Awesome News Awaits You Within

so i started to notice a pattern in my life- when i’m a hair’s breath away from moving onto the next big stage of my life, something happens that will benefit those behind me. when i left primary school, they renovated the hot assembly hall grades 1 thru 6 gathered in each morning, changed the floors and added a stage and A/C. when i left high school the long-rumoured cafeteria came into existence [as an alumnus at the time though, i did get to go to the opening and eat for free though, so that was a plus]. and finally, at my final week of being a COB student before graduation, the long-awaited Performing Arts Centre [that took my enitire tenure at that institution to be renovated!] was finally completed and open for the public for the 1st year art students to fully enjoy having their work displayed in. it’s been amusing bad luck, actually, and i’ve always wondered if that cycle would break.

ladies and gents, it has been SHATTERED. here’s how.

fellow artist/Queen’s College High School alumnus Jonathan Murray has invited me- along with nine older/more seasoned visual artists- to participate in this year’s “Transforming Spaces” tour and exhibition!

Transforming Spaces is an annual event held back home in the capital [Nassau] where various art galleries, spaces and studios open their doors and tours are conducted to each of them. local artists either show of a small portion of their work [like legendary artist Malcolm Rae], combine the chance to showcase their students’ work as well [like my art tutor and Canadian Kim Smith], or use the chance to participate in special exhibitions specifically for Transforming Spaces [like my mentor John Cox and his gallery POPOPstudios does on occasion]

i ADORE Transforming Spaces. firstly, i think it’s a wonderful way to show off the talent of Bahamian artists. i participated a few years ago as a tour guide and it was a rewarding experience because i managed to learn a lot more about those who’ve already established themselves as art pioneers. and it also gave me a good idea of what i’d have to do in order to crush them all.

well, this year, Transforming Spaces is gonna have a special exhibition entitled A SUDDEN AND VIOLENT CHANGE. i’m not gonna share too much on the idea of what the topic sprung from [cuz that in itself is like a full scale article], but the gist of the project is that 10 super-awesome local writers will write an essay, poem, or short story based on this theme, and the visual artists [aka ME!] will be tasked to reinterpret the pre-determined piece to work together like a diptych. we’ll be getting our pieces at the end of this month, and i’ll have 5 weeks to work at it.

the face that jonathan wanted me to work on this is humbling in itself, but when i see who ELSE is working on this project, i get a little starry-eyed. the guys enlisted on this are nothing short of fucking INCREDIBLE illustrators, painters, conceptualists and are just on another plane of artistic badassery, in my book. to have my name with them is crazy. it shouldn’t be happening. me, fresh-faced, still schooling, barely-legal ME? in the same league as these guys? you gotta be shittin’ me.

i am SO GONNA ROCK THIS.