The "Spirit of the Islandz" competition for cell phone skin designs, announced earlier this year by Islandz, has selected its winners who will soon see their vibrant designs on cellphones island-wide--and even beyond.

For the past year, Islandz has been changing the way we view art locally by bringing it into the realm of everyday objects, tapping into the intersection between technology and art, offering USB drives within hard-carved wooden pieces and cellphone skins and laptop skins featuring designs by local artists.

With these new designs by three young female artists--Ashley Knowles, Amber Whyley, and  Kandice Eldon--the company continues its efforts to support emerging artists and develop appreciation among the masses, says its founder, Jaime Lewis.

"You create an opportunity for the artist but you also increase awareness of the art community and culture within the masses," says Lewis. "So instead of getting random generic skins for your phone, we try to provide authentic and local work where the buyer can see these people are part of the local community."

The competition had three categories of winners, Local Audience (Knowles), Tourist Audience (Whyley)--chosen by a panel of local artists, designers and art critics--and Fan Favorite (Eldon), chosen by viewers on the Islandz Facebook page. Each received a cash prize as well as the opportunity to have their designs on cellphone skins,
The three designs display a range of aesthetics, tapping into local snapshots of beauty and cultural signifiers and stories. Many viewers on the Facebook page voted for all designs and already have been asking where they will be available.

"I think the Facebook element really captured what we were trying to do--promote local art in a medium that the traditional art lover doesn't get to see," says Lewis. "The great thing about it is a lot of people saw the range of art and liked it. Obviously they're not professional art critics, but they like them. It's almost common sense, you make it easy for people to appreciate art."

The skins of these three winners will be available in local stores such as Doongalik Studios on Village Road, but Lewis suggests keeping up with news on the Islandz Facebook page to find out exactly where they will become available in the new year.

It's all part of their new initiative to continue to provide opportunities for emerging artists to tap into viable commercial outlets. That's something that Lewis hopes to see growing as he offers more competitions biannually--one for Bahamian Independence, and one around Christmas time.

"I really like that younger artists entered because what's we're trying to do is capture these young artists, this young tech-savvy audience and as they progress, get older and blaze the trail for younger artists for them and it becomes the norm--arts as mainstream," he explains.

"I would like to think this the way forward--working with each other and move forward for the common good and everyone can benefit. We have big plans for the business, placing flagship shops in major areas. If we can build up to that scale, people will look at in a completely different way, and that's what we're trying to do--revolutionize the way people look at art."
 
 
Ashley Knowles
"CHICKCHARNEY-A-HANGIN"
WINNER: LOCAL AUDIENCE

With her background in Anthropology and Museum Studies, Ashley Knowles marries her love of culture and art to provide a local design that taps into the Bahamian cultural myth of the Chickcharney, making her design the perfect submission for local audiences.

"The chickcharney piece is a different interpretation of the myth that a lot of Bahamians may not instantly recognize, which I thought was interesting because we take culture to be this static thing but there are so many different interpretations of it," she says.

As her first major display of work, Knowles is pleased with how Islandz has provided artists with professional opportunities.

"It's a good commercial venture for a lot of people, especially emerging artists or people who don't know much about the art world and try to get in," she says. "It's also good on a CV, having  artistic merit but also commercial merit."

She urges those artists trying to break into the art world to consider Islandz for the next competition and hopes her design encourages people to continue their passion.

"Learn to give everyone a chance--it seems so often here people are encouraged to be a mainstream job like doctor or lawyer, but there are so many opportunities in so many other fields," she encourages. "Arts is a viable future, and if it's not part of your future then keep it up in your spirit and push your boundaries no matter what. Never settle."
 
 
Amber Whyley
"ELEMENTS OF THE BAHAMAS"
WINNER: TOURIST AUDIENCE

Though she freelances in design work, Amber Whyley also works for a local traveling business--perfect for insight into designs tourists may want to use as a keepsake of their trips to The Bahamas.

"For me I wanted to know what would represent The bahamas for tourists? What makes a good conversation piece and tell a story about where I've been on vacation?" she says. "So with my piece I wanted to tell a story."

Her winning design for the tourist audience taps into a memory she has as a student abroad sharing the designs of local currency to those interested in Bahamian culture.

"When I lived abroad in Canada, a lot of people asked me if we were on US currency. I had a Bahamian dollar in my pocket so I could show people we had our own money," she says. "So when I thought about the tourist element I drew on that experience and placed some coins in my design, along with sealife elements and Bahamian colors."

Pleased with her win, Whyley praises Islandz for their efforts and urges Bahamians to support local designers instead of generic products abroad.

"It's a good way for artists to push their art into new markets instead of just on canvas," she points out. "Buy Bahamian art. It's the perfect way to buy Bahamian and appreciate Bahamian goods and art."
 
 
Kandice Eldon
"SERENE IRENE"
ISLANDZ FAN FAVORITE

Despite her job at the College of The Bahamas and her background in journalism and Public Relations, Kandice Eldon dedicates time to painting the beauty she sees around her in her home.

"I love seascapes and old boats, and when tourists come in that's the first place they want to go, so I decided to paint something that would be Bahamian-centered," she says.

The winning design finds  a window of beauty in the aftermath of destruction, portraying a spirit of resilience and tranquility despite disaster, so it's no wonder it received the most votes on Facebook--everybody needs to find a silver lining.

"I chose the title because Hurricane Irene had recently come around so I thought it would be a nice tie-in with our nature and our systems," she says. "Seascapes and nature is what I love to do when I paint."

Buoyed by such encouragement as being chosen by fans, Eldon has grown as an artist and praises Islandz for their initiative and vision.

"I thought what a great opportunity for Bahamian artists to showcase their art not only to local audiences but to tourist audiences," she says. "Everyone has a Blackberry and iPhone so what a great idea. I think it's important for Bahamian artists to continue to produce good work and have opportunities to showcase them."

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