The 19th century marked a period in Britain known as Orchidelirium. Not entirely unlike the Dutch tulip fever, this flower-frenzy was a mad scramble for the exotic, elusive orchid. They became connotative as a symbol of wealth, prestige and knowledge, of the affluence required to secure these items from far-off lands. Sue Bennett Williams’ “Poor Man’s Orchid” (1989) is no such thing and no less beautiful.

Sue Bennett-Williams, an American transplant who has made The Bahamas her home for quite some time now, is a formidable educator and creative who has rooted herself firmly in the foundations of Bahamian art. From teaching generations of tender young creatives from primary school to her time at the University of The Bahamas as a lecturer in the Fine Arts department, her care and notorious ability to not mince words is the stuff of legends, and of rather amusing tales from the equally tender egos of freshman Fine Arts degree students.

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