DOONGALIK STUDIOS ART GALLERY NEWSLETTER

June 2016 Volume 10 Issue 6Its Poinciana June!!

20 Village Road Open Mon - Wed 10am 4pm

P.O. Box N-1207 Nassau, Bahamas Tel (242) 394.1886 Email: pam.burnside@doongalik.com
Website: www.doongalik.com We are also on Facebookfacebook.com/doongalik
PROMOTING THE VISION: By the Year 2020 more visitors will be attracted to The Bahamas by Bahamian Art,
Culture and Heritage than by sun, sand and sea.

THE ROAD - Joint Exhibition featuring Robert Elliott Johnson &

Dwight Ferguson to open Friday, June 24 from 6pm9pm
The Roada unique joint exhibition

Of Prophecy in Elizabeth Estates. Married

for 23 years to Pamela Miller Ferguson
and the father of two teenagers, Dhurai &
Dhuranique, he is a businessman, selftaught abstract artist and motivational
speaker.

A well-known poet of the 1970s

whose work has been a staple on
the national syllabus for the BJC and
BGCSE exams for many years,
Johnson happily decided to awaken
from his long hiatus to reacquaint
the Bahamian public with his writing.
Johnson, a former high level Business and Marketing Executive and
COB Lecturer, presently employed
with The Counsellors Limited (TCL)
as the Sales Coordinator and Producer of the You and Your Money
television series, invited his friend
and mentor Pastor Dwight L. Ferguson to join him for a very special
reason.

Having recently completed advanced studies in Pastoral Ministries and is currently

studying Art Therapy with The Edna Manley School of the Visual and Preforming
Arts in Jamaica he considers himself a
community minded pastor who loves people, all things related to Crooked Island,
poetry, herbal tea, folk music (especially
Joseph Spence) and playing squash.

of poetry and sculpture will open on

Friday, June 24 from 6-9pm featuring the poetry of Robert Elliott Johnson and the sculptures and paintings
of Dwight Ferguson.

In a frank discussion with Gallery

owner, Pam Burnside, Johnson and Ferguson explained the
impetus for the upcoming show: Dwight and I met approximately 20 years ago when I was going through one of my darkest
periods. He was familiar with my work, but our paths had never
crossed. Ironically we met on East Street the topic of one of
my best known poems. He was a source of encouragement for
me, and conversely I was a source of inspiration to him. Dwight
had a front row seat to observe my highs and lows, and as
things improved in my life, we continued to be close friends.
Though my church base is at Macedonia Baptist, I am also a
regular visitor at his church.
Dwight was a creative artist in his own right, and eventually we
decided to do a group show. It is called The Road both in deference to the title of my book of poetry, but also because the
road is where we became acquainted.
Ferguson has been one of Johnsons stalwart supporters. Pastor Dwight Ferguson is the Senior Pastor of the Church Of God

I started dabbling in art twenty five years

ago as a way to relax and to vent my
thoughts, ideas and feelings. I consider art
a spiritual and healing experience as the
creative process provides me with clarity of
thought, direction and purpose. I love to
experiment with texture and movement,
and find that using unconventional materials for my sculptures help me to express
my feelings. I also find that recycling discarded materials in my work imbues them with a sense of beauty and
purpose. I have held various group shows over the years but I consider this exhibition with Robert at Doongalik my most meaningful show
because I feel as if I have arrived and have a voice. My hope is that
my artwork connects with the viewer, inspires them and provides them
with a sense of peace.
The public is also invited to attend an Artists Talk on Friday, July 1
from 6-8pm when Johnson will read selections from his poetry book
and engage in discussion with his audience. The exhibition will remain
on display until Tuesday, July 12.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

THE ROAD JOINT EXHIBITION
ITS GROWING PHOTOS
NEWS & CREATIVE NASSAU

1
2
3

ELKINO DAMES & HIS STUDENTS EXHIBITION OPENS WITH QUITE A SPLASH
Art patrons, supporters and well-wishers packed the Gallery for the Its Growing Opening!

THE 2016 ART SUPPLY DRIVE IS OFFICIALLY

OPENArtwork from the students of the 2015 recipient schools is now on display at the National
Art Gallery. Please stop by to see the Exhibition!
ASD thanks Elkino Dames
for donating his painting
entitled Unity for a Silent
Auction with proceeds to
aid the Drive. His school
was the first recipient to
receive supplies three years
ago!

FIRST CURLYFEST EVENT HELD AT

DOONGALIK Hundreds of patrons spent the day
enjoying this new natural hair faira great success!!

It has certainly been a busy month for Creative Nassau on the airwaves! We hosted special guests: the newly knighted Sir Charles
Carter, cultural warrior and owner of our home radio station Island
102.9 FM, and later presented him with a copy of our newly
launched Straw Documentary DVD, followed by Management Consultant Donald Demeritte. Then we were guests on Eddie and Sannies Morning Boil Show followed by Pams appearance on
Connections with Lester Cox and Sue Black!