by Asher Mains
Art School Greenz, the alternative art school in Grenada, opened its first art exhibit at the Waving Art Gallery showing the paintings of its Intro to Oil Painting students.
Art School Greenz provides short courses for working adults to not just build their artistic skills, but also their artistic community. The Intro to Oil Painting class was held once a week for 4 weeks, during which time the students learned the Flemish Method of oil painting, while painting a still life. Friday evening at the Waving Art Gallery at Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) saw a culmination happen — not just of the 13 paintings done by the students but a convergence of a community that is taking their creativity seriously and showing results.
Art School Greenz and the Waving Art Gallery are both newcomers to the Grenada art scene starting in 2014 and 2015 respectively, but both represent an exciting groundswell of creative energy in Grenada. The Grenada Airports Authority (GAA) says about the Waving Art Gallery, “The gallery showcases art pieces by local Grenadian artists as part of the ongoing partnership between the Grenada Airports Authority (GAA) and the Grenada Arts Council to enhance the cultural element of the airport while conveying a message of respect for local art and culture, through visual arts.”
While Art School Greenz is, “…an alternative art school in Grenada, West Indies minding the gap between secondary education and a contemporary art practice. With Grenada’s emergence on the international contemporary art scene, we are striving to build capacity and deepen the pool of artists who can contribute with strong concepts and technical proficiency.”
The partnership between the Grenada Arts Council (started in 1964) and these 2 youthful bodies has proven to be a magical combination. The energy was palpable in the room as artists and supporters studied and compared the paintings, all done from the same still life composition. It is interesting to go from painting to painting and see the same set of objects ‘revolving’ as it was taken on from slight different perspectives around the room. Teacher Asher Mains, is very proud of the painting students saying, “These paintings are many of the students’ first oil painting and many of their first time exhibiting. The Waving Art Gallery is a great exhibition space and we would love to be able to say in the future that many great artists in Grenada had their start there.”
Art School Greenz and its students are encouraged by the support of the GAA and the Grenada Arts Council and looks forward to continuing to work together. The exhibit will be up until 17 November. The Waving Art Gallery is open from 5:30 am to 10:30 pm every day. Visitors are encouraged to use the hashtags #wavingartgallery, #artschoolgreenz, and #artgrenada if they are taking pictures in the Waving Art Gallery to help increase the gallery’s reach on the web.
