Independence Anniversary Mural Unveiled in Belize City  

The Belize City mural has been unveiled a few days prior to Belize’s forty-third anniversary of independence. The project, commissioned annually by the National Celebrations Commission, has become an integral part of the September festivities. This year, well-known Belizean artist, Gilvano Swasey led a team of students from Wesley Primary School to paint a mural on the Roger’s Stadium fence. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the unveiling today for more details on the creation of the piece.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

A nation proud and free, Belize at forty-three is the theme for this year’s September celebrations. As part of the festivities, the National Celebrations Commission, the Belize City Council and NICH have unveiled this year’s Independence mural, joining the other works of art on the Roger’s Stadium fence at the corners of Dolphin Street and Cemetery Road. Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard says this year was special for the project.

 

Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor, Belize City

“We’ve started it a couple years ago where we’ve had artists actually take on this Roger’s Stadium fence and depict some of their artistic creativity and blend it with a bit of patriotism. And we have continued along this side. And this year we’ve done a little twist in incorporating some of the artists from the primary school. So it went for younger artists and as you can see, it’s still a beautiful masterpiece. And, just having them all here, coming together as a class, being creative, and coming up with something so masterful very appreciative from us at the city, and it really adds to the overall aesthetics that we have here in Belize city.”

 

Gilvano Swasey, one of Belize’s most respected artists, was commissioned for the project. He was inspired to invite the children of Belize onboard to bring their vision to life.

 

Gilvano Swasey, Lead Artist

“About three months ago, when you get old time, it’s hard to tell. Wesley upper inviting me to talk about art. And usually I ker some lee painting. This is Benjamin Nicholas. This is art about culture. But they said, no, mister Swasey, we want you to talk about curating. How do you set up an exhibit? And I was like, wow, nobody never asked me about that. And that is very crucial. Presentation is very crucial. How do I let people understand my art? How do I let them appreciate it? You have many artists who have created amazing things, but they don’t know how to present it or express it or defend it. And so I was very much amazed by that request and even by the questions that I got from the students. So when I was asked about this mural, I said, right down the street, Wesley deh, you got Queen Square, you got St. Ignatius, all the primary school across this way. So why would I want to come out and paint these when the kids can do it themselves?”

 

The mural comprises three paintings; designed to look like composition notebooks, decorated with the sticker of the national symbols of Belize. Swasey was inspired after researching art from 1981, the year that Belize gained its independence.

 

 

 

Gilvano Swasey

“I had to look at the pictures from colonial time passing over to our time. I had to look at even the stamps. And that’s how I got to start with this concept. If you look at the small post over here, the stamps, those are the actual, some of the actual stamps from 1981.  that celebrated, like I said, Mr. Price said, we needed an identity and national symbols, the national bird, the national flower, our flag, the mahogany tree, and the tapir. So in that research, I found all things Belizeans, there are many things Belizean.”

 

Six students from Wesley Primary School were selected by their teacher to assist Swasey with the project. Among them are Omarion Neal and Amani Cooper. Amani, who painted the toucan, said that this experience was an honor.

 

 

 

Amani Cooper, Artist

“I painted the toucan, and I didn’t think I could do it, but I did it.”

 

Britney Gordon

“How did you get involved in it?”

 

 

Amani Cooper

“Gina Itza, my brother’s teacher.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And how was it bonding with all the other painters and being a part of this celebration for Belize?”

 

Amani Cooper

“It was very fun. Very fun.”

 

The artists began painting last Thursday and completed the mural on Monday. Omarion Neal, who painted the tapir, joined the project when his teacher saw him drawing and invited him to participate.

 

Britney Gordon

“How long did it take you to draw it?”

 

Omarion Neal,  Artist

“Well bout ten minutes I could seh.”

 

The Belize City Council facilitated the artists by ensuring that the surface of the fence was clean and coated with an underlayer of paint. Pollard says that it is due to the hard work of Swasey and the students that the mural is such a success.

 

Allan Pollard

“There’s not many words I can use to describe how big of an artist he is, how big of an impact he has on art history in Belize. So to have him lead the students and, really bring out the best of them artistically is something that we really appreciated from him.  And as you can see how he incorporated that with the books and education. Only a curator like himself could successfully, create that and bring that message across to the students. So I think he did an awesome job with the kids and of course some guidance from their teachers as well. It was a awesome blend, an excellent blend and we are very pleased with what we’re seeing here today, with the outcome.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.