NEKO MEICHOLAS’ CREATIVE BAHAMAS

Originally created by Neko Meicholas as Creative Nassau’s (City of Crafts and Folk Art) submission to the North American Creative Cities Forum (2022) held in Querétaro, Mexico the following collection has become Meicholas’ ongoing project on Bahamian creatives.

Nassau, a Brief Geography and History

The City of Nassau, the capital of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is situated on the 80 square-mile (207 square km) on New Providence, lying in the Lucayan Archipelago of which The Bahamas chain of around 700 islands and 2,000 cays occupies about three quarters. The country’s nearest neighbours are Cuba, the United States, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Haiti. New Providence, with a population of 266,100 (2016) lies about 184 miles (296 km) from Miami, Florida and approximately 344 miles (553.61 km) from Havana, Cuba. The Bahamas was claimed by King Charles I of England in 1629 and remained a British possession until it achieved independence in 1973.

One of the oldest in the Americas, Nassau was founded in 1670. Nassau is a noted tourist destination and international-banking centre with tourism featuring as The Bahamas’ primary economic driver.

Nassau, a Locus of Folk Art and Crafts

Bahamians have had a long history in folk arts and crafts. Drawing primarily on their African heritage, this creativity has included storytelling, stonemasonry, woodcarving, straw weaving and basketry and the design and production of costumes and sculptures, constructed from such materials as cardboard, metal frames and finely shredded coloured paper used as ‘paint’. These activities have been a part of the creative output of the people from the beginning of settlement and has provided a livelihood for families throughout the many islands of The Bahamas.

The images below were provided courtesy of Bahamas Information Services (BIS).

Neko Meicholas is a book publisher, artist, photographer and owner of the publishing company, Guanima Press Ltd (www.guanima.com). He worked previously with the Bahamas News Bureau and several of the leading Bahamian printing and advertising agencies.

Meicholas’ creative output is extensive and covers several fields. In 2022, his Guanima Press Ltd completed the production of the books Masters of the Sea: Regatta and Sailing Tradition in The Bahamas and Volume 1 of a collection of speeches by the former prime minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the Rt Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham.

His illustrations can be seen on the covers of many of the books he has created. He produced a short documentary on sustainable harvesting of the Silver Top Palm (primary source material of Bahamian straw work) and “Bahamian Potato Bread” for the “Days of Bread” exhibition at the UNESCO Creative Cities Network AGM 2018. Meicholas’ paintings and ceramic sculptures adorn the walls of the old St Francis Xavier Cathedral and Holy Family Roman Catholic Church (both in Nassau).

His interest in photography was sparked when, at the age of nine, his mother gifted him a subscription to National Geographic magazine. Since then, Neko has been inspired by the work of such photographers as Ansel Adams, Herb Ritts, British Youtuber Sean Tucker and local photographer Margaret Guillaume. He takes inspiration from local artists John Beadle, Brent Malone, Stan Burnside, Korean artist Jamsan, Italian artist Agnes Cecile (aka Silvia Pelissero) and American Youtuber Ten Hundred.

Neko Meicholas welcomed the opportunity to create this visual essay because it gave him the chance to feature his home and a selection of Bahamian artists and artisans whose work he has admired and supported for many years. He is married to noted Bahamian author Patricia Glinton-Meicholas. They have one son, Robin. Neko proudly declares himself an avid reader and autodidact.