Category: Exhibitions

Categories
Artist Talk Bermuda Artists Community Exhibitions Performance

5-Week Puppet Building and Puppeteering Course

Meet The Monstrosities!

Writer, producer and puppeteer, Kathryn Mullen, shared her puppet expertise with a small group in a 5-week course as a part of the programming for The Art of Michael k. Frith: From Pencil to Puppet.

Each week, the participants spent two hours with Mullen, one hour building their puppet and one hour practicing puppeteering skills.

The participants started with just a piece of fabric and a simple pattern, then each used their creativity to create these beautiful and varied characters!

Categories
Bermuda Artists Community Exhibitions

Farewell, Fozzie Bear

When the Gallery found out that Fozzie Bear would not be able to stay for the remainder of the summer, our team decided the best way to say farewell was to hold a goodbye party!

Due to the outpouring of community support for The Art of Michael K. Frith: From Pencil to Puppet, which was initially due to close in May, the exhibition has now been extended to the middle of August. We are still looking for financial assistance to cover the costs of extending this landmark exhibition. Please consider contributing at www.bng.bm/fraggles.

The only puppet unable to remain in Bermuda for a few extra months was Fozzie Bear. Fozzie Bear, along with the other Henson puppets on display, was on loan from the Center for Puppetry Arts. Fozzie Bear had to return to his home museum to prepare for his next commitment in the National Comedy Centre in New York City.

So, our team planned a goodbye soiree with themed drinks and Fozzie Bear temporary tattoos to send Fozzie Bear off in style! Thank you to everyone who attended and helped us celebrate Fozzie Bear, and the man who created him – Michael K. Frith.

Categories
Community Education Exhibitions

Free Admission Returns for 2026

BNG is offering free admission for all visitors in 2026. The initiative, which has been generously supported by a grant from The Christian Humann Foundation for the past four years, allows equitable access for all to BNG’s world-class exhibitions, and to Bermuda’s national art collection, which is cared for by the Gallery.

Close to 15,000 people visited the Bermuda National Gallery in 2025 to enjoy four exhibitions, ranging from photography to painting, printmaking and puppetry: Bending Light: Photographs by Seth de Roulet,Andy Warhol: Portraits from the Factory, A Study in Light & Colour: Selections from the David White Collection and The Art of Michael K. Frith: From Pencil to Puppet.

The Foundation’s support allows visitors to return to the Gallery throughout the year free of charge. BNG has been offering free admission since 2022, during which time visitor numbers have tripled. Jennifer L. Phillips, Executive Director of the Bermuda National Gallery, said, “We are so appreciative of The Christian Humann Foundation’s longstanding support of BNG. In particular, their sponsorship of our Free Admission initiative has a tangible impact – museum attendance numbers have increased year over year since the programme’s inception, and in 2025 we welcomed a record number of visitors to the Gallery.”

A spokesperson for The Christian Humann Foundation said, “We are delighted to continue the Christian Humann Foundation’s legacy of supporting the arts through our partnership with BNG in 2026. Our hope is that everyone in the community will come out, experience these incredible exhibits, and leave feeling inspired by the arts and all that BNG brings to Bermuda.”

Alongside free admission, the Bermuda National Gallery offers free tours for classes and camps. Over 500 students visited the Gallery in 2025 and 1,400 BNG Kids Activity booklets, which are produced to accompany each exhibition, were distributed. From January through to April, BNG will also be offering free transportation for schools island-wide, made possible by the Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club. Schools can sign up online at www.bng.bm.

The Gallery will be opening four new exhibitions in 2026, beginning with a solo show by California-based Bermudian artist Soleé Darrell in March. This will be followed by an exhibition exploring the work of Frederick L. Hamilton (American, 1900-1989), who grew up in Bermuda and was one of the first photographers to take arial shots of the island. BNG’s flagship exhibition, the Bermuda Biennial, also returns, this year juried by Akili Tommasino, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Julie Crooks, Curator, Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora at the Art Gallery of Ontario, as does the Junior Bermuda Biennial in celebration of our youngest artists age 5 to 17. 

Categories
Bermuda Artists BNG Members Exhibitions

Members’ Preview: Pencil to Puppet

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the members’ preview of The Art of Michael K. Frith: From Pencil to Puppet. The exhibition is a chronological journey over the course of Frith’s life, which literally starts with a pencil and ends with puppets. Approximately 350 works are on display, ranging from advertisements drawn for Masters Limited in Frith’s teenage years to original character sketches done during his time at the Jim Henson Company.

The exhibition includes newspaper clipping from Frith’s childhood, covers designed for the Harvard Lampoon, concept sketches for Dr. Seuss and Sesame Street books, endless character designs and, of course, puppets.

The Charles Zuill Project Space has been turned into a Puppet Workshop and Theatre, with opportunities for visitors to design, make and then utilize stick puppets.

Free tours of this exhibition are available for schools and camps. Those interested in booking a tour are invited to sign up on our website or email Officer of Community Engagement, Programming and Learning Mikaela Joy Kawaley-Lathan at programming@bng.bm

An exhibition of this scale would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. This exhibition is sponsored by Masters Limited, with support from Markel; Appleby; The Durhager Family; Athene; Chubb; Clarien Bank; Conduit Re; Nicole and Arie Haziza; Piran Strange, The Bermuda Government – Ministry of Education and various anonymous Friends of the Friths.

