Award-winning local artist chosen to show at New Orleans art triennial

When the coordinator of the Barbados Community College’s Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) Studio Arts programme puts his work on show at the prestigious Prospect.6 in New Orleans later this year, the students under his charge would already have benefitted from that opportunity.

Ewan Atkinson, who has been teaching at the BCC for 24 years, a decade of which were as coordinator of the BFA programme, has been invited to show his work at the citywide contemporary art triennial in New Orleans in the United States from November 2, 2024, until February 2, 2025. 

Atkinson said already, the students enrolled in the programme have gained a new perspective on their art. 

“While preparing for Prospect.6 I have been using the process as a teaching tool, sharing each step of the journey with them. They need to know we live what we teach. They need to see that despite challenges, it is indeed possible for a Barbadian artist to find success on the world stage. I hope my successes might help students to envision a future for themselves as creative individuals, no matter what direction they wish to take,” he explained.

Tutors also benefit, Atkinson said, as one of the requirements is for them to be practising artists who produce and exhibit while teaching.

“This keeps us current and sets an example for the students, forging a bond between teacher and student that I believe is necessary for building trust and respect. The relationship is reciprocal; we learn from their experiences just as much as we hope they learn from ours,” he explained.

Reflecting on the achievement personally, Atkinson said the opportunity is a pivotal moment in his career.

He described the call to exhibit as “the most important invitation [he] has ever received”, noting that the three-month showing gives him access to the largest audience of his career.

“It is an incredible honour to be a part of such a prestigious exhibition. It is a moment of recognition I have worked very hard for … battling the many discouraging challenges one faces when attempting to build a career as a contemporary artist who lives and works in Barbados. Most importantly, my work can engage a large audience on a scale I have yet to be able to operate,” Atkinson said.

According to the organisers, the art triennial is an opportunity for a selection of artists from all over the world to create projects in a wide variety of venues throughout New Orleans: “The event brings new art to an old city, both inviting artists from around the globe to engage with New Orleans and raising the voices of artists who represent the Global South.”

And Atkinson, one of two Barbadian artists to be invited to take part in Prospect.6, said this is the ideal opportunity for him to “raise my voice like never before: to bring attention to visions and perspectives born in spaces such as ours, too often stereotyped and marginalised as unimportant or inferior”. (BCC/BT)