Pictured above Alison Chapman-Andrews is cheerful after receiving a bouquet of flowers from Carol Roberts-Reifer, Chief Executive Officer of the National Cultural Foundation.
Alison Chapman-Andrews has built a legacy as one of the island’s premiere visual artists, widely known for her ability to bring a new dimension to familiar scenes. She has forged a partnership with the National Cultural Foundation staging an exhibition which both displays her expansive catalogue of work and celebrates her upcoming 80th birthday. The showcase One Big Painting -Alison Chapman-Andrews -80yrs of Seeing opened on Saturday night.
With her significant contribution to the arts, Chapman-Andrews is revered by the creative community.
Carol Roberts-Reifer, Chief Executive Officer of the National Cultural Foundation in opening remarks at the reception acknowledged the impact she has made on the island describing her as, “A treasure of her generation.”
Similar respect for the artist was mirrored by co-curator and collaborator Katherine Kennedy who is appreciative of the opportunity to work on this project. She provided some insight into what patrons could expect. She stated, “In this retrospective, Alison has identified main themes and motifs that inspire her.” Through the exhibition attendees are given a glimpse into who she is an artist. They can understand how her process and her subject matter work in tandem whether she is capturing a landscape, utilizing striking colors, textures and shapes or creating illusions of womanhood or masculinity which continue to captivate audiences. Kennedy credited her for her ability to subconsciously transform how we see our own home.
The evening closed with a feature address which was delivered by Dr. Alison Thompson. Thompson and Chapman-Andrews have fostered a nearly forty-year-long friendship fueled by their shared love of the arts. She recalled attending her first exhibition, “I remember being impressed by the quality of the work but more than that I retained a very sentient memory of being in that space with her landscapes. There were paintings that drew me into them.” She added, “Her lists of accomplishments are extraordinary, there is Alison the teacher and mentor, not only her years teaching at St. Michael’s School but also the profound impact her paintings have had on a younger generation.”
The exhibition and will run from the 15 th of April until the 13 th of May at the Queen’s Park Gallery.
