Heino Schmid and Keva Fawkes, one of the three 2011 junior resident artists, discuss her ideas for refurbishing Popop’s rear entrance passageway and backyard, which are currently often used as a heavy-duty work areas.

Keva prepared a preliminary sketch outlining ways to beautify the area.

Summer intern Rashad Adderley works on a new kitchen table for the recently refurbished Popop kitchen.

Popop founder John Cox and curator Heino Schmid are in New York with the 2011 junior resident artists on an art-intensive 10-day trip which promises to be a fun-filled, educational experience. The group returns on July 28, 2011.

(Photos by June Collie and Amy Collins)

The Waterloo Center for the Arts is thrilled  to announce it will be hosting an exhibition and symposium featuring the Master Artists of the Bahamas this Fall.

Meet the artists and learn from them and other scholarly presenters during the exhibition opening and 2-day symposium. These artists are finding their voice, sharing their unique identities, and connecting with the world in the art that will be featured.

Exhibition and Symposium – October 14 & 15, 2011 Exhibition opening, featuring artist gallery talks and Symposium, featuring a gala opening, scholarly presentations, and cultural celebrations of art, food and music.

Experience  Bahamian life and culture through the art of the country’s leading artists.

From intuitive to trained, the Master Artists of the Bahamas’ works range from easel paintings to mixed media installations and  environments.

Featured in this exhibition and symposium are artists Amos Ferguson, Kendal Hanna, Max Taylor, Brent Malone, Dave Smith, Eddie  Minnis, Stan Burnside, Jackson Burnside, Antonius Roberts, John Beadle and John Cox.

This project supported in part by the Bahamian Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the United States Embassy, Nassau Bahamas, the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, Island Films, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, City of Waterloo Hotel-Motel Tax Fund, the Friends of the Art Center, and the Iowa Arts Council, a Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Left to right: Phoebe Luk, D. Wells, Kendal Hanna, Dylan Rapillard, Bettina Furnee, Katrina Cartwright and Cris.

Bettina Furnee left the Bahamas today having completed her residency at Popopstudios. Bettina has been participating in an Artist’s Exchange Programme via the Ipswich & Colchester Museums & A Fine Line, for the ‘Stories of the World’ Programme set up for the London 2012 Cultural Olmpiad.

During her stay at Popop she conducted a poll on material culture, produced two short stop-motion films and participated in a workshop which led to a short story being written to accompany one of the films.

The artists at Popopstudios enjoyed having her in the community and are sad to see her go. Bon voyage Bettina and best wishes.

Dylan, Steven, Khia, Kaychelle, Phoebe and Bettina

Bettina Furnee, working on her stop motion film at Adelaide Beach.

Attention Writers and Filmmakers!

Bettina Furnee is at Popopstudios Center for the Visual Arts this summer on a residency exchange between Colchester & Ipswich Museum and the Bahamas.

Bettina uses language in her work and is interested in story telling and Bahamian identity. Over the last week she has been working on a 3 minute long stop motion film, shot at Adelaide beach, showing a silver tent drifting away on the tide.

In collaboration with The Hub, she has the following proposal for interested parties (In consideration of time constraints, up to fifteen people will be accepted)

Bettina asks: “I wonder if Bahamian writers would be interested in getting together and writing a short story (this can be in any format: commentary, free association, dialogue, confession, rant, polemic, fiction) to accompany the film, which could be read aloud and (possibly) become the soundtrack to the film?”

The film will be screened on:

Thursday, July 21, 2011 7:00pm at The Hub

Refreshments will be provided

Each participant should have pen and paper ready to produce a piece of writing that can be read in approximately 3 minutes.

After the writing period participants will be invited to read their story, which Bettina would like to record at that time.

We estimate the workshop to take less than two hours total. A bottle of something tasty will be offered to the best story of the night.

If you are interested in participating, please respond to director@thehubbahamas.org​ and a spot will be reserved for you on a first-come-first-serve basis.

For more information about this project please attend:

The Writing Life: Writing for the Screen Monday, July 18, 2011 7:00pm at The Hub

This forum hosted by The Bahamas Writers Summer Institute will be discussing screenwriting with several accomplished Bahamian filmmakers.

Bettina Furnee will be there as an audience member if you would like to meet her before or after the event.

Popopstudios welcomes Jan Elliot and Sarah McClean for a short-term residency as they work towards the completion of a textile-art/quilting project inspired by a conversation with the recently deceased Jackson Burnside.

More will be revealed about this project in the weeks to come.