At some point in the next week or so, many parents will probably find themselves tossing packs of coloring pencils and glue into their trolleys, alongside notebooks and highlighters. The gesture, often overlooked by many, is an act of love and generosity - these parents are able to spend their money on the tools their kids need to do well in all their classes, art included.
It's a sad fact that many parents in The Bahamas are not able to provide their children with materials for all of their classes; similarly, with limited funding, public schools are often left picking and choosing the subjects that are deemed important enough to warrant new supplies. It's no surprise that art often falls between the cracks.
Attending a 2013 art opening, Jordia Benjamin and Orchid Burnside made the acquaintance of an art teacher lamenting the fact that his students couldn't afford standard art supplies, like pencils and paper. Describing the situation as "sort of crazy", Burnside soon after joined forces with Benjamin, an art historian and former educational officer at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB); the duo began brainstorming ways to address the situation.
"We thought about what we could do to fix it and we came up with an art supplies drive, it's a very simple concept, but very effective," said Burnside.
The drive is a collaboration between the NAGB and Doongalik Studios, who, last year, partnered with neighboring junior and senior high schools to donate supplies; Doongalik supported nearby LW Young, and the NAGB took on CR Walker.
"What happens in the education system is that people do take art seriously, but it is at the bottom of the list," said Burnside. "So when you have other things to purchase that you deem more important, oftentimes art gets sort of swept to the wayside, or trouble students are placed in art because no one else wants to deal with them. We're just trying to change that mindset and meet a shortfall so people who are taking art, who are interested in art, have all the tools at their disposal to maximize their potential."
In its second year, the art supplies drive continues to be held in August to facilitate donations.
"We try to do it in the back-to-school season, so you're already out shopping for school supplies," said Burnside. "You can easily pick up another pack of colored pencils or some paper or a watercolor set - whatever it is that's easy and fits in your budget - and donate it to the drive."
Supplies of all shapes and sizes are collected at the NAGB and Doongalik for the entire month. "We got everything last year", said Burnside, listing off art pencils, sketch books, canvases, paints, teaching resources and clay as just a few of the materials donated by supporters and artists in the community. The art supplies drive also accepts monetary donations, of which "every last penny" is used to purchase additional materials, according to Burnside.
In the first week of September, when school opens, Burnside and Benjamin will make presentations to each school. This year, they are supporting three public schools - two on New Providence and another in Andros. The schools, which have not yet been announced, are all junior or senior high schools; Burnside and Benjamin hope to provide young Bahamians who might be seriously considering art as a career with the necessary tools.
"For me, it's less about my personal feelings and more about what we can achieve as an art community. Something that's really nice is last year a lot of artists actually gave some supplies that they had in their storerooms that they weren't using. And they really came together and they supported this cause, and I think it's important that, as an art community, we have this obligation to help the next generation of aspiring artists," Burnside said.
According to Burnside, last year's students and school administrators were particularly grateful for the support, and this month, the students will get a chance to show off the fruits of their labor. From August 14 to 31, the NAGB will hold an exhibition featuring artwork created by LW Young students during the 2013/2014 school year.
While at the gallery, art educators are encouraged to inquire about the art lesson plans and teaching resources made available through the NAGB, free of charge. Educators who are not beneficiaries of the drive are also asked to contact the NAGB throughout the year to find out more about accessing other free resources.
Though the drive officially ends August 31, Burnside and Benjamin will be accepting donations, on behalf of schools, throughout the year. Donations can be dropped off at Doongalik Studios, on Village Road, or at the NAGB, on West and West Hill Streets. Anyone interested in supporting the drive is encouraged to contact the art galleries at 394-1886 (Doongalik) or 328-5800 (NAGB).

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