Visual arts in St
Vincent and the Grenadines are not something that is expressly promoted very
much, although it’s not because there isn’t art. There are some self-taught
artists who promote their work, but even at that, there are few.
The earliest forms
of art include rock carvings (called petroglyphs) and pottery. Some of the
sites of the rock art are included in tentative World Heritage lists by UNESCO.
Many of the traditional arts and handicrafts (jewelry, shell art, goatskin
drums, woodcarvings, and others) are on display at some of the islands cultural
and historical museums, galleries, and markets. There are several festivals and
celebrations held throughout the year that are also used as a means for artists
to show off their works.
In their
traditional arts, they typically used many of the materials around them as
their medium: banana leaves, local woods, different kinds of shells including
conch, eggshells, grasses, flowers, bamboo, palm leaves, etc. Many of these
would end up making mats, shoes, hats, bags, toys, and images of island life.
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| by Nzimbu Browne |
One of the most
well-known artists from St Vincent and the Grenadines is Nzimbu Browne. He has
made a name for himself as one of the few artists here who have created
sustainable art. His specialty is mainly creating art out of banana leaves, a
part of the plant that is generally thrown away. Browne learned some of the
techniques from the artists who really started the idea of creating banana art:
Ras Bandy Payne. Soil conditions, the weather, and other factors can affect the
colors and texture of the leaves, and he takes all that into consideration when
creating his works.
The vast majority
of literature from St Vincent and the Grenadines is written in English. One
problem smaller countries face is that it’s sometimes harder to get published.
It could be due to a number of things, including literacy rates, lack of
opportunities for printing, and not quite as much public support. I’m not saying
all those factors apply here, but perhaps some do on some scale. However, there
are a handful of authors who hail from the islands. One of the most notable is
Dr. Edgar Adams. He’s a historian and has written many books on local history
and other topics.
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| St Clair Jimmy Prince, also the Minister of Education apparently |
Other Vincentian
authors include Shake Keane (poetry, music), Ralph Everard Gonsalves (prime
minister who wrote about his experiences), Cecil Brown (short stories), and St
Clair Jimmy Prince (poetry).
There is one
magazine from St Vincent and the Grenadines called ARC. It’s devoted to the
cultural arts of this island county. It stands for “Art. Recognition. Culture.”
Getting its start in 2011, it was found by two visual artists, Nadia Huggins
and Holly Bynce. And while it’s based in SVG, they really cover the arts scene
across much of the Caribbean.
Up next: music and
dance
There is an arts organization in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, called Youlou Arts Foundation which has been around for 20 years now. The organization is focused on encouraging and nurturing the arts in SVG. It started out offering a 3 week visual arts programme to children age 5 to 12, called "Growing Young SVG Artists" The programme is offered during the long July/August holidays. Currently the program is offered in 4 locations, Kingstown, Barrouallie, Georgetown, and Spring Village. In 2017 the organization launched the Youlou Art Centre a space dedicated to showing and teaching art making.
ReplyDeleteThe island of Bequia also has an arts organization called The Hub Collective. I believe they have been established for 4 years.
I have to say the visual arts are slowly, but surely making an impact in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.