astt 70th anniversary commemorative catalogue

70th Anniversary Exhibit ion15-30 November, 2013

2 I The Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago - 70th Anniversary Exhibition “Celebrating 70 Years of the Visual Arts” website: artsocietytt.org I 3

Dear Members and Friends of the Arts,

I have the honour to address you on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary November Members’

Group Exhibition.

This year, the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago has marked a milestone anniversary

of continuous operations and it is our hope that in this exhibition members and friends will

find resonance with our history, through the senior artists featured this year, the members’

anniversary wall and the other pieces submitted for display.

While we celebrate our survival over the years we must express our thanks to the various

Boards that have brought us thus far. We encourage our members to volunteer their time next

year and to offer themselves for election to the 2014 Board. It is likely that this will be a very

challenging year given the current status of the land lease for the property on which the Gallery

is located. Over the past year we have sought to engage all the relevant Ministries and the

Commissioner of Lands with very little success. We continue to seek to engage the relevant

Bodies and Ministries with a view to a resolution in our favour before 2015.

I extend my congratulations to all artists participating in the November group show and I

recommend this exhibition for your enjoyment.

Best regards,

Gail P Guy

President

�;A9DB;70TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

Published by the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago

Corner Jamaica Blvd, and St. Vincent Ave, Federation Park Trinidad and Tobago

Curator: Peter Sheppard

Assistant Curators: Clayton DeFreitas, G.A. Gardner

Property Manager: Fitzroy Hoyte

Administrator/Project Manager: Cynthia James Cramer

IT/Website: Ilka Hilton Clarke

Catalogue Editors: Peter Sheppard and Marsha Pearce

Graphic Design: Johnny Gonsalves - Jogo Productions Ltd.

Photography: Peter Sheppard & Ilka Hilton Clarke

Event Photographer: Ilka Hilton Clarke and James Solomon

Media Relations: Marsha Pearce

Printing Sponsorship of Invitations and Catalogues: BOSS

Other Exhibition Committee Members: Ashley Thompson, Maureen Ottier Viera,

Christopher Wilcox, Jacqueline Telfer, Tessa Alexander

Printed by SCRIP-J

© 2013, All rights reserved. No part to be reproduced without the expressed

permission of the ASTT

2013/2014 EXECUTIVE

President: Gail P. Guy

1st Vice President: Peter Sheppard

2nd Vice President: James Armstrong

Secretary: Charisse Trot Seepersad

Assistant Secretary: Clayton De Freitas

Treasurer: Reita Antoine

DIRECTORS

Tessa Alexander

Saara Gafoor Ali

Wulf Gerstenmaier

Fitzroy Hoyte

Juliana Laquis

Courtenay Williams “ex officio”

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

4 I “Celebrating 70 Years of the Visual Arts” website: artsocietytt.org The Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago - 70th Anniversary Exhibition I 5

WHERE HUMMINGBIRDS DARE

“Above all, artists must not be only in art galleries or museums. They must be present in all

possible activities. The artist must be the sponsor of thought in whatever endeavor people take

on, at every level.” – Michelangelo Pistoletto

In a nutshell, this is precisely what Carlisle Chang envisaged – a society conscious of the power

and influence of art as a means of lifting our nation out of the doldrums of third-world degradation.

His contagious love for Trinidad and Tobago transcended into a luminous sensibility, logically

consistent with our “folk-law” and our mythology, consequently evoking aesthetic awareness.

He is remembered most of all, for his thought-provoking, large-scale and epic mural entitled

“The Inherent Nobility of Man”, originally created for the Arrival Hall at Piarco International Airport

in 1962. Unfortunately, the incivility of the mindset at that time was the context in which the

mural was demolished. I had the distinct honour of recreating the mural for the Trinidad and

Tobago National Museum and Art Gallery in 2006. The mural is now housed in storage, which

seems very irreverent to me.

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In a conversation recently with some UWI art students about a study piece I created – before

attempting the recreation of Chang’s mural – one suggested that the Hummingbird figure in

the mural metaphorically represents a hummingbird hovering over a young and fertile garden,

anointing the environment with majestic pollen. Another student suggested that it encapsulates

the spirit of the artist himself gesticulating and rising out of a virgin society evolving into the future,

filled with hopeful possibilities and meaningfulness. The students described an environment in

which the hummingbird dares to fly with aspiration and expectancy. I think it is time we stop and

contemplate the role and responsibility of the Art Society in such an environment. In doing so it

is imperative that we do not blame anyone or forget the unselfish efforts of others.

