The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Reporter

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE ARTISTRY of Junkanoo costumes cannot be fully appreciated by a view from the sidelines or the television screen. From afar, the colours are not as vibrant; the pieces are not as grand; the engineering and detail are overlooked. It is only through a close encounter that the full creative worth of costumes can be recognised.

The “After The Parade” exhibit opened at the Central Bank of the Bahamas gallery last week offering an up-and-close experience with Junkanoo pieces featured in the previous Boxing and New Year’s Day parades. It features works from Alexander Green, Chad Ferguson, Christine Fernander, Gary St Louis, Jason Minnis, Marco Mullings, Maurice Ames, Rico Richardson, Stacy Bullard and Thompson Toussaint.

The show started as a result of a conversation between artists John Beadle and Antonius Roberts regarding the end result of Junkanoo costumes when the parade is over.

“What happens to the costumes is sometimes you find them on the side of the road. Sometimes people decide to buy them off the participants on the parade route. But more often than not they just go back to the shacks. They go back to the shacks because of the craftsmanship and because of the care they take in constructing the stuff. They put them in the shack to save them.

“Over the period from one parade to the next, the costumes get dusty, they become less valuable because of the length of time it has been sitting in the shacks and because a new parade is coming up. It is not easy, but the craftsman kind of thinks it is easy enough to create another piece. So what do you do with no space? The value is diminished because of the length of time, so they throw it away to make space - physical  and mental space to create new ones because you don’t want that thing in your full vision when you are creating another one. And that led me to thinking what if we had a show of costumes, objects made for the Junkanoo parade for sale just to start a conversation,” John Beadle said.

Mr Beadle said After The Parade is the first of many shows to come that will give Junkanoo artisans an opportunity to showcase their work in a national platform, apart from the parades.

Several of the participants present on the night of the show’s opening commended Mr Beadle for giving them the opportunity to have their work hung on the walls of a gallery.

Thompson Toussaint, a craftsman who has rushed with the Shell Saxons Superstars for 18 years, designed a hat that was accented by pink, yellow, and green straws.

“The hat is our drummers’ hat. When I saw the hat I had an idea for it but it was just different than what I would normally use. So from there I just went with it. The straw is just something new we started to use in Junkanoo, but people do not use straws like how I use it. I use the straw like how they would normally use feathers to beautify it,” he told Tribune Arts.

“To me this just feels like an accomplishment. Before we would just go on the streets make our costumes and end up throwing them away. Now I can exhibit it since John Beadle gave us the opportunity to showcase our pieces after the parade.

This is something I look forward to,” he said.

Rico Richardson, a member of One Family also designed a hat for the Boxing Day parade that features marine life and sea themes. He said he is also happy that people got the opportunity to see the hard work he puts into his pieces.

“It feels good to see my work hanging in a gallery space. Plenty of the art pieces only go as far as Junkanoo and some people do not keep these pieces. They throw them in the garbage after they get old. But I think there should be some gallery or museum to keep the work,” he said.

Christina Fernander another One Family member has several Junkanoo craft work on display - two currently at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, one at the Ministry of Youth Sports & Culture and one at EduCulture.

“It feels great to know that persons are now finally able to see Junkanoo artists for more than just coming on Bay Street and putting on a show,” she said.

Christina’s piece on display represents Hibiscus Avenue in Lyford Cay, given that One Family’s theme on Boxing Day was “Knowing Your Bahamas”.