The Montserrat Arts Council (MAC) on Monday officially took charge of almost 2000 images captured during the early 90s by international photographer Gildo Spadoni.
The Montserrat Memory Project officially opens to the public on Tuesday, March 7 until the end of the month at the Montserrat National Trust in Salem.
Dulcie James, President of the Trust said she was looking forward to seeing photos of a period of Montserrat after the 1989 hurricane when the island was experiencing wealth.
“This is a chance for those under 30 to see a part of the island they would not remember or know,” James told the small gathering at the handover ceremony.
The exihibit is a combination of 70 mounted photos at the trust and a slideshow with 400 images.
Chadd Cumberbatch, Director of the Montserrat Arts Council said this was a “reflective exhibition” and captures the amazing years which were the early 90s on Montserrat. “We were on the verge. He captured us at our most glorious moment.”
The director thanked the Office of the Premier, which funds the MAC and allows them to put on worthwhile projects like these “that feed our souls.”
Hon. Minister of Agriculture Claude Hogan, which has responsibility for the national trust said he continues to be impressed by the trust and the MAC and the ways they are celebrating our culture in different forms.
“Spadoni,” he remarked “has captured the strength and fibre of Montserrat in those last days.” Hogan hopes the exhibition “will inspire people to recall that perhaps they were better than they are today.”
Gildo Spadoni is from Astoria, New York and captured the photos during a visit to the island around festival season in 1991. This is Spadoni’s third visit to the island. He shared that he considers Montserrat at the top of the list of the more than 30 countries he’s visited. He has handed over almost 2000 photos and given the intellectual rights to the MAC. The film and digital archives will be stored at the national trust.
“I am more than happy to give them and I hope the essence of Montserrat will last for generations.”
