f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013

Art and Craft
The exhibition is particularly beautiful
at night, under a newly installed lighting
system. The walls, previously advertisement
billboards, now provide a one-stop spot for
local art.
The exhibition is different to traditional
mural art. Each piece was not painted
directly on the wall. Instead, each was
photographed, enlarged and transferred
to a canvas that was stretched across a
twenty-by-thirty-foot aluminium frame. This
display technique allows a new collection
to be mounted every six to eight months,
ensuring that the project exposes as many
local artists as it can.
Courtenay Williams, president of the
Trinidad and Tobago Art Society, supports
this innovation. He says, “The Art Society
has been very concerned about the lack of
public art in Trinidad and Tobago. Public
art in its truest sense is art created for
display in a public setting, like statues
or murals or frescoes etc. Whilst this art
was not created specifically as public art
in the traditional sense, the fact that it
employed the technique of enlargement for
use in a public space was something which
we could have been happy to be part of
because it met a crying need.”
The project was created and is wholly
sponsored by corporate T&T. In 2007,
local company, the Label House Group,
approached advertising agency, Advantage
Advertising, regarding a creative way to
advertise on the Oval’s walls. The agency
conceived the idea of a People’s Canvas
and approached the local Art Society, which
commissioned the featured artists. Each
artist was paid a copyright for use of his
original work.
Although the average Trinidadian is
hardly familiar with the featured local artists,
the project hopes to promote them and
encourage the public to better appreciate
local talent. Williams says, “It is a way to
make art accessible to all and not to have
its beauty closeted within boardrooms and
bedrooms and their exclusive occupants.”
The project not only exposes established
artists but also exhibits the work of budding
artists. In 2008, the project’s coordinators
invited unknown artists to submit entries on
the theme—Love, Peace or Harmony. They
chose eight winning entries that are now
featured on the wall adjacent to Havelock
Street.
One of the winning artists is 24-year-old
Laura Ferreira. It appears that artistic talent
runs in the family because her mother,
Carolina Ferreira, also won a spot on the
wall.
Laura’s winning piece is washed in
vibrant greens, yellows and browns and
portrays her niece playing with an iguana.
She explains, “It depicts innocence and
freedom, and basically was what came to
mind when I thought of the competition’s
title.”
Although a photographer by profession,
Laura dusted off her paint brushes to
The International Waterfront Art Gallery in downtown Port of Spain
compete. She says, “This was a good
thing for me as I haven’t painted in three
years and I now had a reason to get back
into it.”
She continues, “It felt great that after all
these years of not touching a paintbrush I
actually won something for a piece that I
did. I was a bit nervous when I thought of
seeing my work on the wall, just because
it’s there big and bold to be scrutinised.
But I love how the Oval looks now, I’m glad
I’m a part of it.”
Because of the popularity of the
People’s Canvas, public art has moved to
downtown Port of Spain. In April 2009, the
International Waterfront Art Gallery was
launched at the International Financial
Centre. The launch coincided with T&T’s
hosting of the Fifth Summit of Americas.
Vivid reproductions enliven the centre’s
ground-floor walls, adding some Caribbean
flair to its minimalist appearance. Visitors
can stroll along a paved esplanade to
better appreciate the works featured.
If you do visit, do not miss the People’s
Canvas. Williams sums it up, “It allows the
viewer to see Trinidad and Tobago through
the lenses of some of the people who live
here.”
Anyone interested in purchasing the
art featured in the project should call the
Art Society at (868) 622-9827, visit them
at Corner Jamaica Blvd. and St. Vincent
Avenue, Federation Park, Port of Spain or
e-mail: admin@artsocietytt.org
Patricia Lewis
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The Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago