The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

WITH her upcoming exhibit “Nassau Facades”, artist Nastassia Pratt wants to use her talents to educate Nassauvians about their history and heritage.

On display will be 12 watercolour paintings and eight architectural models by Nastassia. The opening takes place tomorrow at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB) from 6pm to 9pm.

Nastassia said ‘facades’ is a term she first heard while studying architecture in Toronto. At the time when her professor said it, she said he was referring to an elevation or side view of a building.

“I’m fascinated by the way we design and thought of the older Bahamian homes, and Nassau Town in particula, as rich with an eclectic range of facades to study and learn from. They each tell a story and the entire Bahamian home,” she told Tribune Arts and Entertainment.
“I think we need to know where we came from in order to truly understand where we are going. My work will hopefully whisper stories of older times. Happy stories that visitors will want to share with each other, and with me if I’m lucky. I’m eager to hear those stories,” said Nastassia.

She said her watercolour paintings show homes throughout New Providence, with the majority of the homes depicted being from the Hay Street and Bain Town area.

“That area is beautiful and historically rich. My models speak to these older homes and create another voice in the narrative of our architectural Bahamian history,” she said.

Nastassia’s art background goes as far back as high school, where she studied the craft at Saint John’s College. She was introduced to watercolour art in the Finco Summer Art Workshop during her graduating year.

Since then, Nastassia said she has practiced art in between her studies of architecture at the College of the Bahamas, Ryerson University in Toronto, and subsequently her work at NAGB.

“With my background in model making due to my studies, I decided to combine these two art forms. I’m learning something new about them and myself every day,” she said.

With “Nassau Facades”, Nastassia said it would be great to receive as much support as she can. She said proceeds are going towards her studies in architecture, of which she has one year remaining.

“God gave me this talent and I’m putting it out there so I hope that people can see that and hopefully be moved to support me. It would be great to just start a conversation about our history. I love history. Very recently I drove past an old home in Mason’s Addition that a tractor was tearing down as I drove past. My heart stopped. I thought, ‘What is he doing?’ To me that was history and beautiful, but to the owners it was probably just an old, abandoned building. Some people don’t understand that there’s beauty there and I hope to reveal some of that beauty with this body of work in ‘Nassau Facades’,” Nastassia said.

The exhibition will be on display at NAGB until July 4. With plans already underway for her next exhibition, Nastassia said her supporters can look forward to her creating a strong body of work for the new show. In addition, she also has something interesting in the works for the Central Bank Senior Art Category, she said.