The Public Treasury Art Programme (PTAP) and The School of Communication and Creative of Arts (SCCA) of The College of The Bahamas are pleased to host SCCA’S End of Year Art Show entitled “Retort”.

Retort is more than an exhibition of student work, but a collection of critical conversations through art where students of The College of The Bahamas visualise quick witty responses to social issues relevant in Bahamian society.

Art enthusiasts and the general public are invited to attend the opening of the show on Friday, November 29th 2013 at the Public Treasury Building on East Street North to support these young creative thinkers and engage in their visual discourse. The show will be open for public viewing until April 2014.

Bahamian designer David Rolle claimed 2nd place at Mission Catwalk Season 3. David, who competed against Theodore Elyett, also of The Bahamas, and Renardo Lloyd of Jamaica, talks about what prompted him to enter Mission Catwalk.

“I’ve always wished I could somehow enter Project Runway. When I found out about Mission Catwalk and after watching my first episode, there was no question that I’d be a part of the next season. Being a person that loves a challenge confirmed that this was the perfect route for me.”

David was also gracious on his return home and took some time to talk to Nu Woman about his Mission Catwalk experience.

Nu Woman: What was the application/selection process like?

David: It started by sending a few emails out, letting the Mission Catwalk team know that I was interested. They requested an online submission of work from my portfolio. I was short listed and asked to fly to Jamaica seven days later for a filmed audition.  Each designer was asked to bring samples of actual work. From then, the 15 designers were confirmed.

NW: On arriving and meeting the contestants, were you nervous? What did you think about the competition?

David: I wasn’t really nervous about seeing the other contestants. I was shocked to run into Theodore at the airport because I had no clue he had applied. Alexis, I knew from Islands Of The World Fashion Showcase. I knew she would be a force. I could tell that talent, if nothing else, was present.

NW: After the first challenge completed, what were your thoughts? Was the competition at this point what you anticipated?

David: I felt like the underdog going into the first challenge. This fueled me, however, to really turn things up a notch. After seeing all of the designers’ work on stage, I knew I had a chance. The competition was as expected. However, I was not prepared to be filmed so much.

NW: Was this a friendly competition? Rivalry?

David: For the most part Season 3 was pretty friendly. A few of the designers had it out with each other but nothing that lasted too long.

NW: You are a self-taught artist. Were many of the other contestants self-taught?

David: I think it was just two other designers who didn’t have formal training. I’m not sure if the others designed before heading to school.

NW: What were some key lessons learnt in this competition?

David: More than anything, to edit. Taking away is just as important as adding. This was the most valuable lesson. I also learnt the hard way that not just because someone is expected to have your best interest at heart, means they will.

NW: What was it like competing against another Bahamian?

David: I think we gave each other a much needed competitive push. That’s as much as I think I should say. (Lol)

NW: Describe your first win in a competition? How were you feeling?

David: My first win came at the perfect time. After having placed in the top three for all individual challenges but not having won, I was excited to claim victory. This for most was probably the most difficult challenge thus far, as we were asked to reconstruct other contestants’ bottom three looks. This episode rocked!

NW: How difficult was it to complete these last pieces within that time frame? Were the designers allowed help?

David: Designing my 12 piece collection was a challenge, however time did not play a factor. We had about 85 days to complete our collection. We were asked not to seek help with construction of physical garments.

NW: What inspired the designs for the finale?

David: the Garden of Eden inspired this collection. I designed looks for my modern day Eve.

NW: What happens now? What are your immediate plans? Long-term plans?

David: I’m excited to have won a brand management contract with Global Purchasing. I look forward to working with them. I’m already working on multiple collections and looking at doing some training. I think Asia is calling me.

Read our Fall 2013 issue here- http://issuu.com/nuwomanbs/docs/fall_2013_digital_finalman

Copyright 2013 Nu Woman Magazine. All rights reserved.

Celeste Marshall. Photography by Barry Williams.

Nu Woman did a post interview with Celeste Marshall on the heel of her trip to the Miss Universe at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. We caught up with her again on her return from the competition and in the middle of our Spring cover shoot, where she is the featured model.

