December 6, 2024
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the designation of the City of Nassau as an official UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art. In December 2014, The Bahamas capital became one of the first two cities in the Caribbean region to be so awarded. This signal achievement resulted from the research and formal application of Creative Nassau (CN), a registered non-profit organization, which celebrates and promotes the art, culture, and heritage of The Bahamas.
The UCCN designation represents a valuable achievement, especially as The Bahamas is seeking to raise its profile in the promotion of the orange economy and in the country’s contributions to lessening the negative impact of climate change. Of importance to the national goals CN pursues, UCCN promotes cooperation among 350 member cities around the globe which have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. in seven specific fields, including Crafts & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music. Forging such connections foster learning experiences and productive friendships.
The members of Creative Nassau are well-known and respected creative practitioners in significant cultural fields and economic sectors. As a group, CN’s four leaders offer over 200 years of combined experience and expertise drawn from their respective fields. They are Pam Burnside, trained fashion designer and owner and operator of Doongalik Studios Art Gallery; Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, author, educator, cultural historian and advocate; Neko Meicholas, artist/photographer, owner and publisher of Guanima Press Limited (“Home of the Gaulin Woman”) and Rosemary Hanna, retired banker, musician, and photographer.
Over the past decade, without any subsidies, government or other funding sources, the group has made significant progress in encouraging and promoting economic development in the creative industries to increase awareness of its important role as a development engine. The group has focused intensely on the preservation, protection, and promotion of the straw culture of The Bahamas.
Membership in the UCCN has provided an efficient platform to take The Bahamas message worldwide. Over the ten years, CN members have attended Annual Conferences and meetings held in Japan, Sweden, Italy, the USA and, most recently, in Braga, Portugal where the UCCN celebrated its 20th Anniversary. During and following the pandemic, there have also been virtual participation meetings in distant lands such as Australia.
“There is an abundance of creativity in this country,” stated CN President, Pam Burnside, who with her husband, the late Jackson Burnside, an architect and cultural advocate, launched the Doongalik property with its multi-faceted offerings. Their aim was to draw more visitors to The Bahamas to enjoy the country’s arts, culture, history and heritage rather than for sun, sand, and sea alone. “Creativity is a part of the Bahamian DNA, and Creative Nassau’s goal is to “celebrate and promote Bahamian art, culture and heritage from the inside out” so that our citizens can benefit from their natural talents and share them with the world,” Mrs Burnside said.
She recalled the advances made in the 1950s, 60s and 70s which she considered the heyday of Bahamian creativity. “Displays of authentic Bahamian culture and entertainment were abundant and readily accessible. Local bands of various sizes and affiliations with masters of various instruments, along with rake ’n’ scrape groups with concertinas, carpenter’s saw, goombay drum and sometimes a guitar created a unique native sound. Bay Street and Over-the-Hill offered many night clubs and native shows for the visitors to enjoy.
Everywhere, there were master craftsmen and artisans who made a living with their hands. Prominent among them were the skilled straw plaiters and weavers throughout the islands. Many sold their trademark products in the Straw Market where native straw goods once reigned. In plying this trade, many educated their children, and built homes and businesses they could be proud of,” Pam Burnside noted.
“Doubtless, CN’s primary area of focus has been Bahamian straw craft,” stated CN Vice-President, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas. “This creative economic engine can drive our country forward sustainably once again, opening doors for underserved communities in our capital and in the Family Islands. We can thereby secure and extend the viability of this traditional industry which catapulted a heritage craft to significant heights and boosted many indigent Bahamians into the middle class.
Straw work gave many the means to start enterprises and educate their children to university level and beyond. In an independent Bahamas, many of the beneficiaries of this uplift became professionals and leaders across the social, economic and political sectors. CN has been working hard, creating partnerships, products and educational materials in support of reenergizing the industry,” Mrs Meicholas said.
Mrs Burnside provided details of CN activities and valued support, “The main strategies have sought and provided venues and opportunities for artists and artisans to market their products. The CN Pompey Square Market flourished before the COVID-19 pandemic, and Art Walk continues such opportunities in a variety of creative forms in the Marina Village at Atlantis.
“CN is also grateful to the former radio station, Island FM and its owners, the Carters, for allowing CN to freely broadcast over the airwaves for 12 years. CN members have been active in other branches of the local media and international journals to ensure that Bahamians are aware and proud of their rich and varied cultural heritage.”
Vice President Meicholas noted further: “Creative Nassau has done a variety of things towards achieving our goals set for meeting UCCN commitments. For its contribution to the Literature component, the organization launched the successful Seawords Festival in 2017. In 2023 at the Bahamas Business Outlook, which is hosted by the TCL Group, Patricia and Neko Meicholas presented on the wonderful developments in the creative industries and offered encouragement and suggestions for the way forward.
“The group’s primary thrust has been towards the re-elevation of straw craft with a viable 21st century face. To this end, CN forged a memorandum of understanding with the Forestry Unit of the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources to place on the list of protected plants the silver top palm, Coccothrinax argentata that is the primary fibre used in local straw working. Creative Nassau extols the dedicated partnership of the Forestry Unit, which has furthered CN’s role in the Pine Islands Projects over the past 5 years.
“Our group has also mounted business classes for the Red Bays Andros Artisan Association. In conjunction with their fine arts associates at home and UCCN colleagues abroad, exhibitions of Bahamian straw have been mounted at various local art galleries, notably at Doongalik, as well as internationally, and in the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) showcases.
“Creative Nassau has also developed curricula for straw plaiting and weaving classes at three levels—Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced—which have been developed and delivered at Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute and, more recently, at Doongalik Studios. Certificates have been awarded to students who have successfully completed all three levels, some with well-deserved distinction,” Mrs Meicholas said.
Pam Burnside added, “Led by Neko Meicholas, CN has developed educational, promotional, and archival materials to promote the expansion and quality of straw craft and to inform Bahamians generally of the value and opportunities that the industry offers. Such efforts have included photographic displays, pamphlets and mini documentaries. One of CN’s significant achievements in its straw work program was realized with the 2023 publication of “Straw Plaiting: Heritage Techniques for Hats, Trimmings, Bags & Baskets” written by UK researcher, Veronica Main to which all our leadership team contributed.
“Recognizing the importance of the Bahamian Straw Industry to The Bahamas’ past and present development, CN will continue to pursue its activities in this regard. As the group reflects on the journey that has brought them to their tenth Anniversary, they are indeed extremely grateful for the public’s support and encouragement of their efforts, and very proud to have arrived at this significant juncture.”
More information about Creative Nassau can be found on their website at www.creativenassau.com.
