After beating out scores of artisans from around The Bahamas, the indigenous works of 10 local artists and craftsmen are headed to Mexico to compete in an international craft competition.
Christina Maillis and San Salvadorian woodcrafter, Wilfred Baptiste, walked away with the first and second prize respectively, at the National United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Craft Award ceremony, held at the British Colonial Hilton Friday.
According to Chief Judge James Rolle, the winners were chosen based on the originality of their work, good craftsmanship and extensive use of indigenous materials.
Approximately 61 exhibitors entered displays ranging from sand and seashell lamps to baby carriages and wooden hens at the event hosted by the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) in conjunction with the Ministry of Education.
According to UNESCO representative in the Ministry of Education, Elise Delancy, the competition was created to “reward the creativity of craftspeople in each region and to stimulate their sense of innovation, aesthetic flair and perception of the present day world and its market.”
The winning pieces are headed to an international, five-day exhibit and competition in Mexico next month.
Addressing contestants, the executive chairman of BAIC, Sidney Stubbs noted that some Bahamians have received “mega dollar” contracts to supply cruise ships, hotel properties and board rooms of major off-shore banks with crafts. “Behind all of these Bahamian success stories was the pursuit of excellence and superiority and hard work.
“Today, may seem but a small step on our journey to international acclaim of Bahamian craft. But, I know and you know that we are well on the way,” he said.
Winners at the Mexico contest will go on to compete in the Maison and Objet Fair in Paris, in September 2003. The winners of that competition will receive coveted spots in a permanent display at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters.
Mr. Baptiste said his elaborate, wooden piece – depicting a family of hens – took months to create, while Ms. Maillis said she knitted her dolls and quilts to commemorate significant moments – a marriage and a death – in the lives of her family and friends.
