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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:    August 23, 2011

In Memory of

Pat Bishop T.C., M.A., D.Litt. [Honoris Causa, U.W.I.]

The country learned with great sadness on Saturday 20th August, 2011 of the passing of Pat Bishop T.C. M.A., D.Litt. (Honoris Causa, U.W.I.)

Much will be said about Pat Bishop and her passing, but as the oldest representative body for artists in Trinidad and Tobago, the Art Society is pleased to speak to her invaluable contribution to the visual arts in Trinidad and Tobago and in the Caribbean.  There is no gainsaying the fact that a discussion of her contribution will address the many other aspects of her work as a musicologist, a musician or an educator but we impose that limitation on ourselves for the purposes of this celebration.

We first of all extend to Pat’s immediate and extended family and friends, our deepest condolences on this sudden bereavement.

An artist colleague who has known her for most of her life, Donald [Jackie] Hinkson recalls with warmth, that he first formed a bond with her when he, Peter Minshall, Arthur Webb, Alice Greenhall and Pat Bishop mounted an exhibition of paintings at the Trinidad Art Society’s (now the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago) headquarters, at the old Woodbrook market on French Street, Woodbrook, more than fifty years ago.  It was a bold step at the time. It was an expression both of passion for the Arts and optimism for the future.  Independence soon followed.

During the last twenty years, Donald (Jackie) Hinkson muses that “when she began to paint more, we began to collaborate more and to discuss each other’s work, the state of Art, Carnival, politics and one could sense a growing despondency about the state of the country….but she continued to work and to assist others tirelessly. I benefited greatly from this generosity.”  He commented that “Up to a couple weeks ago she repeatedly asked me to come to her house to see what she was working on for her next exhibition.  She was clearly agonizing over it…”

The records of the Art Society reveal that  Pat Bishop held several one-person shows, which included, “Think Pink” (1997), “Praise Song” (1998), “Genesis” (2000), “Doorway to Caliban’s island” (January 2001)and “Stones” (December 2001) all of which were held at the then Gallery 1234 at the Hotel Normandie; and latterly, “I belong to the House of Music so I am sharing the key to it with you” (September 16, 2007), and “the Steel Pan is a star” (March 8, 2009) both at Softbox Studios, Alcazar Street, St Clair.  Her last solo exhibition, “The Rehearsal” was held at De Gallery of Visual Arts on Woodford Street, Newtown, a stone’s throw away from the home of another national icon of the visual arts, the late Boscoe Holder.  We are aware that at the time of her death, she was in preparation for a show to be entitled “She sells sea shells on the seashore” and was busy on the next project, a collection of assembled sculptural works entitled “Outside the box”. 

Mark Pereira, an eminent gallery owner avers that he has always used Ms. Bishop as an example of someone who clearly identified her gifts as God-given, and, at great personal cost exercised those gifts to her fullest abilities with a clear understanding that to do otherwise would be a betrayal.

Bunty O’Connor, an accomplished sculptor and ceramicist remembered Ms. Bishop’s address at the closing of the Women’s Art Show at the National Museum this year when Ms Bishop said something along the lines of “…how do they do this, these women, my sisters, who have to cook, clean, wash, wipe the baby’s bottom, take the children to school, mind the man, look in on the old folk and hold down a job.” Another of her Bishop Anstey past art students recalled in a brief tribute to Ms Bishop that “she sees colour when she hears music.  She hears music when she paints.”

The current President of the Art Society does not have the extensive experience of others but had the honour of hosting Ms Bishop at her home when she visited to give a feature address at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London a couple years ago, at a conference organized by the Notting Hill Carnival Association.  It surprised the undersigned that this colossal woman whom everyone held in such extremely high esteem and whose address was awaited with much excitement and anticipation would experience such doubt prior to the delivery of her address.  Ms Bishop’s concern on that occasion was whether her address would meet the mark that the organisers expected.  This was a woman of undeniable substance and mettle.

Last week Monday, the undersigned visited Ms Bishop at her request and the subject of the visit was her young students at UWI for whom she expressed great concern.  Ms Bishop had two requests.  The first was that the Art Society would assume the responsibility of guiding, encouraging and sharing with these young artists from its collective experience. Secondly,  Ms Bishop had a specific request that for the fiftieth anniversary of Independence, to be celebrated in 2012, the Art Society in collaboration with the UWI should mount an exhibition of works created by students of UWI [current and former; degreed and non-degreed];and the staff of UWI [academic and non-academic]. Ms Bishop even suggested that the theme might be “50 years of the University and Art”.

At the close of our remembrance of Pat Bishop the artist, it is clear to anyone who has seen her work that she expressed the lyricism and colour of music in her art, but what is perhaps a little less obvious is the generosity of spirit with which she imparted her message on canvas.  She was a courageous woman who believed in her country and its inherent and obvious beauty and its worth and she cried on canvas when we disbelieved that, and discounted ourselves by accepting any less than “the best”.

Gail P Guy

President

The Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago

 

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