Central Bank Visual Arts Festival Awards 2018

Celebrations are in order

Here is the video to check out

Well, it doesn't happen every day, and when it does, it is a cause for celebration.  I was blessed to have won a 'Best in Show Award and an 'Incentive Award' at the Central Bank Crop Over Visual Arts Festival.

The Visual Arts Exhibition is on every year as part of the Crop Over Celebrations in Barbados.  It show cases talent around the islands and the exhibition takes place across 2 venues - The Queens Park Gallery and 

the Courney Blackman Grand Salle

Here I am with some of the award winners and the Minister of Culture John King (5th from the left).

Here are some of the Artists that won an award for their work

I was very proud to stand up with the artists who won an award

Check out Barbados Visual Arts Events for the latest in What's happening on the Art Scene.  A new issue comes out each month listing all the galleries and events around the island and profiling the many talented artist.  It is published by artist Corrie Scott a talented artist herself, and she does a great job in pulling together all the information.  

This mixed media piece on show at the Courtney Blackman Grand Salle is called Hunters Journey/Tale, made of clay and fabric.  This piece tells the story of life, truths, challenges, emotions, change and love that we find on our journey.  There is no final destination but the work in progress, and how we choose to tell our stories.

Best In Show Award - Hunters Journey/Tale - Amanda Trought/Springer

Art work the Queens Park Gallery include my Forgotten Stories Series

Incentive Award - Forgotten Stories Collection - Amanda Trought/Springer

Forgotten Stories Series

I started creating the series a while back and spent a lot of time selecting fabric and hand painting the fabric using a variety of acrylics, fabric paints and later on embellishments. 

The idea behind the series is the forgotten stories that would traditionally be handed down as you sit around a fire, or people would gather round the village stories tellers.  I also wanted them to capture the essence of a short story that I had written where a young girl accompanies her mother to a fabric store and the owner begins to share how far the fabric has travelled.

With each pattern having a meaning. These stories tells of the kings and queens, the travelers of the land, carrying spices, and precious jewels across sand dunes, forests and seas.

The symbols tells of the strength the technology and skills that were the cornerstone of populations

Charting the journey of the different tribes, showing the gifts the abilities that resides unto this day.

Once each panel was complete I began to add the beading and embellishments to decorate.  I will be sharing a video of the making and a bit more information in the next few days.

Forgotten Stories - Blue

I love the way the pieces turned out and the color mixes.

My pieces tell their story and will inspire you to share yours.  Art for me is about how we use it to express our ideas, thoughts - our truth and is a tool that can bring a voice to every situation.

I hope that you are able to see all the Art work at the Central Bank Crop Over Visual Arts Exhibition at the Courtney Blackman Grand Salle and the Queens Park Gallery, and the work inspires you to own a piece of art and do something creative yourself.