 NW: What has it been like since you got back?

Celeste: Ummm, it’s actually been pretty slow. I haven’t been as much things  as I did before Miss Universe. Now I think I’m on sort of a mini  vacation, but I’m getting started again.

NW: So now what you are focusing on now?

Celeste: Now I’m focusing on my platform, getting into the schools and  keeping up with the Diabetes association, helping out at various support groups.

NW: So tell me a little about the Top Model competition that’s coming  up?

Celeste: It is something I’m really excited about. I’ve been excited about it for a while. It’s going to be in Egypt. I leave on March 15th, and I spend two weeks there.

NW: So tell us how this came about?

Celeste: Well, there was a Top Model competition in Miss Bahamas and in  winning that competition you advance to the Top Model of the World  competition. So in winning The Miss Bahamas Top Model, I advanced.

NW: We are wishing you all the best in that.

Celeste: Thank you.

NW: Are you making any special preparations for this?

Celeste: No, I think it’s pretty straightforward. They focus more on the  runway part of it as opposed to pageantry, but you still have to be prepared for everything. But, I think this will be pretty easy for me as I’ve been modeling a long time, so I hope it’s a breeze.

NW: How are you feeling about the upcoming cover?

Celeste: I am excited.

NW: What’s your concept of the cover?

Celeste: What’s my concept? Well, so far I’ve gotten Spring; I’ve gotten  bright colours, excitement. Something that’s urban. I’m excited about  it.

NW: With your trip to Top Model drawing closer, how are you feeling? Nervous?

Celeste: Surprisingly no, I’m not nervous. I am excited and anxious to get there but no I’m not nervous as yet.

 NW: Do you think that the Miss Universe experience added to your preparations for this upcoming event?

Celeste: Yes I do think it has added tremendously. The experience at Miss Universe I feel, has prepared me for this journey in all aspects. In terms of what to expect at the competition, consistency and remaining well ground in what I was taught.

NW: What was the best part of the Miss Universe experience at Planet Hollywood? The worst?

Celeste: Wow there were so many memories made at Miss Universe but I think the best part had to have been getting to know so many other women, taking in the fact that there are so many people that are just like you but completely different in their own way. Just being in that atmosphere is said to be chaos but, I feel as if it was the best because we all understood each other because we all had something in common. The worst, honestly I had no bad experiences there.

NW: What has been your most valuable lesson/s in the last year?

Celeste: My most valuable lesson I’ve learnt has to be hard work pays off, and the minute it pays off, even when you feel like you are at your last do not give up.

NW: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Celeste: In 5 years i see myself with my bachelors degree in science, modeling for the biggest names in the industry.

NW:  Are there any ‘barriers that you think you have broken’ in terms of how ‘beauty queens’ are perceived? Or any barriers in general?

Celeste: Yes, the one barrier I feel I’ve broken is the fact that I am down to earth and relatable. Most beauty queens are perceived  to be perfect in the publics eye, non approachable or pretenders. Myself, I’ve let people know, understand and see that I am a real person with real feelings, I’ve allowed people see that I am understandable and I can relate to a real situation. I’ve gotten people to understand that I am a warm, loving and joyful person “in real life”. I am happy and smiling all the time because that my “real personality” and I want people to accept me for who I truly am, and not what I am perceived to be.

On the release of this issue we discovered that Celeste had never made the trip to Egypt to the Top Model competition. Nu Woman made contact with her mother Lavette to find out the details of what happened. Lavette voiced her disappointment and said that the franchise had contacted Michelle Malcolm two days before they were set to leave the Bahamas to inform them that the competition was no longer available to the Bahamas.

Nu Woman also presented some question to Celeste to get her feedback on this.

NW: You never made it to the competition. What happened with the Top Model Franchise?

Celeste: Unfortunately, no I was unable to attend the Top Model of the World 2013 competition. Truly I am uncertain as to the status of the franchise. The Miss Bahamas Organization had informed my team only days before my departure that I would not be attending.

