School of Communication and Creative Arts faculty members present Rosi Birch-Lovdal with the E. Clement Bethel Award for her contribution to Bahamian art. (Photo: The College of the Bahamas)
Students and artists at the College of The Bahamas (COB) were encouraged to stay with creative tension and to not run from it to a safe place. They were told to stay with their moments of creative chaos, as they were teaching them something.
"Keep your courage; keep your heart open," said Rosi Birch-Lovdal at The College of The Bahamas' 27th Annual Colour of Harmony event.
COB's School of Communication and Creative Arts (SCCA) recently held the yearly event that serves as an evening of visual and performing arts, showcasing the talent of the students of the College across various media. Joining an exclusive group of honorees, which included iconic notables such as Percy "Vola" Francis, Joann Behagg, and John Berkley "Peanuts" Taylor, was Rosi Birch-Lovdal, who received the E. Clement Bethel Award for her contribution to Bahamian art.
Milwaukee-born Lovdal, from the time she was a child, wanted to be an artist, much to the chagrin of her parents. Decades later while living in Andros with Dick Birch, she started her life as an artist.
"That was when I came truly alive -- my artistic senses awakened by the colors, the sea and the people of The Bahamas," said Birch-Lovdal.
That awakening was the catalyst behind Androsia, which Lovdal founded in 1970. As women on the island were asking her for employment, she thought about how she could create something beautiful for them to do, something that reflected the vibrant beauty of the country she had come to love. A batik artist came to Small Hope Bay Lodge and introduced Birch-Lovdal and her children to the art form, and Androsia was created. Together with the people of Andros, Lovdal created fashion shows in New Providence, costumes for the Ministry of Tourism, garments for local and international orders, hand-painted dresses for Miss Bahamas, textile paintings for clients like the Ministry of Tourism and fabrics that reflected the beauty and the identity of The Bahamas.
COB's Concert Band and Choir complemented the award presentation, along with performances by Voices of Paradise, solo performances and visual art by the students. The abundance and quality of the creative talent on display made Birch-Lovdal proud.
"For such a small country, The Bahamas is greatly filled with talent. I have always been inspired and uplifted by the diversity and vitality of the arts in The Bahamas. To be considered to be one of you touches me more deeply than I can say and is quite beyond my dreams," she said.
COB President Dr. Rodney Smith was pleased that the college was able to award the event's honoree who he said had become a staple in the Bahamian community.
SCCA provides a portfolio of interrelated programs in a vibrant atmosphere of creativity, performance and production. The school brings together art, foreign languages, journalism, communication and music disciplines in programs of study that allow students to unleash their creative talents, and to explore and develop their skills in the chosen course of study. The school offers a multi-disciplinary approach that interfaces between theory and practice. The approach cultivates students with a comprehensive understanding of their fields of study and a sound appreciation for the diversity of the related professions.
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