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Oct. 16, 2004 - Artists by definition are people of vision.
Residents of St. Croix should be pleased with the vision
of artists in Frederiksted and their efforts to make that
vision a reality.
On Saturday afternoon, between the boarded-up and decaying
building on King Street and the piles of construction
dirt on Strand Street, there was a courtyard where creativity
reigned.
On display in the courtyard and in a couple of the almost-finished
rooms of the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts was
the work of 30 local artists.
Jymmy B. Dunn, an artistic design consultant and one of
the organizers, said, "We were pleasantly surprised.
We put out a call for artists and the response was great."
The response of the public was not so great. As Dunn looked
around the courtyard, he said that a few minutes earlier
when there had been about a half dozen patrons strolling
the courtyard, "that was as busy as it got. Maybe
more will come later when it is cooler."
The exhibit was part of Artful Weekend in Frederiksted.
The artwork was to remain on display until 6 p.m.
The various artists' mediums included pen and ink drawings,
pottery, mahogany sculpture, photography, watercolors,
acrylics, shell design, fabric and even Mocko Jumbie dolls.
Saturday evening two locally produced films were to be
shown.
The first film, "Once Upon a Time, A Story About
Education in the Virgin Islands," features community
activities and long-time educator Delta Dorsch. Students
who attended a film institute this summer sponsored by
the museum produced it.
The second film is "Langemuir's World." Langemuir
was a contemporary of Albert Einstein and a notable scientist
in his own right. He won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
His grandson Roger Summerhayes, who presently teaches
at Country Day School, produced this film. The weekend
events were to help raise funds for the Caribbean Museum.
Candia Atwater Shields, president of the museum board,
said the group came into possession of the building and
courtyard last November, when someone "who believes,"
as she put it, purchased the building and gave the group
a 20-year lease.
Shields sees more film institutes, more exhibits and a
lot of other things in the museum's future.
The goal is for the museum to have a permanent collection
of fine Caribbean art in November 2005.
In addition, by the beginning of next year a couple of
studios should be open in the museum. Two will be attached
to apartments. Shields said artists will be invited from
around the world, and, in exchange for the opportunity
to stay, they will be asked to teach adult and children's
classes. Two other studios will be available for use by
local artists.
Dunn said Saturday's event was "experimental,"
just to see how it would work. He added that there will
be another in about six months, and it might be scheduled
to coincide with a visit from a cruise ship.
Shields said the event would have benefited if the group
could have had its phone and fax installed earlier. She
said, "We didn't get the phone and fax until yesterday."
by Don Buchanan
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