We were told that World Beauty Organization, the owners of the Top Model of the World Competition, advised them that the competition was no longer available to this country. That is the extent of the information that has been passed on to us.

NW: How did you feel as a result of this? Will this deter you any?

Celeste: This news was devastating for me. Top Model was one of the main reasons I entered the Miss Bahamas competition. This competition was supposed to be one of the important steps I take in advancing my modeling career as well as branching my image. I am saddened and seek further clarification, but I am maintaining focus.

Definitely not. I am not that easily deterred.  Modeling is a very important focus in the packaging of my career.  I would not give up until my ultimate goal is realized. My dream is to one day strut the runway with those glamorous ladies adorned with the Wings of Victoria Secrets and trust me, I am working and will continue to work to that goal.

To read the complete Spring 2013 edition, check us out on issuu.com. Click on the link below –

© 2013 Nu Woman Magazine. All Rights reserved.

Monty Knowles. Photo by Christiane Wesche

Monty Knowles is Bahamian visual artist, an architect and a fine arts photographer who is creating quite a buzz with the painting and photography of his “Nymph” themed artwork.
I first glimpsed Monty’s work during an article published via Tribune 242 and I was truly impressed. I was aware of his work as an architect through another source who had worked closely with him for years and though it was impressive, it was the painting and photography work of the “Nymphs” that left me a little bit in awe.

Excited and hot on his trail, I contacted him and attempted to set up an interview, which took place over the span of several weeks, as Monty was traveling and working in Paris, and then later on to China. We also began to plan a Junkanoo themed nymph painting and photo shoot for an editorial in Nu Woman.

Monty’s Interview

Nu Woman: Tell us a little about your Junkanoo Nymphs.
Monty Knowles (MK): Junkanoo Nymphs, like all of the other nymph paintings, allow people to appreciate the beauty of the human form as art. Junkanoo, in its present state, is primarily about the costumes. The people are simple transportation for the art. The Junkanoo nymphs are an interpretation of these beautiful costumes that allows us to appreciate the inherent beauty of the Junkanoo dancer as a person.

Nu Woman: How did you transform from an architect/photographer into body painting?
MK: It’s not much of a transformation really as they are all art forms. The body painting grew out of a photography project we dreamed up and the resulting art still holds more fascination to me than canvas painting. Although ephemeral, it is beautiful to see these nymphs in motion for as long as the paint lasts.

NW: How long did it take you to develop the technique? Were you always an artist?
MK: All of my art is still developing, but in general my body paintings are intended to accentuate and enhance the model’s form. Perhaps you remember ‘drawing’ butterflies in school? We always formed the swirls and patterns to follow the shapes of the wings. Nobody draws city skylines, trees and other objects on the wings.

When I body paint, I follow the shape of the body to create a variation of the body’s form. To me, the skin is not a canvas as it is to most body painters. Instead, the body is a form to enhance and accentuate with painting.

Art has always been a part of my life. Whether it was drawing at the dining room table during summer vacations, photographing, or practicing architecture.

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Junkanoo Nymph Tazhmoye Cummings. Painting and photography by Monty Knowles.

Angelique Sabrina. Photography: Barry Williams.
Wardrobe & styling: Theodore Elyett. Hair: Yashicka Carey. Make-up: Italia Williams.

Angelique Sabrina is a rising pop star from The Bahamas who has been making waves on an international platform in the last few years. This 15-year old singer/performer has already been featured on MTV, Ryan Seacrest.com, Sirius XM 20 on 20 and she is also the new spokesperson for Cable Bahamas Limited – the largest Cable network in the Bahamas. She is the second and youngest person ever to receive this honor.

Cable Bahamas is revamping their products and Angelique is a part of this new and revitalized initiative where she will be featured in numerous commercials. The first of these efforts was a short film released in July of this year with Angelique singing the Bahamas’ national anthem, “March On Bahamaland”, as part of the Bahamas’ 40th Anniversary celebrations.

