The Tribune

More than 100 students attended the month-long RBC Summer Arts Workshop last month, at Government High School.

A visit to the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) was a highlight event for the students, enhancing the ongoing partnership between the RBC sponsored event and the arts community.

“We are now in the 31st year of the summer arts workshop and every year we strive to enhance the program,” said Tanya McCartney, managing director of RBC Finco. “We felt that it was important to have the students visit the National Art Gallery so they could see the work of local artists and be inspired by them.”

Through its partnership with the Ministry of Education, the summer workshop aligns with the requirements of the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) and Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams.

During the workshop students are able to work on coursework pieces and readily prepare themselves for their high school art examinations. In an interactive and creative environment, participants are trained in various art styles and techniques by art instructors and professional artists.

At the National Art Gallery the students toured the Permanent Gallery Collection and viewed works by several renowned Bahamian artists, some of whom were past coordinators and alumni of the RBC Summer Arts Workshop. The students also viewed the ‘Amos Ferguson Bahamian Outsider Exhibition’ and learned about Mr Ferguson’s style, design and technique. Students then participated in a hands-on activity where they were invited to paint using Amos Ferguson’s signature style.

Jordia Benjamin, NAGB assistant education officer, outlined the importance of young art students visiting the National Art Gallery. “By visiting NAGB students gain insight on viewing Bahamian art and become familiar with the Bahamas’ master and contemporary artists,” said Ms Benjamin. She encouraged the students to visit The National Art Gallery frequently and told them that as Bahamians “they have a responsibility to educate themselves about their culture and keep abreast on what is taking place on the Bahamian art scene”.

Participants come to the programme from schools throughout the islands of the Bahamas.

Students also make music

Summer students also participated in the FOCUS education initiative by the Lyford Cay Foundation and the 5th Annual Summer Music Camp & Mentoring Program, sponsored by RBC.

Both FOCUS and the Summer Music Camp provide youth enrichment activities that support intellectual, emotional and physical development. FOCUS is a year round enrichment academic programme that assists underserved, academically motivated students in reaching their full potential. The Summer Music Camp provides Bahamian youth with the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in music education and performance training from local and international music industry professionals.

Roscoe Dames, founder/director of the summer music camp said: “It is an amazing experience to be able to fuse together opportunities through music. We are delighted to give the students of FOCUS an opportunity to see first-hand how music is made.”

Students of FOCUS were introduced to the process of making music and learned about the various genres and styles of music. Students went into an audio engineering room at the camp where they observed how the various musical components were compiled to produce a final music track. Carmetta Barry, a FOCUS participant and 5th grade student at Albury Sayles spoke about her visit to the camp. “It was a good experience to see Bahamians actually making music,” she said.