THINGS THAT MATTER: Pelican Centre – Opportunities for art and crafts
“In Barbados, there has been a veritable explosion of culture of every form since Independence.” (Explosion of Culture in Barbados by Henry Fraser in 45th Anniversary of Independence Souvenir Magazine, 2011)
One might say that the explosion of culture in Barbados since Independence was both anticipated and promoted by the creation of Pelican Village in 1964. It became a melting pot for art and crafts – a home for the arts, with the Barbados Arts Council’s Pelican Gallery (when it was virtually the only art gallery in the country) ceramicists Courtney Devonish and Peter Cave and other craftspeople – and the Pelican Restaurant was a watering hole for all and sundry. The problems of Barbados and the world were solved there ...
In 1999 the entire site was upgraded with faux vernacular villas as shops, around a long central courtyard, stretching from the IDC building near the entrance of the port, all the way to the bus stand, with workshop / showrooms off to the left. And it’s now called the Pelican Centre. Sadly, it can’t be said to have been a great success, providing the opportunities that every artist and crafts person seeks. Tenants cry that business is poor and there’s been a constant turnover of shops, I’m told, with only the faithful few carrying on. I frequent the Arts Council’s Pelican Gallery, but I see little activity and I’ve been wondering what problems the artists and craftspeople have. And so I had a long tour of the Centre (I still think of it as Pelican Village) one day this week.
One obvious difficulty is that apart from the small car park in front of the Pelican Gallery, there’s no parking visible from the road. The parking at the back is enough for a modest numbers of visitors, but less than a busy centre would need.
The other obvious point is that cruise ship visitors, clearly a major target for business, walk along Trevor’s way, and for years there was no pedestrian crossing from there. When one was eventually put in place it has no orange balls or traffic lights and the road markings are hardly visible. And most important of all, for all these years there’ been no signage pointing visitors towards the crossing, the village and the many attractions there. This is absolutely key, but I now have hope as I understand it’s finally in the works, after 54 years. I’m hoping to see a beautiful big sign with Art Gallery in big letters at the top, for all those with poor eyesight.
On crossing the road into the North entrance, there should be more signage, with the name Pelican Centre overhead and a big, easily read PLAN of the Centre showing the shops and restaurants. This again is obvious… it’s done in every mall everywhere, and we even had the Tourism Development Corporation fund such a plan for St. John’s churchyard, to help visitors looking for the graves of their ancestors or the grave of Prime Minister David Thompson.
There should be much more signage… easily read, helpful signs, including another PLAN and arrow pointing to the left where the workshops are. These workshops and outlets are a bit “out of the way” and often not noticed.
The courtyard isn’t working as a busy artery or communication space, because it’s empty. Sculpture and statuary – with the title, artist and other information easily read – would attract people in the courtyard, and there could be refreshment booths and outdoor tables and chairs. There appears to be a single restaurant, Rolli’s, almost hidden away at the North end of the site. Shops and restaurants go together, like the old song “Love and Marriage, like a horse and carriage”. There’s a particular need for light fare, watering holes and restaurants, preferably in the middle so that people pass the shops to get there. And those cruise ship visitors who leave the ship at nine or 9:30 and may spend some time by the shops in the port and then saunter down Trevor’s way and into the Centre may well need a drink or ice cream by 10:30. Restaurants would attract locals as Mr. Wickham’s used to.
Having said all that, what does Pelican have to offer? Quite a lot. Best known perhaps is Roslyn of Barbados. Roslyn is famous for her beautiful, creative craft but her shop also sells a wide range of art, music and souvenir items, and it’s the only shop where I saw Barbados Pepper Sauce – the best in the world, which we seem reluctant to sell across the world. I can’t understand why not! It could easily “go viral” with a bit of collaboration.
The Pelican Art Gallery is a secret gem. It has a huge range of art work, for every pocket. By the time a visitor might spot it from Trevor’s way, he’s 200 yards past the pedestrian crossing, which he probably didn’t spot anyway!
One of my favourites is Ayissa Textile Designs – The Textile Gallery of Barbados. Ayissa Burnett is a textile specialist, working in tie and die, batik, screen printing and block printing for the past 20 years. She carries a wide range of products from wraps and caftans to cushions and bags. I was thrilled to hear that her shop is 100 % Bajan products.
Nafai Creations, run by Sandra Padmore and her daughter came close to that, with an estimate of 90 % Bajan produced products. Judy Jordan, operating The Monkey Pot, estimated that she carries 85 % of local products, and Judy carried a huge range of interesting items – a virtual treasure trove.
I was also impressed by the quality in Harwood Woodworker. This is the workshop of Franklyn Harwood, a polished woodcraftsman (no puns intended, just accidental!) The gift from the judiciary to our new Governor General Dame Sandra Mason was The Scales of Justice and a Gavel, carved by Mr. Harwood.
Also in the workshop area are two glass workshops. Emiliano Cuselli fell in love with Barbados and runs Tropical Art Glass, using the glass fusion technique to make beautiful, practical utensils – trays and big bowls and everything in between, for homes, hotels and just the right gift. On the other side of that section of the complex is Jamal Ifill’s Crystal Forms. Jamal concentrates on more decorative objects – charms for necklaces and bracelets, splendid pendants, and a wide range of beautiful ornaments.
Other stops were at Angelique’s Jewellery, where Angela West makes jewellery with heritage themes, and my friend Wayne Omphra Wells. My wife has several pieces of his work. Omphra works in both large and small formats, and in front of his workshop is a large, dramatic piece of driftwood, which he pointed out visitors love to take selfies next to. The lesson, as I said, is to put exciting pieces of sculpture and statuary in the courtyard … it’s a no-brainer.
One last comment: When I tried to seek information about Pelican Centre I finally found an office listed in the Government pages under the Barbados Industrial Development Corporation – nothing under white pages or yellow pages – and the website clearly needs a lot of work and updating. But speaking to a knowledgeable director at BIDC gave me hope for action! We ARE in the middle of a cultural explosion and both BIDC and our tourism authorities need to not just redouble but to increase exponentially the opportunities for capitalising on our fine arts and crafts, We must promote our artists AND our small businesses – they are the heart of our nation.
Condolences: To the family of the late Dr. Keith Melville, distinguished optician and leader in his field, and creator of the splendid Sunbury Plantation House Museum. He was awarded (long overdue) the Companion of Honour in our recent National Honours.
And condolences to the wife and son of Dr. Satesh Singh, who passed away this week in Barbados. Dr. Singh was born in Guyana and graduated in medicine here at the Cave Hill Campus and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the brilliant graduating class of 1986, which included Dr. Peter Adams, now Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences; Dr. Sean Marquez, consultant neurologist; and Dr. George Mansoor of Antigua. Dr. Singh qualified as a cardiologist and practised in Connecticut.
(Professor Fraser is Past Dean of Medical Sciences, UWI and Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology. Website: profhenryfraser.com)