Students urged to learn about local art culture

TUESDAY, SEPT. 18: Dame Jennifer Smith gave students an up-close look at the St. Paul A.M.E. Church Mustard Seed Art Exhibition on Tuesday.

She told them that it was the perfect opportunity to learn about Bermuda’s art culture and to explore their own creativity.

See the Education Minister’s full remarks below:

Good morning students!

This is a wonderful occasion for you to learn about our local art culture - a learning opportunity that will allow you to appreciate the exciting world of the arts and in doing so ignite your passion and inspire you to be creative souls.

Prior to your arrival, the names of Manuel Palacio, Kenneth Burch, Antoine Hunt, Sharon Wilson and Christopher Grimes were names that were probably completely unrecognisable to you.

But I am almost certain, or at least it’s my hope – that once you finish your visit at this exhibition, you will want to learn all that you can about these incredibly talented Bermudian artists.

And maybe you might even want to be creative just like them.

Last week I told another group of young people who were starting their studies in the arts that art education is just as important as English, math and science.

When you immerse yourselves in the arts, you embark on a journey of self discovery. You are exposed to a magical world of creativity which in turn can lead to endless possibilities.

So today, as you look around and study the hard work and fruits of the dedicated artists who have created these works, I want to challenge you to aspire to put your own stamp on Bermuda’s art culture.

There is so much beauty in our surrounding community and I want each and every one of you no matter how small the contribution, to promise to make it your mission to take that beauty and interpret it in an artistic form.

Thank you.