Angelique talks about what making the March on Bahamaland video meant to her, saying, “I was very proud to be able to be a part of the ‘March On Bahamaland’ short film. It was a reintroduction of the national anthem to my generation. It was the first time the anthem was able to be done in a modern way that we can all relate to, but still keep the foundational feeling and purpose of the song itself. After watching the final shot, I felt strongly that it was something that would live for a long time in The Bahamas.”

This Nu Woman cover girl took some time during a recent shoot to answer some questions.

Nu Woman: What has this year been like for you?
Angelique Sabrina: This year has been really, really busy. I have been doing so much traveling internationally and I’m sort of getting my name and music out there, abroad. Also, loads of performances, very busy. Of course I just had the signing with Cable Bahamas, which is the most recent thing that has happened.

NW: Was that a surprise for you?
Angelique Sabrina: No, it wasn’t a surprise, I was aware of the whole discussion from beginning to end. But, I was glad that it was as successful as it is.

NW: So what are you doing exactly as the face/spokesperson of Cable Bahamas?
AS: I am the face to help present the newer products that are being marketed to my generation, the younger generation and to give some insight where needed.

NW: You performed an original piece for Sir Sidney Poitier. What was that like?
AS: It was the most honoring and humbling experience of my entire life. A lot of my friends don’t know who he is, but I knew who he was before I was asked to perform for him. So I was in shock, I was honored. I had read his autobiography and so I was just really prepared to do something in honor of him as a kind of tribute to his life. I just didn’t want to go up there and sing “Pull Up” or “Stop Sign”. I wanted to sing to him and for him and about him.

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Adria Jenee. Photography Mei-Lin.

This twenty year old songstress says she has been interested in music since she was eleven.

“I wanted to do it since I was 11. Which was when I started writing and I told my parents I wanted a guitar. I had never played it before, but I wanted the guitar. I taught myself the guitar, but I was too shy to actually go out there and connect with people involved in music, I was too scared.”

She says she got noticed on YouTube at age 14, “I posted something on YouTube when I was 14 at it got noticed by some guys who are in the music industry here – S Types music group (Stereotype Music Group). They saw my original song that I had posted on YouTube and they told me to take it down because of copyright reasons. Then they just snatched me up and said we have to record this, do some tracks with you and that’s when I got into it. I was still in school but I wanted to do music professionally.”

Adria talks about a recently released a single, “Fall in Love”, that she made with Christopher “Sketch” Carey.

“Sketch and I met years back when I got in touch with the guys in S-Type. We met on a music video set but we never got the chance to work together, but we always said that we would. Then he called me and told me that he is back in town and he had a few tracks that he would like to collaborate on.

We got into the studio, and he is literally in the process of making the beat and I’m just giving a little bit of input and right there the hit was made in that same day.

Within hours it was done. So yeah, it was really easy.”

NW: I see the single on Sound Cloud, where else is it? It seems to be getting some good feedback.
A: Yeah, Sound Cloud ah, it’s actually the one single

(“Fall in Love”- https://soundcloud.com/sketchcarey/sketch-carey-adria-jen-e-fall) that I’ve posted that is getting the most feedback and I think it has to do with the fact that Sketch is already out there, he has a name for himself and I’m still kind of ‘up and coming, but he has his fan base. He has been sharing it, I’ve been sharing it and it’s gotten a lot of positive results. So, I’m excited about it.

NW: The lyrics, did you and Sketch do the lyrics the same day?
A: Yes, and most of it are my lyrics. It wasn’t something I was too excited to run and tell my mom or my dad, because of the content (giggles) so I was pleasantly surprised that they both like it.

NW: Do you get a lot of support from your parents when it comes to your music?
A: Yeah, I do, I do. I get a lot of support especially from my mom because she wanted to pursue music when she was younger, but she never really got the chance to and she never pushed me into it either. She felt like if she pushed me, I would just turn away from it, but I love it! She just wants me to do whatever it is that I love and she supports me in that.

DIGITAL ISSUE COMING IN NOVEMBER. To read the complete story for FREE via the Digital issue **SUBSCRIBE HERE**