Chang always understood the significance of the Art Society. He insisted that its function is

to inspire, protect and preserve the artists and creative artifacts and to persuade the nation

of the implications of the creative process. Therefore, we need to question whether we are

protecting the integrity of artists who are passionate and not encourage the intrusion of fly-

by-night hobbyists who are only interested in the commercial rewards. LeRoy Clarke, who

Chang sincerely respected, lamented: “Art is war”. I interpret that to mean that we have to

be tenacious; that we must fight and struggle relentlessly to eradicate all the negativities

of our social construct – ironically, securing meaning and purpose for the very said society

that challenges and sometimes inspires the visual artist. May Carlisle Chang’s unselfish and

passionate devotion motivate us to pursue our own course with the intention of serving others

and to cultivate a brave mindset for a people who endure in a land where hummingbirds dare.

Glenn Roopchand

November 2013

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“…for possibility to emerge there needs to be a site, a moment and a group of people…”

“…the term ‘art’…describe[s] that space in society for experimentation, questioning and

discovery that religion, science and philosophy have occupied sporadically in former times. It

has become an active space rather than one of passive observation. Therefore the institutions

to foster it have to be part community centre, part laboratory and part academy…”

– Charles Esche, art curator and writer

On September 13, 1943, Trinidad and Tobago’s Art Society was born.1 It would be a fresh

site for the arts, in the wake of the dissolution of the group known as the Society of Trinidad

Independents,2 within an increasingly urgent moment of forging a national community. The arts

were seen as having powerful shaping force in a move toward autonomy and self-articulation.

Thirteen people were in attendance at the inaugural meeting of the Art Society: J. Algernon

Wharton, C. Palmer Chizzola, F.D. Gray, Andrew Carr, Alice Pashley, R. Johnstone, O.T. Faulkner,

B.J. Bedell, E.C. Legge, Amy Leong Pang, Anne Henderson, Sybil Atteck and Patricia Atteck.

With this group of people, this moment of growing self-determination and the newly formed

site emerged a possibility for fostering the development of artists and visual arts practice in

Trinidad and Tobago.

"�H>�þCC?I;FG8FLThe Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago

Looking Back, Looking Forward

1. In 1943 – before the islands of Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from Britain and before they became a twin-island Republic Nation – the Society was founded as the Trinidad Art Society. In 2004, a decision was taken to rename it the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago.

2. The group of painters, poets and writers known as the Society of Trinidad Independents was established in 1929. Its members included such artists as Amy Leong Pang, Alice Pashley and Hugh Stollmeyer. The group disbanded in 1938.

Members of the Trinidad Art Society are seen preparing for the annual exhibition – 1951.

Karl Broodhagen helps with a sculpture.Sybil Atteck

Opening of the first November exhibition of the Trinidad Art Society held at the Royal Victoria Institute.

Trinidad Art Society exhibition of foreign paintings and sculpture together with works by Cazabon

– 1953.

Row 1 (L-R)1. Jessica Henry2. Althea Bastien3. Mumtaz Persad4. Christopher Wilcox5. Sharon Burford6. Kavita Ojah Maharaj7. Anton Hadaway8. Neala Bhagwansingh9. Madiha Farag Miller10. Marrisa Ramdeen

Row 2 (L-R)11. Sarah Burrows12. Rachel Lee Young13. Suelin Low Chew Tung14. Shenel Ramnarine15. Linda Kowlessar16. Anton Hadaway17. Shannon Hutchinson18. Donna Tull19. Kristine Ng Foon20. Richard Rawlins

Row 3 (L-R)21. Compton Welch22. Robert Ramkissoon23. Anthony Timothy24. Candice Sobers25. Pat Farrell-Frederick26. Laura Bortouisso Welch27. Reita Antoine28. Gregory Williams29. Dianne Job30. Latoya Tidd

Row 4 (L-R)31. Compton Welch32. Margot Tidd33. Gabriella D’Abreau34. Garth Duncan35. Latoya Tidd36. GA Gardner37. Gabriella D’Abreau38. Clayton DeFreitas39. Donna Mae Clarke40. Kristine Ng Foon

Row 5 (L-R)41. Mary Adam42. Marsha Bhagwansingh43. Danielle Duboulay44. Carla Louis45. Daniella Walcott46. Margot Tidd47. Roxanne DeFreitas48. Kathy Ann Perkins49. Margaret Sheppard50. Joan Moore

Row 6 (L-R)51. Beverly Fitzwilliam Harries52. Sarah Burrows53. Jackie Hinkson54. Ayodele Roseman55. Cynthia James Cramer56. Fitzroy Hoyte57. Pat Farrell Frederick58. Peter Sheppard59. Corneila Silson60. Rachel Lee Young

Row 7 (L-R)61. Bunty O’Connor62. Sherron Harford63. Karen Hale Jackson64. Waheeda Ramnath65. James Solomon66. Shireen Ali67. Ilka Hilton Clarke68. Beverly Fitzwilliam Harries69. Wulf Gerstermaier70. Tessa Alexander


