The Tribune

By CARA HUNT

Tribune Features writer

cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian art is as eclectic and vibrant as the islands that make up this archipelago.

From classic landscapes and portraiture from the likes of the Minnis Family, to the abstract imaginings of artists such as John Cox, Kendall Hanna and John Beadle, to the whimsical folk art of Amos Ferguson and the myriad of works in between, Bahamian artists have provided a body of work that can appeal to any artistic palette.

And what better way to see this firsthand than by exploring six of the country’s finest art galleries in a single day

This is the exact vision behind the Transforming Spaces art tour now in its 26th year. The non-profit organisation plays a vital role in preserving Bahamian culture, supporting local artists, enriching communities, and promoting art education while fostering economic growth and international recognition through the development of the visual arts in The Bahamas.

Over the years, it has evolved into more than just the popular art bus tour but an Art Week with immersive cultural experiences designed to move audiences through exhibitions, activations, and dialogue that reveal Nassau itself as an active creative landscape. This year’s theme, “Chasing Light”, honoured the legacy of the late Patricia Glinton-Meicholas – cultural critic, historian, educator, and cherished “Ms Patti.”

Inspired by her poetic voice and intellectual clarity, the theme called on artists and audiences alike to engage in work that is sharp, reflective, and uncompromisingly honest.

Chasing Light is not a passive gesture but a provocation, asking what it means to create, question, and illuminate in a time that demands deeper seeing. Light here becomes both metaphor and method – revealing truth, exposing tension, and guiding transformation.

This year patrons got to explore six different galleries with their own art guide on board their bus

The first stop on the journey was the gorgeous V and M art gallery off West Bay Street. The V&M Gallery houses the private collection of the late Vincent and Marina D’Aguilar who were passionate collectors and supporters of Bahamian art. Their legacy is carried forward through the D’Aguilar Art Foundation, directed by Saskia D’Aguilar.

If you are a lover of Amos Ferguson’s work, this gallery will leave you speechless. There is an entire room devoted to the artist.

Next up was The Current art gallery at the Bah Mar resort to explore “The Things we Carry - a duo exhibition by Kendra Frorup and Averia Wright. The pair explore cultural memory as something inherited, preserved, and carried through generations.

The future of Bahamian art is in very talented hands, if the pieces displayed at The Visual Art Department at the University of The Bahamas-Pro Gallery are any indication, the third stop on the black bus was a visit to the intimate space located at The University of the Bahamas- curated by art students.

Next up was a visit to the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas to view works inspired by this year’s honouree PPatricia Glinton-Meicholas. The exhibition is titled The Gaulin Woman: Uncovering Our Bahamian Selves and includes the works of many of her students and mentees. The Gaulin is a female mythological creature in Bahamian folklore.

After a lunch break it was time to visit the CAB gallery, for the solo exhibition by Dylan Rapillard. “All inclusive” explores “paradise” as both a lived experience and a constructed image within island life. The final stop was the Tern Gallery. “We are our own discoverers, staking claim to territory,” wrote the late Patricia Glinton-Meicholas in her poem “Staking Claim to Our Souls”, from her collection “Chasing Light”. This excerpt from the poem is both an invocation and a challenge in “We Are Our Own Discoverers,” curated by Christina Wong - Turnquest, a group exhibition presenting four explorers, Amaani Hepburn, Cydne Jasmin Coleby, Heino Schmid, and Matthew David Rahming, positioned as adventurers and discoverers entrusted with a fearless mission: to investigate the undercurrents of community, culture, and identity.

The beauty of Transforming Spaces is that it exposes the Bahamian art scene to persons who may not have already been art enthusiasts introducing them to new art spaces and artists with the added benefit of having artists and curators on hand to explain the exhibits.

It also is an opportunity to inspire a new generation of Bahamian artists such as Charlotte Hunt and Sachi Johnson, who were the two littlest participants on the tour. The budding artists were amazed by everything that they saw.

“It was amazing, we got to see so much art and we got to see all the galleries, I did even know there were so many galleries in Nassau. We spent the entire day looking at the art it was beautiful my favourite piece was the floral lady we saw at the first gallery.” said Charlotte.

Her cousin Sachi added, “I want to be an artist and this was very exciting, because I was able to actually talk to the artists who go to the University of the Bahamas. I showed them some of my drawings and they gave me good advice and they encouraged me that I can be an artist if I want to. I got a chance to see is many different styles of art on the tour. It gave me a lot of ideas.”