongalik Studios Art Gallery in June!  Watch our website and facebook for details!

TALKIN’ ‘BOUT CHINA

Under the patronage of many art enthusiasts and supporters, Alistair D. Stevenson had a fantastic opportunity to visit the People’s Republic of China during the summer of 2012, experiencing the world of the ceramic arts there. For six (6) weeks, Stevenson along with 10 peers and 2 guides from across North America traveled to four (4) provinces in China (Shanghai, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Beijing), weaving in and out of historical and contemporary aspects of Chinese ceramics and culture. Three weeks of this time was spent as an artist’s residency living and working at the JDZ-WVU International Ceramic Studios in JingDeZhen City, a place known for producing approximately 90% of the world’s blue and white porcelain.

Amongst other mind-blowing events, Stevenson visited tombs housing the renowned terracotta warriors in Xi’an, combed ancient pottery villages, walked through massive dragon kilns, climbed the Matianyu Great Wall and to top it off celebrated a birthday with fellow Chinese artists in Beijing’s 798 Art District.

As an expression of gratitude for his many supporters who continue to believe in his progressive success as an artist and as a contributor to his community, Stevenson will be sharing his experience as a digital presentation along with several articles accumulated during his travels throughout China. This event will take place on Friday, the 19th of April, 2013 at 6pm at Doongalik Studios Art Gallery on Village Road, New Providence. All interested persons are invited to attend.

For more information please contact:
Alistair D. Stevenson at 448.7209 or astvnson@gmail.com
or Doongalik Studios at 394.1886 or doongalikart@batelnet.bs

 

 

Doongalik Studios Gears Up for Transforming Spaces 2013!

Transforming Spaces is back, Nassau!  One of the highlights of the Arts & Culture Calendar in The Bahamas, Transforming Spaces is an awesome artistic adventure.  Patrons are treated to an air-conditioned bus tour of several galleries on the island with featuring new artists & exhibitions uniquely for the annual event.  This year's tour, to be held on March 16th & 17th, 2013, features the following galleries:


Doongalik Studios
The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
Antonius Roberts' Studio and Gallery at Hillside House
The D'Aguilar Art Foundation
Liquid Courage
Popopstudios International Center for the Visual Arts
Stingrae Studio
The Harry C. Moore Library & Information Centre at the College of The Bahamas

Tickets are available now at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and Doongalik Studios Art Gallery for $30.  Tickets normally sell out so be sure to purchase early!  See you on the bus!

For more information on Transforming Spaces, contact us at 242.394.1886 or at tspacesbah@gmail.com! 

Purchase Tickets at Doongalik Studios for UWC Fun'd'raiser!

The Bahamas National Committee (BNC) of United World College (UWC) is launching its first formal fundraising campaign in aid of their Scholar-Ambassador’s Scholarship Fund as they approach the close of their 40th year of service to students of The Bahamas. Entitled “The Spirit of The Bahamas” this unique fundraising event, which will be held under the distinguished patronage of the Governor General, Sir Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes, will be officially launched on Friday, the 22nd of March at 6:30 pm at Doongalik Studios on historic Village Road.

The public is invited to join the UWC National Committee along with UWC alumni, their parents and supporters for an evening of ‘fun for the fund’! Patrons are encouraged to come casually dressed, prepared to be delightfully entertained by Bahamian bands, singers, and entertainers, scrumptiously fed with delicious Bahamian cuisine, and to participate in an evening of activities, games, dancing, prizes and surprises in true ‘down home’ Bahamian fashion, because the evening promises to be a lively one!

The United World College programme is an educational organization that was formed 50 years ago to offer high school students placements within 12 UWC colleges in 12 countries around the world in order to pursue a two year International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. The IB is one of the most well regarded and widely known secondary school qualifications in the world and as such is accepted by the world’s most selective universities. All United World Colleges share the UWC Mission of “making education a force to unite, people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”. Students who attend a UWC therefore have an amazing opportunity to participate in a positive, life-changing academic experience.

To date the BNC, which consists of 14 dedicated volunteers (7 of whom are alumni of the programme) has provided over 90 scholarships for Bahamian students to attend UWCs abroad. For the first thirty–six years of the BNC’s history one or two scholarships per year were funded through the kind assistance of donors. In the last four years scholarships and placements increased to four to five per year thanks to a generous grant from The Cable Cares Foundation, the substantial support provided by The Ministry of Education, and the sound management of the BNC’s finances.

The Committee’s ability to continue at this level, however, has been severely dampened due to the international economic conditions which have reduced the UWC’s scholarship offerings to The Bahamas. The need for the BNC to raise additional funds has become crucial and “The Spirit of The Bahamas” will be the BNC’s inaugural fund raising event.

Tickets are now available at Doongalik Studios, #20 Village Road and the public can visit the web site for more information.

How to Be A True-True Bahamian 2!

Esteemed writer and orator, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas launched the second edition of "How to Be A True-True Bahamian" at Doongalik Studios on February 17th, 2013.  This hilarious and introspective book explores the various aspects of our culture that make us laugh (and shake our heads) but also identify our unique characteristics.  Accompanied by the drawings of Neko Meicholas, this latest publication of Guanima Press is not to be missed!

Pictoral History & Memories of Nassau's Over-The-Hill Book Lanch A Success!

The long anticipated launch of Rosemary Clarice Hanna’s book, “Pictorial History and Memories of Nassau’s Over-The-Hill” will take place at Doongalik Studios, Village Road on Thursday, 28th February, 2013, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Rosemary was born on 22nd August 1942. She is the sixth of seven children born to Percival James and Leona Aurelia Hanna (née Butler). The author was born and grew up Over-The-Hill in New Providence at a time when relatives were within short walking distance and neighbours and friends socialized on their front porches. It was also a time when most people shared common values through the church, lodges, friendly societies and social clubs and took pride in keeping their surroundings clean.

Since retiring from a forty-year span in the financial services sector, Rosemary has been involved in the social outreach ministry of St. Agnes Anglican Church. The book, “Pictorial History and Memories of Nassau’s Over-The- Hill” came about as a result of her weekly travels throughout the old neighbourhood. She observed the most of the once lovely and immaculately maintained homes of her childhood had either disappeared or were in a state of disrepair. She noted that only a few of the homes remained as oases in the midst of decay and thought it important to record the Over-The-Hill story for those persons who remember and for future generations.

She began by taking photographs of the old houses and then developed the idea of telling stories about some of the families who occupied them. She thought it important to put a face to some of the families who lived in the area before they began to move out to the newly developed suburbs, and also to highlight the tremendous contributions that Over-The-Hill people made towards the development of The Bahamas.

The book paints a picture of what life was like in the Over-the-Hill area of Grant’s Town and surrounding areas on the Island of New Providence, The Bahamas, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century following Emancipation, when the area was settled by freed slaves. It includes a brief history of the settlement and development of the area and the role of the Church in that process. It also contains over 300 colour and black and white pictures of churches, homes and families and introduces some of the people who lived Over-The-Hill. Much of the information contained in the book was obtained from family members and friends as well as through interviews with more than eighty present and former Over-The-Hill residents to whom the author is very grateful for their enthusiastic support.