The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas’ Director Amanda Coulson has been invited to join the International Art Advisory Council of the Davidoff Art Initiative becoming one of the official nominators for the region.

In 2012, Davidoff became an Associate Partner of Art Basel for its shows in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. In conjunction with taking that step toward a closer involvement with the world of art, in the same year they also launched the Davidoff Art Initiative.

Their ambition is to make a lasting contribution to the contemporary art field, in particular in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean region, where many of their products are cultivated and crafted.

The Davidoff Art Initiative supports contemporary art and artists in the Caribbean, strengthens art organizations in the Dominican Republic, shares knowledge and expertise about contemporary art, and fosters cultural engagement between the Caribbean and the rest of the world. They are working toward these goals through four global programme areas launching in 2013-14: the Davidoff Art Residency, Davidoff Art Dialogues, Davidoff Art Grants, and Davidoff Art Editions.

The centerpiece of the initiative is the Davidoff Art Residency, which offers residency opportunities for Dominican and Caribbean artists in selected leading artist residency programmes worldwide, as well as for international artists in the Dominican Republic. These annual residencies promise to connect today’s Caribbean art more closely with the international art world.

Source: Smith & Benjamin’s Bahamian Art & Culture Newsletter