Admist the friendly chatter and aroma of coffee in Island Java, in December 2010, Tamee Ferguson introduced Jacki Boss to Susan Mackay. The common theme being a passion and love for art.
The three became four as Omar Smith joined the group to meet up and discuss art and share personal stories of process in creating art. After these initial meetings Jacki and Susan spent some more time together discussing shared dreams for a community of artists in Grand Bahama. They have a common understanding that artists thrive when supported by each other and communities thrive when art is entrenched in the fabric of its society. This deep longing to create an environment where artists could encourage each other, collaborate and learn within the context of a community was the motivation and resulted in the creation of the concept “ART NUCLEUS”. An idea that needed a home and in March 2011 with a beautiful synchronicity a space was found.
Wolansa Fountain, the gracious and community minded proprietor of L’Utopia, agreed to house Art Nucleus, in the ‘rustic’ attic space above the main function hall. The group, with added member, film- maker Patrick Forbes, set to work cleaning, painting and refurbishing the space to create three permanent professional studios in the dubbed “L’Atelier” (referencing an old school approach to learning art in the studios of ‘Master’ artists)and an open communal studio dubbed “le Salon”. And a smaller inner space dubbed, “Nexus”, for a more techinical environment.
The space is now home for creativity and events. Meetings and dreams. Passions and talent. Sharing and working. Philosophy and thought. Ideas and inspiration. Its doors are open to fine artists: writers, poets, artists, sculptors, conceptual artists, photographers, playwrights and filmmakers.
Moving into the future the collective intends to encourage more artists in the wider community of Grand Bahama, to support one another, to develop higher degrees of skill, professionalism and importantly innovation, creativity and passion. To literally become a nucleus of art that impacts and excites the wider community.
