ARTfusion Magazine

Artvi Advocates hosted the 2011 Caribbean Colour Juried Art Exhibition event, “The Art of Diversity: A Smile Is Beautiful in Every Colour,” from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at The Ice Gallery Project at St. Thomas Dairies, across from Udder Delite on Magens Bay Road, St. Thomas. Attendees of this one-night-only exhibition had the opportunity to participate in a collaborative art project throughout the evening, and were also able to cast a vote for their favorite work in the People’s Choice Award category. Featured in the exhibition were be more than 40 works of art from local emerging and mid-career artists, as well as over 30 works of art by students from the Charlotte Amalie High School art department, The Virgin Islands School of Visual Arts and Antilles School, among others. Artist Eric Browne exhibited an audio installation, which was accompanied by a light show by Hooman Pedram.

Over $2,000 in cash prizes were awarded to the exhibition winners. Serving as juror was Carmen T. Ruiz De Fischler Ph.D., founding director of the Puerto Rico Museum of Art and a former executive director of the renowned Ponce Art Museum. Artvi Advocates hopes to use this all-inclusive community art exhibit as a catalyst for creating awareness and promoting the value of our diversity throughout the Virgin Islands. Artvi Advocates is a new grassroots organization of energetic and innovative art advocates who have a keen interest in furthering the cause of arts and cultural advocacy in the U.S.V.I. Its mission is to support and promote the arts in order to enhance the cultural, social and economic well-being of the Virgin Islands through arts education and advocacy.