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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
Nassau, Bahamas - Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham at Mass of Thanksgivings for the late Jackson Logan Burnside at St. Agnes Anglican Church May 19. Mr. Burnside died May 11 after suffering a brain aneurysm .
Family, friends, government officials and well-wishers crowd the St. Agnes Anglican Church May 19 for the Memorial Service for the late Jackson Burnside 111. Mr. Burnside died May 11 following a brain aneurysm. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
One Family Junkanoo Group celebrates the life of former leader Jackson L. Burnside111 in a "Rush Out" to Bay Street following a Memorial Service May 19 at St. Agnes Anglican Church. Mr. Burnside died May 11 after suffering a brain aneurysm. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
Bay Street came alive during the "One Last Rush" put on by Junkanoo groups May 19 to honour the life of the late Jackson L. Burnside 111. Mr. Burnside died May 11 after suffering a brain aneurysm. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
Jackson Burnside III - Artists’ Eulogy
by Antonius J. Roberts Like all of you, it was with a great deal of sadness that I heard of the passing of Jackson Burnside, a dear friend and brother. This morning I am here to offer my personal condolences to his mother Gertrude, to his wife Pamela, his daughters Ebony and Orchid , his brother and my friend Stanley and the rest of the Burnside family. I am also here on behalf of the Bahamian Visual Arts community, to extend our sympathy and to acknowledge the untimely loss of an outspoken, passionate friend and a committed supporter of Bahamian art in all its forms. John Ruskin the renowned 19th century English art critic and social thinker wrote: ‘Great nations write their autobiography in their manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art.‘ In our collective memories Jackson now joins those others no longer with us, all illustrious contributors to our Bahamian world of artistic endeavours - men such as E.Clement Bethel, Winston Saunders, R. Brent Malone, Amos Ferguson and Vincent D’Aguilar. All have left their mark on us individually and as a nation. There will be a hole in many hearts now that Jackson is no longer here and it is only natural that we will miss him both personally and professionally. But I like to think that we will be able to pause in our sadness and be grateful for the time he spent among us. I am sure everyone here has their own personal story they could tell about Jackson’s influence on their lives - for myself I know that most recently during the last Transforming Space Exhibition he helped me unload my ‘Crosses’ and worked with me to place them around my “Avenging Angel’ sculpture at Doongalik and made my load much lighter that day! He encouraged many artists whether it was mentoring an individual or attending an exhibition, a cultural event or a book signing. Jackson was usually there whether he had been invited or not. It was his way of not only supporting fellow artists but of keeping up to date and learning what was happening in the community. He had a strong sense of community and understood well the influence a community can have fuelled by the efforts of individuals within that community. One of his favourite stories was that of the ladies from over the hill who years ago took it upon themselves to plant Poinciana trees along Poinciana Drive, without their effort it would not be as beautiful as it still is today. He would remind young artists that small deeds can bring great rewards whilst reminding them that small minds talk about people and big minds talk about ideas. Jackson was the best story-teller I knew and loved to share although when it came to meetings those of us knew him well would always hope that Pamela would be there as she was the only one who could admonish him to stay focussed and on topic or we would be there for ever. As we all know, he was a passionate artist, architect and Junkanoo and truly believed with every fibre of his being that there was no-one on this planet more talented, more important or more deserving than a Bahamian. He never missed an opportunity to remind us all of our rich heritage and to point out all the good and beautiful things about this country, his country, and why he loved it so much. He truly believed that this was the best little place on earth. I remember in 1989 when Brent, Max, Stan, Jackson, John Beadle and myself were discussing why we felt we were not attracting the attention of major art collectors who resided in Lyford Cay and Jackson, being the outspoken radical he was then, jumped up and said ‘how can we expect those people to notice us and take us seriously, if our own people don’t do so. He went on to say that it was important and in our own best interests to step up our game and prove that we were worthy of world attention. Although the journey is not over, I truly believe as a member of the art community, that we have come a long way towards achieving this. We know, as did Jackson, that tourists have been coming here for years to buy art from people such as Amos Ferguson and John Beadle and that with our efforts they will continue to do so in greater numbers long before the year 2020. Jackson was a leader and made sure we understood that we cannot be complacent, sit back and expect the world to come to us without good reason. He believed, as do I, that when we as a people respect and value each other, honour our immense pool of creativity and talent and are producing authentic work then it follows that we will earn the respect and attention of the world. As artists, we have been truly blessed by having Jackson in our midst and although we expected to have him here for a much longer time we will continue to feel his presence around us - in his exuberant, colourful paintings, in the legacy of his buildings and when we hear the sound of Junkanoo! I hope that we will all follow his lead in being proud of our Bahamian heritage and our Bahamas and continue the work. Love you and miss you my brother .........just B-C.A.U.S.E! Rest in Peace and Grace. Related articles: Memorial Service and Funeral Dates Announced for Jackson L. Burnside III Allyson Maynard Gibson on the passing of Jackson Burnside Prime Minister Ingraham on the Death of Jackson Burnside Downtown Community Mourns the Passing of Jackson Burnside Condolences to the Burnside Family from MP of Killarney, Hon. Dr. Hubert A. Minnis Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture on the passing of Jackson Burnside We The People statement on the passing of Jackson Burnside Leader of the Opposition Statement on the passing of Burnside Jackson MP Phillip Brave Davis on the passing of Jackson Burnside Bahamian appointed chairman of Caribbean School of Architecture Board Junkanoo Legends Acknowledged ‘Artists of the Bahamas’ to open in unique city-wide exhibition
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