70th ANNIVERSARY WALL

“Celebrating 70 Years of the Visual Arts” website: artsocietytt.org I 11

According to art curator and writer Charles Esche, institutions that nurture art must be

part community centre, part laboratory and part academy. Early efforts by the Art Society

demonstrate the institution’s connection to processes of experimentation, teaching and

learning, as well as its role as a hub or centre for a Caribbean community. The dawn of the

Society was quickly characterised by a commitment to education. For example, in 1944, the

Art Society organised lectures on anatomy, oil techniques, architectural expression and the

principles of angular perspective. In 1945, classes focused on the topics of modern painting,

Asian craftsmanship, photography and etching. By 1947, art sessions devoted to children were

established and a small library was set up through the donation of books by the British Council

and other benefactors. In 1956, Alfred Codallo led classes on watercolours, Carlisle Chang gave

lessons on design, Colin Laird facilitated a look at art and everyday living and Sybil Atteck taught

contour drawing. In 1960 there were panel discussions on national art forms and the choices

made by art collectors. Oswald Chase served as an instructor in studio sessions on colour

theory and Barbadian artist Karl Broodhagen shared skills in sculpture. Tutors were invited from

the U.S. and other Caribbean islands.

The Society was also, arguably, a kind of lab. Its exhibitions, most notably its November

show, became spaces to see artists testing visual languages, challenging the boundaries of

rendering form and investigating approaches. In the November exhibition of 1949, Sybil Atteck

presented a painting of a Picasso-like head, which as cultural researcher Hans Guggenheim

observes, “seemed too extreme to critics, the public and even to other artists, who rejected its

possibilities...” Guggenheim pinpoints other visual trailblazers like Laird and Chase, whose works

introduced styles in the Art Society exhibitions. He also recognises the experimental practices

of M.P. Alladin, Alexis Ballie, George Lynch, Holly Gayadeen and Samuel Ishak. In particular,

Guggenheim acknowledges the contribution of Carlisle Chang. He writes:

With the exhibition of works and a commitment to training in the arts, a sense of community was

soon discernible. The Art Society was a nucleus for worthwhile interactions and exchanges, with

artists from such places as St. Lucia, Jamaica and Barbados sending work to be exhibited. In a

reciprocal gesture, works by members of the Society were also sent for display at exhibitions

in other islands. Over the years, what was conceived as a space of promise has nourished, in a

number of ways, the art sphere in Trinidad and Tobago but we cannot deny that the institution’s

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Of great importance in the [Art Society] exhibitions were the paintings exhibited

by Carlisle Chang...Chang’s paintings became the jumping-off point for a

number of young artists, who rapidly began to adapt his techniques to their

own purposes... When Chang began to work out a complete break-through

to abstract painting...the opportunity was given for others to explore the

possibilities of this field.


history is interwoven with disenchantment. The Art Society has not existed without receipt of

documented criticism for its support and promotion of unimaginative and clichéd work. It has

also been condemned at one time or another for a perceived toothlessness – charged with

lacking voice in advancing the arts. Some might insist that there is now a gap between the

Society and the notion of possibility for art in our local milieu. ��

Yet today, many decades later, the ingredients - a site, a moment and a group of people - for

possibilities for visual arts and creative practitioners are still available to us. With its membership

in the hundreds, the Art Society remains a prevailing site or locus for art with a large body

of people as a potentially effective, paradigm-shifting force. There is also latent opportunity

in the present moment. The Art Society’s seventieth anniversary constitutes a vital time for

reflection and assessment - to look back but to also cast our eyes in the direction of the future.

What valuable prospects for the arts might this moment, this site and this group of people -

taken together - make tangible? If art is an active space for experimentation, questioning and

discovery then we cannot rest comfortably, apathetically - passively. Let us pose the tough

questions, dare to challenge old formulas, destabilise restrictive ways of thinking and devise

and pursue trajectories that will see the visual arts as an ever-powerful, indispensible part of the

forward march of our Trinbagonian society.

Dr. Marsha Pearce

November 2013

References

Chang, Carlisle. “Painting in Trinidad.” http://artsocietytt.org. Web. Accessed October 4, 2013.

Esche, Charles. “What’s the Point of Art Centres Anyway? – Possibility, Art and Democratic Deviance.”

http://www.republicart.net/disc/institution/esche01_en.htm (2004). Web. Accessed September 18,

2013.

Guggenheim, Hans. “Twenty-one Years of Painting at T.A.S. Exhibition.” http://artsocietytt.org/

publications.html. Web. Accessed September 15, 2013.

