The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

CELEBRATING the work of artists in the Caribbean region and across international borders has always been an objective of Hillside House Studio and Gallery, in addition to its showcasing of Bahamian work. Tomorrow, Bermuda native, Lisa Quinn will exhibit artwork for the first time in the Bahamas during the “Flowers of Dream” exhibition at the Cumberland Street gallery.

The exhibit will feature a collection of floral paintings by Quinn, who is well known for the vibrancy and intensity of her large watercolour florals and the rich colour palette she uses to depict old Bermudian architecture.

Quinn was educated at Rhode Island School of Design and obtained a Bachelors of Arts in graphic design from Moore College of Art and Design. She also has a studio in Bermuda which sells original watercolours, pastels, charcoal and coloured pencil sketches.

Quinn is just one of many regional and international artists Hillside House hopes to exhibit in the future, said Antonius Roberts, owner of the gallery.

“Lisa Quinn is an artist from the region and she came down just to join us at Hillside House. While here she said she loved what we were doing and that she wanted to exhibit. So we embraced her,” he said.

“When artists from different parts of the world exhibit in the Bahamas, ties are strengthened and Bahamians are exposed to new developments and trends in contemporary art. It also allows Bahamian artists the opportunity to measure their skills against others,” Mr Roberts said.

“Hillside House just happens to be in the Bahamas, but we are part of what is happening globally. We embrace artists from the region and the world. It is important for us as people to see ourselves in relationship to other people and we as Bahamian artists must see ourselves in relationship to other artists. When this happens we can truly begin to evaluate and celebrate our achievements.

“It is like sports, you have to perform in the Olympics before someone says ‘that guy is good or he is talented’. We are not afraid to include or embrace artists from anywhere because that is how we truly begin to size up and develop our skills, or we can appreciate the fact that our skills are as developed as the skills of artists from other parts of the world,” he said.

Popopstudios Center of the Visual Arts is another art centre that incorporates the work of international artists.

As part of the center’s residency programme, international artists are invited to spend one to three months working and living on the gallery grounds.

Mr Roberts said Hillside House also intends to highlight performing artists during an upcoming event that will feature regional and international musicians.

“We want to not only focus on the visual arts, we want to also focus on the performing arts. There is a group of fine musicians that we have met in Cuba that we want to come over and showcase their music. There is also an opera singer from New York and she is going to come down in November and put on a concert. This will be a collaboration because I will be doing some paintings and sketches on the music she performs,” he said.

Last year Hillside House, in conjunction with Cuban Embassy held an exhibition between Cuban and Bahamian artists to celebrate Cuba’s National Culture Day.

“We are about not only showing art but creating experiences. But our experiences are in celebration of ourselves and of the conversation that is going on globally about people trying to discover who they are and appreciate their heritage. What we are doing is not about tourism at all even though we are located downtown. It is all about finding ourselves,” Mr Roberts said.