According
to Coulson, “John is a fundamental player in the art scene of The
Bahamas and has an extensive working knowledge of both the historical
and contemporary practices here. We’ve known each other since 2006 and
have an excellent working relationship; with his internal knowledge and
my international reach, I believe as a team we’ll achieve our goal of
bringing Bahamian art to a wider audience both at home and abroad.”
Cox
is an internationally recognized mixed-media artist and has extensive
experience in all aspects of organising and curating art exhibitions. He
has been a major part of the Bahamian art scene for the past 20 years
and has played a significant role in redefining art in The Bahamas.
Previously, he has held the positions as curator and education officer
at The National Art Gallery. Most recently, he taught in the Art
Department at the College of The Bahamas for several years.
Cox
adds,” I am honoured and excited to be back at the NAGB with the new
team. I accepted the offer from Amanda Coulson for this position with a
great deal of optimism as I believe we can leverage the institution in
the future to engage in local, regional and international conversations
around contemporary visual practice in ways the country has not yet
experienced. I see the NAGB as a vehicle for empowerment, education and
dialogue. The platform that Dr. James established during the Gallery’s
initial 8 years, positions the new team perfectly to get to the next
level. The future looks bright.”
Cox received a
BFA in Illustration in 1995 and went on to receive a Masters in Art
Education from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He originally
went to school as an architecture student and eventually found his niche
in illustration. He began making art and organizing shows of his work
at such universities as RISD, Brown and Harvard.