“Trinidad Art Society 21st Anniversary and 1964 Annual November Exhibition,” http://artsocietytt.org/

publications.html. Web. Accessed September 15, 2013.

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The three sculptures above are characters from Africa, Asia and Europe. From Africa he comes, with his misshapen

foot like a boat or a heavy iron, through his forest portal. From Europe, on horseback with spear he comes, through

the triangle gateway, the shape of change. From Asia, she flies like a bird migrating across the continents, through

the archway of yin and yang, spirit of the East. They come together in the New World to bring to life a new people,

synthesis of the Old.

About the photograph: In 2006, I did my first photo essay about the Singh family of St James, with the aim of satisfying

my curiosity about this family’s effort to return Divali to St James. Last month, I revisited the story, to rediscover what

had happened over the last seven years. This image, one of several that documents the process the family follows to

create a Divali presentation that embraces their community, shows the event at its peak: Ethel Street full of the visitors

who have come to experience this remarkable act of generosity and faith.

ASTT-EPOS RENAISSANCE OF THE HILL

Members of the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago are assisting primary schools in East Port

of Spain with a pilot visual arts project which is intended to improve the skills of the youngsters

and also instil self confidence and positive attitudes.

The project evolved from a request made to the ASTT by the principal of Hokett Baptist

Primary School. A small group of five artists responded in the first instance. This matter was

further raised with the executive of the ASTT and it was agreed that a sub-committee should

be established to develop and expand the assistance. The project was expanded to include

Success RC Primary School and the Laventille Boys Primary School. Approximately a dozen

ASTT members have since joined in providing assistance to the schools. In addition, a number

of members and non-members have devoted their time to supporting motivational activities

for these students, including the showing of films and readings from age-appropriate materials.

The East Port of Spain Company has since joined the ASTT as a partner in this endeavour and

has agreed to engage the services of a part-time coordinator. The EPOS Company has also

been providing some materials and logistical support for holiday workshops. The Company has

also produced a 2013 Calendar showcasing art works of some of the participants. ASTT and

the EPOS Company have also supported guided field trips for the students to visit exhibitions at

the Museum and the ASTT Gallery. UWI has also been documenting some of the sessions and

has expressed an interest in becoming a partner.

A major constraint to this initiative has been a lack of human and material resources. Efforts are

being made to strengthen the project in order to accommodate additional schools.

James Armstrong

November 2013

THE ODYSSEY OF HOPE

This highly anticipated documentary stars Trinidad legends Tito Lara, Willy Lara, the Lara Brothers Band, the Blue Devils of Paramin and 80-year old activist and Traditional Mas costume maker Senor Gomez.

Showing rare footage of art forms in Trinidad. “The Odyssey of Hope” is about finding voice and finding freedom within your life.

Director Janine Fung’s narration of her identity as a Canadian, fifth-generation Trinidadian Chinese is interwoven throughout this poetic and poignant documentary about stories that are universal, stories that talk of death, adversity, unconditional love, power and getting back up when knocked down.

“The Odyssey of Hope” presents a view of Trinidad, the world has never seen before.

LEROY CLARKE: A CHIEF AMONG MEN?

Type: Documentary short

Director: Jacquie Thompson

Year: 2013

Running Time: 55 min.

Painter, poet… obeah man? This film is a portrait of the life and times of LeRoy Clarke, arguably one of the great modern Caribbean artists. In this, his jubilee year, the film sheds light on the mystery behind the man who proudly proclaims to be the best at what he does.

About the Director:Jacquie Thompson is a filmmaker in her final year of a BA in Media and Communications degree. This is her debut as a documentary film director.

FILM NIGHTSATURDAY 23rd, NOVEMBER, 20137:00pm


þ9@CDJA;:=;B;CHGARNIM’S FRAMING SOLUTIONS CO. LTD.

SIMON ABOUD - SIGN POST

BRIAN PILLAI - PILLAIS HARDWARE

DAVID FRANCO & GILL FLEMMIN - A.S. BRYDENS AND SONS

BOBBY CAMPBELL - BOSS

SCRIP J

AMER HAIDAR - ANSA MCAL

CORNELIA SILSON

DALE RAMIREZ - DRINK BISTRO & LOUNGE

SELBY WOODING - QC, ESTATE OF CARLISLE CHANG

ASTT MEMBERS ON THE 70th ANNIVERSARY WALL &

THE 70th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION COMMITTEE

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:

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20 I “Celebrating 70 Years of the Visual Arts” website: artsocietytt.org

The Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago I Address: Jamaica Blvd., and St Vincent Avenue, Federation ParkEmail: [email protected] I Telephone: (868) 622-9827 I Website: artsocietytt.org

astt 70th anniversary commemorative catalogue

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