Have you ever wanted to peek behind the scenes of artwork and see how the creative process works?
This Friday, August 17, the community of artists at Popopstudios International Center for the Visual Arts will open the doors of their studio spaces to the public for viewing and one-on-one conversations about the creative process.
The 10 artists will be a mix of accomplished and long-time residents in the Popop community – such as Heino Schmid, Katrina Cartwright, Jan Elliot, Dylan Rapillard and Dede Brown – as well as emerging and junior resident artists. Altogether they will display a variety of work spanning painting, drawing, photography, digital imagery, quilting and ceramics, in different stages of completion.
Resident practicing artist at Popopstudios Katrina Cartwright says the annual event continues to offer insight into the creative process in order to expand the public consciousness about art in The Bahamas.
“Art can seem so far removed from the community, which is why I think many people don’t understand the importance of art – they aren’t exposed to it enough, so they can’t relate,” said Cartwright.
“By opening your doors to those individuals in the community, they can see and understand what you do and realize that it’s not as untouchable as you think it is. It also helps people understand the value of art because they develop a greater appreciation for the time, effort and materials that go into it.”
In addition to the tour of studios, visitors can also enjoy an exhibition of completed work by the Popop community of artists in the gallery space. Surprisingly, the display for the first time in a long time will be entirely dedicated to the artists at Popop only, says Cartwright.
Another new addition to the evening will be the chance for participants to take part in the several “class samplers” in time for registration for the Fall 2012 semester of classes being offered at Popopstudios.
Throughout the evening, visitors will have the chance to get creative themselves with opportunities in drawing, ceramics and book-binding demonstrations – even some for kids.
“We wanted to give people an opportunity to try it out, give a test run before they commit,” said Cartwright. “It will allow them to meet the instructors and participate in a demonstration for each class, see how it fits, and then they can decide if it’s something which they would like to do.
“Even if they decide not to take the class right now, it will be a chance to have some fun and be creative too.”
The evening of open studios at Popopstudios International Center for the Visual Arts will take place Friday, August 17 from 5p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, check out www.popopstudios.com.
By Sonia Farmer
The Nassau Guardian
Published: Saturday, August 11, 2012
