On every inhabited island Bahamas Sculptors are working under shade trees with crude leaf spring chisels and rusted pruning saws. Piling up the mounds of mahogany chips beneath their feet to fuel their insect repellent smudge fires, they work outside in the island ecosystem that is their muse.

Traditional Bahamian woodcarving has its origins in Africa and its inspiration in the Marine Environment. Today's urbanizing planet is rapidly changing the Earth and its people. This summer you have the opportunity to witness a moment in time in the lives of the artists and the history of the ecosytems of Andros Island, Bahamas. Join us.
"Caribbean Carvings and Tropical Ecosystems Issues"
Summer A - 2003

This course is being offered by the School of Art and Art History at the University of Florida in cooperation with the US Non-Profit Organization International Field Studies, Inc.

We will visit the dynamic ecosystems of Andros Island to create sculpture and to learn about the conservation biology of this unique rural island. The Barrier Coral Reef, Mangrove Estuary, Pine Barrens, and Coastal Coppice will be the focus of our field investigations and inform the artist's works in wood.

Bahamian Master Carver Henri Wallace will teach technical skills and give the students the benefit of his 35 years of experience. Henri has sold works around the world, been awarded the Bahamian National Arts Award, and shown at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

Students will be required to keep a sketchbook journal and create a finished work in wood by the end of the two-week labor-intensive class. There will be daytime field trips, intense carving workshops, and evening lectures on Coral Reef Ecology, Bahamian Cultural Studies, Natural History of Tropical Woody Plants, and Island Biogeography.

The course will run from May 16 - 31, 2003. The cost is $1160 and includes accomodations, tuition, and transportation. You may register for this course under ART 3905, ART 4905, or as an independent sstudy for graduate credit.

For more information please contact Pete Davidson by email: petedavidson@hotmail.com