Nadine Bethel,UntitiledCourtesy: Susan Mains

Grenada has become an environment where the nutrient pool is rich for creative potential. Sparks of creativity abound in the Grenadian community, but this resource must be cultivated and invested in to reap the fullness of the potential reward.

 

In the past ten to fifteen years, we have experienced increased access to the press and news of the world through television and the Internet. More than ever now, there is free speech and freedom to practice the religion of one's choice. Freedom of expression has never in our history been so free and open. And in a time where the world is at war, we in Grenada live in peace. The conditions are superb for a cultural awakening. It is a time to invest in Grenada's culture and proudly interpret it visually and display it as our own.

 

The freedom of information we currently enjoy comes at a high price

 

Our children, young people, and adults are bombarded with visual images from North America via television, the Internet, and designer clothing. The effect is that these images then become the story we tell, rather than us telling our own story. A proactive program of cultural intervention must be embarked upon if we wish to have anything left of ourselves to pass on to future generations. By intervention, I mean the active role of helping to synthesize these ideas from the outside, interpret them within the local context, accept some, reject some, but not let them overwhelm us and replace us. Defining who we are as illustrated by our visual art then becomes the mortar for nation building.

 

I am not suggesting that every painting must be one with a little wooden house, a donkey carrying goods to market, the men working in the fields, and the women washing in the river. While these portray a glimpse into a fast-fading Caribbean way of life, this is not our whole story. Abil Peratta Aguero, an art critic in the Dominican Republic, writes: [1]

 

“Old clichés have been underlying a conception of Caribbean culture as an active element of the international tourist industry…. most of the rest of the world see the Caribbean as a region of small states where typical aspects of wild, exotic, funny and supernatural reign.… However, reality is different. We are essentially a culture of real passions and dreams.”

 

In other words, we have much more to express than just the typical scene that a tourist may purchase for a souvenir.

 

Recently I encouraged an expatriate now living in Grenada to collect Grenadian art. Her response was, "Oh, but I couldn't buy yours — it isn't Grenadian." Asking for further explanation, she replied to me, "It doesn't look like the simple work of Canute Caliste. It isn't primitive enough." Apparently she had been convinced that only the very naïve type of work was truly Grenadian art. She is sadly misinformed.

 

Visual art in its true essence gives the artist the opportunity to express his or her innermost thoughts and expressions within the context of his time and culture. This expression can take many forms - it could be representational, as in the traditional painted European format, or it could follow the impressionist movement of a hundred years ago. It could be abstract or expressionistic. Further, it may be a sculpture, tooled into being out of a piece of local hardwood. It could be an installation of found objects that is only temporarily put on display to express a particular idea or notion. More importantly, what should be expressed in the art of now is understanding where we have come from and dealing with the issues of our day, exposing our ideas, and staking claim to our own expressions as valuable in their own right. It will be influenced by the outside world, but we must understand that influence, put it into context, and not just accept it without question. What makes it Grenadian art is that the ideas and expressions are germinated within the Grenadian cultural environment. That environment may be here, or it may be in the mind of a Grenadian living anywhere in the world. It may be done by any number of foreign nationals who live in Grenada, and are influenced by the local culture. So if it is the very abstract work of Oliver Benoit, or the naïve work of Elinus Cato, it is Grenadian art.

 

Artists must be recognized as individuals who contribute to the building of Grenada's economy

 

When considering an investment into a sustainable resource, the questions that will arise are: What will be the benefit? Is this investment one that will continue to give yields far into the future?

The reality of being an artist anywhere in the world is that artists have to eat, too. Thus comes the reality that works of art must be sold to sustain the artist, to provide money for materials to continue to make art. The somewhat unique position an artist in Grenada has, is that the world comes to Grenada to vacation. And when they come and enjoy the pristine beauty of Grenada and the warmth of the Grenadian people, they wish to take a piece of that back to their home with them. They want to relive that experience in their minds again and again. A piece of art can be that bridge for them to return. Further, some tourists come to Grenada specifically for Grenada's art. Our 87-year-old gentleman painter of Carriacou, Canute Caliste, has had visitors from around the world come to visit him in his studio, after reading an article about him in a travel section of a newspaper or magazine.

 

Grenada's art has the capacity to bring many tourists to our shores. These tourists stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, and ride in taxis. In short, they spend dollars. If the resource of the visual arts is to yield greater benefit, it must be invested into, especially in the area of marketing. When foreign investors develop hotels here, it should be mandated that a percentage of the art they use to decorate their lobbies and rooms be created by Grenadian artists. What better venue for exposing Grenada's art to visitors? Further, artists themselves must be recognized as individuals who contribute to the building of Grenada's economy. Thus the same concessions given to fishermen and farmers in allowing them to bring in equipment duty free should be given to artists as they bring in their equipment and supplies. Just as the Ministry of Sports pays the exit tax for athletes when they travel to compete, the Ministry of Culture could pay the exit tax for artists when they carry an exhibit of Grenada's art to be shown abroad.

