For Amanda Coulson, Director of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, Women Artists In Particular Should Remain Vigilant About Not Being Too Easily Written Off | Jacqueline Bishop
"The thing that is always tripping us up in the Caribbean is nationalism. We need to start thinking regionally, because in fact we share a similar history, a similar legacy and a common culture. We share more in common than not, and we can learn so much from each other by pooling closer together." So maintains Amanda Coulson, who is Director of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. She continues, "The mandate of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, founded in 2003, is to preserve and promote Bahamian art. But increasingly I am finding that the term Bahamian art is quite elastic. I find myself asking questions like: What about people who have lived and worked in the country for many years but are not Bahamian citizens? What if you are married to a Bahamian and have children here and lived most of your life here? Isn't there a place for you at the table too? How can I wrap regional artists into the mix of what is Bahamian art? These are some of the thoughts that I am preoccupied with these days."