From:TheBahamasWeekly.com

Arts & Culture
Baha Mar announces innovative cultural partnerships with prominent Bahamian art institutions
By Baha Mar Resort
Mar 6, 2013 - 2:55:37 PM

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NASSAU, The Bahamas - Baha Mar, the $3.5 billion resort enclave rising on the Bahamian Riviera, today announced innovative new alliances with major Bahamian art institutions including The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB), The D’Aguilar Art Foundation, and the private art collection of Dawn Davies. As a result of this collaboration, these prolific cultural organizations will identify and loan works of art from their respective collections to Baha Mar to be displayed throughout the resort, as well as exhibited in unique gallery spaces in the Baha Mar Convention Center.

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas is a premier art institution of the Bahamas focused on highlighting the value of visual arts in the Bahamian community, its importance in preserving the national identity and promoting a deeper understanding of Bahamian culture to the external world and encouraging opportunities for Bahamian artists to venture into the international art scene. The gallery’s extensive collection includes original pieces from notable local artists,including Kendal Hanna, John Beadle and Max Taylor, to young emerging creatives Dede Brown, Michael Edwards and Kishan Munroe. Through the  partnership with Baha Mar, one of NAGB’s main endeavors will be to curate public spaces with works on loan from their significant collections.“The collaboration with Baha Mar is an extraordinary opportunity for The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, a chance for us to encourage visitors of this island to truly connect and interact with Bahamian culture through the preservation and promotion of local art,” said Amanda Coulson, Director of The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas.

Works from the prestigious D'Aguilar Art Foundation also will be displayed throughout the Baha Mar Casino & Hotel. The Foundation houses one of the most comprehensive privately held art collections in The Bahamas and has a strong commitment to collecting Bahamian art, along with promoting art education and fostering international initiatives for local artists to experience art around the world. Noteworthy pieces in the Foundation’s collection include works by Brent Malone, Antonius Roberts and John Cox, who is also chief curator of The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. Saskia D’Aguilar, Director of the D’Aguilar Art Foundation, applauded the partnership. “The Bahamas primarily has been recognized as a leisure destination and not a cultural one,”D’Aguilar said. “Now with Baha Mar coming forward to recognize young and upcoming artists they bring the culture of the Bahamas to the cusp of recognition.”

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Dawn Davies, a prolific Bahamian art collector with more than 1,700 works of art and author of Love & Responsibility, a 550-page book that documents many ofthe works in her extensive collection with scholarly essays by its editor, Dr. Erica James, will also contribute to Baha Mar’s art exhibits. “As a lover and collector of Bahamian art, I am delighted that Baha Mar is reaching out to Bahamian artists with a view to showcasing their art throughout the resort,” Davies said. “This will offer encouragement and exposure in a meaningful way to our artists, benefit The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas in the achievement of its objectives,and serve as an excellent expression of civic-mindedness on the part of Baha Mar.”

Sarkis Izmirlian, Baha Mar Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said,“Baha Mar is at its core about The Bahamas. By creating a Bahamian art gallery in our convention center and public spaces, we are leveraging world-class, authentic Bahamian elements to create a resort experience like no other in the world.”Baha Mar, on schedule to open in December 2014, is set on 3,000 feet of white-sand beach just 10 minutes from Nassau's newly expanded Lynden Pindling International Airport. The resort will feature an elite collection of hotel brands with gaming, entertainment, shopping and natural attractions that reflect an authentic Bahamian experience. The Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, with 1,000rooms, is the centerpiece of the resort, and includes a 100,000-square-foot Las Vegas-style casino – the largest in the Caribbean region. A 700-room GrandHyatt, a 300-room Mondrian, and the 200-room Rosewood Hotels & Resorts®complete the extraordinary accommodations at Baha Mar.

Amenities will include the18-hole championship Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Baha Mar, scheduled to open in 12 months, 200,000 square feet of combined state-of-the-art convention facilities, including a 2,000-seat performing arts center, featuring a curated collection of Bahamian art. Baha Mar also is home to more than 30 restaurants, nightclubs and bars, two spas, including the 30,000-square-foot destination ESPA at Baha Mar, designer retail boutiques, a beachfront sanctuary with native Bahamian flora and fauna, 14 distinctive pool experiences and a private island.

For more information, please visit www.bahamar.com

About Baha Mar Scheduled for opening in late 2014, Baha Mar will boast a total of 2,200 hotel rooms, spread across four major hotel brands including Rosewood Hotels &Resorts®, Mondrian, a Morgans Hotel Group property, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts,as well as the new, dazzling centerpiece of Baha Mar, the Baha Mar Casino &Hotel. Baha Mar’s stunning, new 100,000 square-foot casino will be one of the most compelling and exciting gaming experiences in North America, comparable only to the best in Las Vegas. A total of 307 private, freehold residences are available for sale and located within each of the hotels, offering a lifestyle choice to suit all buyers. Baha Mar also will feature some of the most advanced and  versatile convention facilities in The Bahamas, with a combined 200,000 square feet of space, portions of which also can double as an entertainment and sports venue. Other amenities will include 200,000 square feet of retail and entertainment experiences, combining upscale shopping boutiques with authentic Bahamian arts and crafts galleries, chef-branded restaurants and exciting nightclub and entertainment offerings.

More than 20 acres of beachfront experiences will transport guests to the natural habitat of The Bahamas. Pristine beaches with crystal clear waters are set along exciting pools, groves and coves where docile sea animals abound. Two unique spas, including one of the most complete spa experiences in the Caribbean atESPA at Baha Mar, will be set along 3,000 feet of one of the most pristine beaches in the world. The 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course will be one of a select few top-tier Nicklaus courses in the world, bringing a new, true championship course to The Bahamas. 



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