The National Gallery is pleased to present the Guyana Women Artists’ Association’s (GWAA) celebration of its 25th annual exhibition at Castellani House, Vlissengen Road.
Recent and retrospective works by 12 current members of the association, joined by a young guest artist, present a range of styles and images: from atmospheric views of Guyana’s interior landscapes and interpretations of Caribbean scenes and memories, to textile art featuring collage with social commentary, batik, hand painting and printing, macro photography, pen and ink and graphite drawings, and tableaus of dried flowers, leaves and grasses.
Formed in September 1987, the GWAA held its first landmark exhibition, celebrating “Sixty Years of Women Artists in Guyana”, in April 1988, with three leading artists given special tribute and focus – the painter and teacher, and first GWAA president, Marjorie Broodhagen, pioneering ceramist and painter Stephanie Correia, and painter and ceramist Leila Locke.
In the intervening years the annual events have included three exhibitions abroad, and more recently participation in other cultural events and observances, such as International Women’s Day, Carifesta X (Guyana) and XI (Surinam) and Inter-Guianas Cultural Festivals.
In the current exhibition, O’Donna Allsopp, founding member of the association and participant of the first exhibition, is joined by younger artists, many of whom are full-time artists or artist/teachers, such as Jennifer Gibson and Lori-Ann Jacobs; others pursuing full-time careers in public administration, such as Sharon Jordan, Beverly Reynolds and Myrna Bernard, while some, like Reynolds and Gibson, are expatriates from the Caribbean or elsewhere who join the organization and contribute to its changing profile and renewed vibrancy.
Notable too are recent graduates in art – Jacobs from the University of Guyana; Dominique Hunter and Aiesha Scottland, Best Graduating Students of 2007 and 2010 respectively, from Burrowes School of Art. The association therefore continues to form a focus for the energies and aspirations of women artists wishing to lead a creative life and to further contribute to the cultural life of Guyana.
The exhibition was opened to the public October 25 and continues until November 16. Gallery hours are 10:00 hours to 17:00 hours Monday to Friday and 14:00 hours to 18:00 hours on Saturday; the gallery is closed on Sundays and holidays. The public is cordially invited to visit this exhibition. Admission is free. (Photos and press release by Castellani House)
