Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Women artists launch 22nd annual exhibition
The Guyana Women Artists’ Association (GWAA) is celebrating yet another year of artistic achievement.
Yesterday the Association declared its 22nd annual exhibition officially open with the help of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony. The opening was done in a simple ceremony held outside of the National Library’s Gallery.
Guests enjoy some of the works on display
But the organisation’s executive arm also used the opportunity to honour six stalwarts of the arts for their “dedicated service and activism to the GWAA.
The six women honoured for their achievements in the arts as well as for their tireless efforts for the well being of the association were O’Donna Allsopp, Lucille Cadogan, Edna Cadogan, Daphne Rogers, Sheila King and Waveney Daly.
Also mentioned was the late Irene Gonsalves who was a respected and supportive member of the Association.
Delivering the feature address to the crowd was Senior Project Officer at the CARICOM Secretariat, Ms. Konyo Addo. She said to the Association members, “In your twenty-three years of existence, you have remained committed to practising and sharing your various skills in the visual arts, and these have ranged from painting in water colour, oil and acrylic, to working with clay, leather, wood and textiles and the creation of jewellery.
“Collectively your work has been displayed as far as London and Toronto as well as closer to home, in the Caribbean. This is worthy of praise, because we know that times and circumstances of the developing world don’t always favour the nurturing of creativity; yet to your credit, you have prevailed and have been able to celebrate your accomplishments every year.”
She said that what she felt was worthy of celebration by a group of women artists. It was their resilience, relevance and importance rather than considerations about feminist or womanist artistic expression. Addo spoke of several instances in contemporary art and drama where the “need to identify and even defend and honour the feminine in and through art” have surfaced again and again.
For the artists of the Association, their “artistic expression is part of the fabric and the story of Guyana as well as … the current mood and psyche of the country and the times,” she said.
She closed by encouraging the artists to put ‘a fresh spin’ on their works and congratulated the Association and its members on achieving yet another landmark.
Minister Dr. Frank Anthony told the artists of the Association of the great difficulty that was being experienced in attracting young people, especially women to join the ranks of professional artisans.
He called for a collaborative effort between the Ministry and the Association to bring a change to that sad fact and to aid him in his efforts to decentralise Guyanese art. The Minister was of the opinion that there were many good artists who had the natural talent but who were too far away from the city.
Instead they were in locations where their talents may never be discovered and would eventually go to waste.
The organisation works towards furthering the reach of art produced by women in Guyana and it does not favor any specific media over others. Therefore, it was no surprise that the women receiving the awards were talented in numerous fields and media such as the visual and dramatic arts as well as music and literature.
At the library gallery there were numerous displays of art in the form of paintings, drawings, tiles and ceramics, clothing and other fabric pieces. The exhibition will run until November 15 during normal working hours at the National Library’s Gallery.
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