Government ministers have touted the National Art Gallery at the Garrison as reinforcing Barbados’ cultural identity, improving support for creative workers, and encouraging greater spending by cruise visitors.
Member of Parliament for St Peter and Minister of Labour Colin Jordan set the tone for the House of Assembly debate on a resolution vesting Block A, The Garrison, as the permanent home for the national gallery six years after the building was earmarked and nearly 20 years after the gallery was created by Act of Parliament.
He highlighted the deep cultural value of visual and creative arts, describing artistic expression as a vital, permanent record of human heritage that transcends traditional written records.
“Artistic expression is, has been and continues to be a repository of history and heritage of any civilisation,” Jordan declared. “Art is a repository of the history, the heritage of a people, of a civilisation, and that on its own makes art—the promotion of art, the viewing of art, the understanding of art, the housing of art, the encouraging of artists—makes all of those things very important if we expect a civilisation, if we expect a people to continue and to make a contribution to the world.”
The St Peter MP said that, in an increasingly visual digital age, art plays a crucial role in storytelling and passing historical legacy to future generations. Highlighting landmarks such as the Three W’s bust at UWI Cave Hill, he noted that public art allows citizens and visitors alike to grasp national stories without poring over archival text.
Jordan recalled how a pivotal conversation with UWI contemporary dance artist and scholar Dr Rainy Demerson prompted a fundamental shift in how the government views creative professionals as labour. He acknowledged that policymakers previously viewed artists as casual hobbyists rather than core economic contributors.
“That question caused me to rethink my view and to reframe my entire view about artists and about art,” the labour minister said. “We doubled down on our approach from a social security perspective to persons who are self-employed. We broadened our scope to ensure that it was very clear in the National Insurance and Social Security Service that artists were workers too and ought to be specifically targeted in our educational drive so that they could be covered through Social Security.”
Jordan also called on the public to better understand the true economic value of artistic creations. He cautioned against evaluating art solely by its final visual presentation, reminding people of the immense physical labour, months of ideation and hidden preparation that go into every completed canvas or performance.
Pointing to the new gallery’s location within the UNESCO World Heritage Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, he described the area as the ideal focal point for national creative expression, comparing it to the island’s historical network of signal stations.
“The Garrison is that place where all roads of the creatives of our country should lead,” Jordan said.
St James Central MP and Senior Minister Kerrie Symmonds picked up directly on Jordan’s sentiments, urging the country to fully capitalise on its UNESCO World Heritage designation by building out rich, indigenous attractions instead of leaving historical sites underutilised.
“All roads of creatives should lead to the Garrison, and the question might be asked for the less discerning: why,” Symmonds said.
“The answer lies perhaps in one of the tragedies of modern Barbados… this country was given an accreditation of the Garrison and its immediate environs being a World Heritage site, and one of the things that we have to confront squarely is that we are under a duty not just to say we have been given an accreditation, but that World Heritage site has to be developed.”
The St James Central MP highlighted the current realities of cruise tourism. While Bridgetown boasts home-porting capacity unique in the Southern Caribbean, spending per visitor remains low because of a lack of varied onshore experiences. He warned against relying solely on sun, sea and basic beach rentals, advocating instead for integrated heritage corridors.
“We have to make sure that the money we spend and invest in bringing these visitors to Barbados is money that is invested in them having an experience, an experience that allows them to ingrain themselves in the culture of this country, immerse themselves in that which is truly Barbadian.”
He highlighted existing assets surrounding the Garrison, including its network of historical tunnels, George Washington House, the Military Museum at St Ann’s Fort and the Barbados Museum — as organic products ready to be seamlessly woven together with the National Art Gallery. He suggested introducing dedicated transport loops between the Bridgetown Port and the Garrison to distribute visitor traffic away from fragile beaches and directly into cultural centres.
He also pointed to the 2007 Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed with the European Union, which explicitly carved out duty-free market access for Caribbean artists and cultural practitioners. He urged creatives and regional authorities to actively leverage these negotiated trade benefits to turn artistic talent into sustainable wealth.
“Talent has value. Skill has value, sir. And we must enrich those people who have that talent and that skill,” Symmonds said, hailing the establishment of the gallery at the Garrison as a vital step towards long-overdue economic and cultural transformation.
(RR)
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