On April 24th the Public Treasury Art Program (PTAP) announced the names of the Bahamian male artists who have been mentoring high school students over the past few weeks in preparation for its five-month exhibition, Nurturing Brotherhood. The Public Treasury invites the general public to the opening reception on May 18th where each artist will showcase their work alongside their student.

“We are pleased to begin a program that focuses on bridging generational gaps and engenders an appreciation for relationship building, collaboration, and creative independence beyond the traditional artistic culture”, says exhibition coordinator, Keisha Oliver.

This year’s mentors include several visual artists and sculptors, a photographer and a ceramicist; twelve of which are based in Nassau, three in Grand Bahama, one in Abaco, and one in Atlanta, Georgia.

Artist Kishan Munroe feels, “The initiative is a much needed catalyst for the reclamation of the endangered male soul, simultaneously fostering a legacy of artistic excellence, fraternity and creative vision.”

Over the next few weeks leading up to the opening of ‘Nurturing Brotherhood’ PTAP will run a spotlight feature on each artist and their recent work on its blog and social media pages.

Participating Artists include:
Allan Wallace, Andret John, Anthony Morley, Damaso Gray, Desmond Darville, Dion Lewis, Ellery Deveaux, Jace McKinney, Kenon Grant, Kishan Munroe, Lou Lihou, Omar Richardson, Scharad Lightbourne, Sheldon Saint, Shieko Hoyte, and Zyandric Jones

Cover Image by Allan Wallace © 2012

Last fall I had the privilege of working with the Public Treasury Department to plan the launch of its new art initiative, the Public Treasury Art Program (PTAP), which transformed the foyers of its building into gallery spaces to showcase original art by both professional and emerging artists.

After our well received five-month inaugural exhibition ‘Bahama Mama’, an amalgamation ofvisual and literary works from twenty-five talented Bahamian female artists and writers, PTAP will be returning this May with an exciting new exhibition, ‘Nurturing Brotherhood’. PTAP aims to build upon its reputation for empowering aspiring artists by allowing art students to take center stage of the creative arts industry.

‘Nurturing Brotherhood’ will not only exhibit work from some of the most talented men in The Bahamas, but also mark the beginning of a promising mentorship program. In an effort to unify the young male Bahamian community through the arts, PTAP has paired both professional artists and designers with high school students to produce a body of work that they will exhibit alongside each other.

PTAP invites the general public to attend the opening of the exhibition on Friday, May 18th 2012 to support these young men and their journey that serves as creative building blocks for the future of our nation’s young men.

For updates on the exhibition and participating artists visit PTAP online:                                           Twitter  |  Facebook  |  www.ptapbahamas.blogspot.com