 

The issue of Grenadians collecting our own art

 

One local businessman was boasting of his terrific purchase of paintings when he was visiting Haiti. "They were so cheap" he said, "I just couldn't help it, I bought 15 of them." I am sure that the walls of his home are now bright and pretty, but what does that say for his appreciation of Grenada's art? Does he know the names of those Haitian artists? Will he follow their careers? When they are exhibited in an important world exhibition, will he know? Will that work increase in value in the future? If it does, will he be aware? Or, are they just pictures to "stick up on the wall." The money for the purchase of those paintings, no matter how "cheap," is now circulating in Haiti, not in Grenada. This isn't to say that Grenadians should not collect the works of artists of other countries, but at some point we need to consider nationalism. We suffer from the common misconception that anything from anywhere else is of better quality and more valuable than what we can get here.

 

Most of Grenada's art is being carried away from Grenada

 

In speaking with the owners of two local art galleries, I was informed that more than 90% of their sales are to tourists. This is a double-edged sword. While good economically, it also means that most of Grenada's art is being carried away from Grenada, never to be seen by the next generation. This leads to yet another investment that must be made--a permanent space for the visual arts to be displayed in Grenada. This should take the form of a National Museum for Visual Arts, including additional space for an educational component. The Grenada Art Council for the past five years has been collecting important pieces of Grenada's art with the concern that it be preserved for Grenadians. Unfortunately, the collection is in storage because of lack of an adequate facility.

 

The investment for a permanent space is a large one. Government must take the lead in such a venture. There is funding available through many sources: The Organization of American States, the European Union, the World Bank, but this must be accessed on the level of Government. This investment into a structure of such a building is in reality an investment into the potential of people. It is an investment in preserving the past for the benefit of the future.

 

The Grenada Art Council has been the only candle burning in the night for the visual arts

 

Yearly, the Grenada Art Council provides an exhibit for any artist who wishes to participate. They do this without any government subvention, but with the voluntary support of the business community and individual patrons of the arts. Often, this is the only avenue for beginning artists to display their work. It has several times taken on the monumental task of sending exhibits abroad. Grenada's art has been taken as a cultural ambassador to Barbados, The Dominican Republic, Germany, and the United States. During the 37-year history of the Council, it has at times been the only candle burning in the night for the visual arts.

 

We must invest in art and education

 

The interesting concept of considering the visual arts as a sustainable resource is that the development of human potential is not something that can be quantified in numbers or statistics. It cannot be measured in terms of how many acres will produce how many tons of bananas. It is not a pie with only so many pieces to be shared. But like agriculture and fisheries, it must be invested in. Structures must be put into place to encourage the spirit of creativity in individuals, to develop skills to execute their ideas, and to provide vehicles to exhibit their work both in Grenada and abroad. Ultimately, we must instil in a new generation a strong sense of pride of who we are as a people as expressed by our visual art. This investment must come in several areas, with education being the key. Education in the visual arts must be enhanced in the primary and secondary schools, provided via television programs, and offered through community and church groups. The investment must come from government and local businesses to buy art from local artists. The Ministry of Culture could begin to take a more active role by assigning a department for the visual arts, and budgeting for its activities. And finally, government and the private sector must join the art community to make a permanent space for Grenada's art to be preserved. This space would include the permanent exhibition of Grenada's art, as well as an educational aspect for documentation and research.

 

Art, as a sustainable resource, is exemplified by the work of Gilbert Nero. He was young, out of school, and "liming on the blocks." A local gallery owner gave him some paint and a few instructions. When Gilbert didn't have money to buy canvasses, he begged his mother for old bed sheets and he used them to paint on. Gilbert continued to come back for criticism, instruction, and help. He exhibited with the Grenada Art Council, displaying a huge painting of a fanciful insect. His large painting of sailing boats now hangs behind the bar at Secret Harbour Hotel. Art changed his life. It took him away from "the blocks" and the temptation to give in to the use of drugs; it gave him confidence, and told him that his story was important, too.

 

With or without institutions for support, artists will continue to exist in all countries, even Grenada. The question is, will the country benefit from those artists, culturally, socially, and economically? As our society develops, the need for artists to be the interpreters and the storytellers becomes even greater. I encourage our government, our schools, and our private sector to make the investment into this sustainable resource now. If you ever have to wonder if the potential is really there, just remember another storyteller of Caribbean origin. His name was Bob.

 

(Read Part 1 of the article here)

 

 

1. Abil Peralta Aguero, "Sacha Tebo: un Maestro del Caribe", Cariforum April 2001, No 4.

 

Susan Mains is an artist and writer living in Grenada. Born in the USA in 1958, she has dual citizenship for USA and Grenada. Susan lived in the Caribbean since 1970 in Barbados, Grenada, Dominica, and settled permanently in Grenada in 1992. For more information, please contact Susan at: P.O.Box 3633, St George's, Grenada. Telephone: 473-440-9772
E-mail: mains@spiceisle.com
Website: www.susanmains.com