The text for this page was taken from the brochure distributed at the exhibition in Corozal.

Welcome to the National Collection of Art!

It is with great pleasure for the National Institute of Culture History (NICH) to bring you the exhibition, 29: Artists, Works, Years. The display has been organized, in collaboration with the National Celebrations Committee, to jointly showcase the Collection and recognize the nation`s anniversary, touring nationwide beginning in June. As Belize is without a National Gallery of Art, the National Collection is, by nature, decentralized residing in various venues throughout the country. This display. therefore, is a tremendous opportunity for the nation`s visual art to be cohesively presented to you. Included within this multi-media exhibit are 29 works by 29 visual artists, highlighting painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media- a selection of the larger Collection.

History

Artist - Louis Belisle The National Collection has diverse origins. The first phase began in 1989 under the Belize Arts Council. At that time there was no National Collection of Art to speak of; rather an informal policy of collecting art predominated for the next 15 years. With the formation of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) in 2004, a need to formally collect, preserve, document and disseminate the visual patrimony of Belize was envisioned. This was inspired, in part, by two other pre- existing National Collections: the Institute of Archaeology`s collection of artifacts: and the National Library Service’s collection of books. Today, six years later, the National Collection of Art continues to mature and is currently in the process of archiving, preserving and strengthening its holdings as well as circulating them through exhibitions, such as this one.

Diversity

Artist - Gilvano Swasey While this exhibition highlights individual artists, the works of art -- and the overall collection from which they are based -- are not comprehensive. Certain areas of the country have greater representation, such as Belize and Stann Creek Districts, while other areas have limited exposure. We hope, through your assistance, to make this National Collection more representational of Belize. As the Collection has been sourced by donations over the years we would again like to rely upon your generosity and ask that you consider making a gift of visual art to the Collection, contributing to a diversity of voices and artistic expressions that comprise the patrimony this nation. We consider 29: Artists, Works, Years as a prelude to another exhibitions currently under development for 2011, which will honor Belize’s 30th anniversary of Independence. Help us make this truly a National Collection of Art.