Curated by the Bahamian art historian, Simone Cambridge, It comes from the head: A Straw Heritage features the work of four artists: Tamika Galanis, Anina Major, Jodi Minnis, and Averia Wright.
Averia Wright, The Last Button on Abraham's Coat. Mixed media assemblage, dimensions variable, 2022. Collection of the Artist. Photo: Jackson Petit-Homme. Courtesy of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
Praising creativity, discipline, and commitment to artisans, plaiters, vendors, and heritage-keepers, It Comes from the Head draws inspiration from Growing Functional Arts in the Bahamas, a 1968 hand-bound volume by educator Thelma Eula Cambridge. The book explores the role of strawcraft in education and the economy, documenting its techniques, origins, and applications.
“The book on display in the archive lobby became known to me as the thesis of my grammy, Thelma Eula Cambridge,” shares curator Simone Cambridge. “Rooted in knowledge inherited from our enslaved ancestors, she recognized strawcraft as an important part of the Bahamian cultural fabric, while praising the creativity and skill she saw around her. My relationship to strawcraft motivates me to understand its contemporary manifestations from the perspective of community, family, and multi-generational legacy with a deep respect for the labor and ingenuity of Black Bahamian women.”
Strawcraft is deeply tied to Bahamian histories of identity, labor, migration, environment, tourism, colonialism, and Transatlantic Slavery. It Comes from the Head highlights the significance of straw-work as both heritage and a contemporary artistic expression.
It Comes from the Head: A Straw Heritage is on view until February 16, 2025.
National Art Gallery of Bahamas (NAGB) West Hill Street, Nassau, The Bahamas Visiting hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sundays, 12pm-5pm.
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Installation view of “It comes from the head”: A Straw Heritage at NAGB. Photo: Jackson Petit-Homme. Courtesy of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
Anina Major; Mother. Glazed stoneware, 35” x 21”, 2023. Courtesy of TERN Gallery. Photo: Jackson Petit-Homme. Courtesy of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
Installation view of the series Name Charlotte, by Tamika Galanis. Archival Ink Jet Print, Ed. 5, 16” x 23”, 2019. Courtesy of TERN Gallery. Photo: Jackson Petit-Homme. Courtesy of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
Tamika Galanis, Name Charlotte. Archival Ink Jet Print, Ed. 5, 16” x 23”, 2019. Courtesy of TERN Gallery. Photo: Jackson Petit-Homme. Courtesy of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
Jodi Minnis, Everyone's Business. Acrylic paint, hair beads, metal fencing, plaster, polyethylene tarp, straw plait, synthetic hair, dimensions variable, 2024. Collection of the Artist. Photo: Jackson Petit-Homme. Courtesy of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
Installation view with works of Averia Wright, 2022. Mixed media assemblage, dimensions variable, 2022. Collection of the Artist. Courtesy of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
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