One artist involved in the "Master Artists of The Bahamas" exhibition that opened in Waterloo, Iowa earlier this month had another stop on his way home to The Bahamas.Stan Burnside and his wife Dennie visited Main Library branch of The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for the unveiling of Burnside's piece,"Spirits Rejoice Too".

The fifteen-foot wide piece, painted in 1994, is a stunning examination of the inherently joyful spirit of Junkanoo in arresting primary colors, explains Burnside.

"This is a piece that is really a celebration of our Junkanoo festival," he says. "It's all about how we use Junkanoo to release negative or stressful energy, becoming a display of energy."

"It's also about democracy-how all people become equal in the shack during its creation and in this celebration."

The piece had been exhibited internationally before during the Caribbean Biennial in Santo Domingo in 1994.

Soon thereafter, Burnside's friend and art collector Peter Block wished to purchase the piece and have it on display in a space in The Bahamas. Finding difficulty with that, he opted to carry it to his home in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he has now donated it to one of the most-visited libraries in the United States of America.

"Peter said he wanted it to be seen by as many people as possible and if he donated it to a museum, it may just sit locked away," explains Burnside. "He thought that as many people should see it as possible."

On the evening of October 17, Burnside and Block spoke with an attentive audience at the library while the work was unveiled. Burnside answered questions from the audience about the work's creation and about Bahamian culture.

"It was an opportunity to share some of our Bahamian heritage. It was about The Bahamas in the end,"he says.

"I felt honored to see the work hanging in such a great space."

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