Creative artisans display work at NCF Arts & Artisanal Pop Up

For the 3rd and last time for the 2022 Crop Over season, creative artisans from across the country got their chance to display their impressive works for the final NCF Arts & Artisanal Pop Up.

Despite periodic showers on Saturday, scores of Barbadians and visitors made their way to Golden Square Freedom Park to see the many works on offer, as well as enjoy the local entertainment — including some of the biggest acts for the festive season.

Senior Business Development Officer of the National Cultural Foundation Andre Hoyte told Barbados TODAY that the initiative has been a success, with many of the artisans over the course of the season being pleased with the platform they were given to showcase their works.

“The popups were a way for the NCF to connect the artisanal community to the festival. You know we always say that we are more than a carnival, so I think that the popups really provided that opportunity for a lot of the visual artists and artisans to get their products out there and reconnect with audiences, and for a lot of Barbadians and even visitors to get a taste and pick up things that they probably did not have in their own possession and purchase them,” he said.

Hoyte said the reviews from patrons have been great, with the NCF hoping that next year’s Bridgetown Market, which was not held in the same fashion this year, could be boosted in some way with the experience the foundation has now from successful arts and sweet lime popups, which occurred during the course of this season.

“A lot of the artisans said what a great help it was for them throughout the festival, with the absence of a physical Bridgetown Market it was able to allow them to make sure they [still] got sales for their product. We also used the popups as we did with the Sweet Limes to really give artists the platform for their music and to showcase it and connect it with audiences who would not normally have the opportunity to. Overall I think it worked very well, and I am looking forward to what we will be doing in 2023.” (SB)