by Suelin Low Chew Tung, on behalf of the GAC
She was well-loved as a long-standing friend and supporter of the visual arts and the work of the GAC, from its days of holding exhibitions at Marryshow House while she was Resident Tutor.
Via email, former GAC President and Artist Trish Bethany responded: “Had no idea she wasn’t well, and I’m saddened by her death. Though we didn’t see much of each other in the past few years, Beverley was a good friend to me. My most important memory of her was in her role as counsellor, helping me get through a very bad emotional period two decades ago. Of course, we worked closely together during the 7+ years that I was president of the Arts Council, developing a quiet but solid friendship built on mutual respect and liking. Bev was a happy person, with a whimsical though understated sense of humour. She also had a touch of chutzpah, as when she turned Jeanne Fisher and I loose on the redesign of the façade of Marryshow House. She allowed us to turn the colour scheme into a San Francisco-like “Painted Lady”. If she didn’t like the result, she kept it to herself, but she certainly let us know she appreciated the efforts. Nor did she complain when the amount of paint required threw her budget out of whack!”
Former GAC President and Artist Susan Mains wrote via email: “I first met Mrs Steele when I was a young teenager. She was the resident tutor at Marryshow House in the 70s, and Marryshow House then was a locus of culture. Music, drama, and of course, the Grenada Arts Council Annual Exhibition was staged there for decades. She was someone to look up to, to respect — never, ever would I think of calling her by her first name. When I returned to Grenada in 1992 after a stint in Dominica in the 80s, of course my timid self wanted to exhibit with the GAC for the first time. Encouragement from Trish Bethany, Mrs Cox and others opened the door. Imagine my delight when Mrs Steele bought the painting that I had submitted. It was of an abandoned estate house in Woodford Hill. I had painted as it may have been its glory days. I was so encouraged I kept painting. That was the days before digital cameras and selfies, so sadly I don’t have a picture with her. You never know when a word or a gesture of encouragement will spark someone. We can’t fill her shoes, but may we all follow in her footsteps.
I too, am a former GAC president – 1992. I met Mrs Steele through the GAC meetings at Marryshow House, and over time, Mrs Steele became Beverley. We occasionally met for coffee or lunch and had the most wonderful discussions about art, art imitating life, and art documenting Grenada’s history. I was touched when she gifted me a selection of art books from her personal collection, and we were overdue for a meet-up to talk about them.
Via email, Jim Rudin of Yellow Poui Art Gallery wrote, “This news is a blow to me. I’m so sorry. Beverly and I interacted on several projects over the years and each was a pleasure.”
The older GAC members will miss Beverley’s guidance and her joyful presence. The younger members have missed out on a beautiful soul. Noting there still is nowhere to see Grenada’s history in art, nor the work of Grenada’s artists who have passed, perhaps going forward, a wing of the future Grenada Art Museum will be named to honour her.