Rock Sound Cultural Exhibition
13 March 2018 | Roadside Mural at Rock Sound
While in Rock Sound an art show opened and we had an opportunity to go to see the exhibit and the fabulous mural prepared in collaboration with five schools depicting the folklore and history of Eleuthera.
The show is a traveling exhibition sponsored by the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. TRANS: A Migration of Identity in Eleuthera includes works from some of the most famous Bahamian artists with the theme of a celebration and recognition of the Bahamian Culture, history and traditions. Among the works is a blending of Afro-Lucayan influences and the rich heritage of the islands. R. Brent Malone, one of the artists is considered the father of Bahamian Art and he has two spectacular pieces in the show. There is also the strong influence of Junkanoo in some of the paintings, bringing together the Afro-Caribbean celebrations that are deeply ingrained in the Bahamian culture.
On the street just outside the Library-Cultural Center where the exhibit is housed, the mural was erected on Queens Highway, the main street running north and south over the entire island. The mural, photo above, depicts much of the legends, history and events that are important to the island. The outline of Eleuthera is hidden within the mural. The legend of the Lady in Red, a ghost who haunts the Queens Highway, hitches a ride and mysteriously disappears as you approach her destination. Buildings on either side represent the slave ruins still remaining at Bannerman town and the slave graveyard at Millars "Big Ban" plantation just north of Bannerman town, one of the largest cotton plantations on the island. The notorious Devils Backbone reef leading to Harbor Island is depicted as the devil with coral sprouting from his back, and the Glass Window is represented by the cow and bull boulders nearby.
The legendary Mermaid of Rock Sound lives in the boiling hole, famous for boiling the water and drowning the children. To the far right the silos of the old dairy at Hatchet Bay can been seen as they exist now off the side of Queens Highway.
Besides the amazing quality of the art, the exhibition at Rock Sound is a reminder of the complex history and migration that is instilled in the Bahamas.