The Art of Michael K. Frith: From Pencil to Puppet will be on display through to Spring 2026.

Categories
BNG Members Exhibitions

Member’s Preview: Andy Warhol

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the members’ preview of Andy Warhol: Portraits from The Factory. The exhibition is produced in partnership with the Green family and we would like to extend a sincere thank you to them for the generous loan of these artworks. 

This exhibition is the fourth in a series that we have had held showcasing the Green family’s private collection. The first, Rebel with A Cause: Shepard Fairey, was held in 2017; followed by What’s Poppin’: Pop Art and Its Influence, held in 2019, and most recently, Simplicity of Form: Unfolding Abstraction in 2023.

Curated by Eve Godet-Thomas, Andy Warhol: Portraits from The Factory displays artworks created between 1967 and 1987 in Factory Additions, Warhol’s screen-printing business which pioneered a commercial approach to art making.

Every BNG exhibition is accompanied by a BNG Kids Activity Book. For this exhibition, the activity book gives information about the artist, encourages young people to try their hand at drawing portraits and has an interactive component in the Gallery where young people can use an instant camera to capture the subject of their portrait.

Free tours of this exhibition are available for schools and camps. Those interested in booking a tour are invited to sign up on our website or email Officer of Community Engagement, Programming and Learning Mikaela Joy Kawaley-Lathan at programming@bng.bm

Andy Warhol: Portraits from The Factory will be on display through to January 2026.

Categories
Exhibitions

Opening of Bending Light

by Seth de Roulet

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Members’ Preview of Bending Light: Photographs by Seth de Roulet. Over 200 guests gathered at the Gallery to celebrate the exhibition’s debut.

Now open to the public, the exhibition features 29 large-scale photographs, all captured on Kodak T-MAX 3200—a distinctive black and white negative film known for its high speed and strikingly rich grain structure.

Photographs by Brandon Morrison.

Categories
Artist Talk Bermuda Artists Design Exhibitions

Meditations on Form Opening

Jewellery by Melanie Eddy

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Members’ Opening of Meditations on Form: Jewellery by Melanie Eddy, sponsored by Butterfield with support from the Bermuda Foundation. 

It was a truly special evening, marked by overwhelming support for two major milestones: Melanie Eddy’s first solo exhibition and the Gallery’s debut jewellery show. The atmosphere was filled with pride and emotion as we celebrated Melanie’s remarkable achievements right here in Bermuda, the island that has been a constant source of inspiration for her stunning designs.

The exhibition, which is now open to the public, presents 3 of Melanie Eddy’s collections; the faceted collection, the high jewellery collection and the breakers collection.

Photographs by Brandon Morrison.

Categories
Exhibitions

Exhibition Opening

A Bermuda Interlude: Paintings by Owen Merton

Thank you to everyone who braved the rain to join us for the Members’ Preview of A Bermuda Interlude: Paintings by Owen Merton. The exhibition, which is now on display in the Ondaatje Wing, presents a striking series of watercolours painted by New Zealand artist Owen Merton (1887-1931) in the year he spent living in Bermuda in 1922.

This is the first time that his paintings have been shown in Bermuda.

A Bermuda Interlude: Paintings by Owen Merton is on display in the Ondaatje Wing through to August 2024. Exhibition curated by Dr Charles Zuill. Exhibition made possible by the loan of artworks from the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY. Sponsored by Sir Christopher Ondaatje, with support from Mari Harpur and Robert Steinhoff.

Categories
Exhibitions

A Sense of Belonging

Connection and Community in Bermuda Art

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening of A Sense of Belonging: Connection and Community in Bermuda Art, curated by Dr. Edwin M.E. Smith. It was a fantastic evening. If you haven’t seen the exhibition yet, make sure to stop by!

The exhibition brings together works by artists of Bermudian heritage, drawn from both from the Bermuda National Gallery’s permanent collection and community loans, which collectively tell a story of connectedness.

Featured artists include Robert Bassett, Norman Lewis, Bill Ming and Graham Foster. 

Pictured above from left to right: Robert Bassett, Barbara Dillas, Dr. Edwin M.E. Smith, Graham Foster, and Sharon Muhammad.
From left to right: Dr. Edwin M.E. Smith, U.S. Consul General Karen Grissette, Minister Owen Darrell, and BNG Director Jennifer L. Phillips.

Exhibition curated by Dr Edwin M.E. Smith. With support from Bermuda Arts Council. A Sense of Belonging: Connection and Community in Bermuda Art is on display in the Humann, Young and Upper Mezzanine Galleries from November 21 through to March 2024.

Categories
Exhibitions

Bermuda Wonderland

Step into Elizabeth Mulderig’s World

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening of Bermuda Wonderland by Elizabeth Mulderig. It was a fantastic evening. If you haven’t seen the exhibition yet, make sure to stop by and see Bermuda as you’ve never seen it before. 

Bermuda’s best-selling children’s author and illustrator depicts each of the island’s nine parishes through the lens of Alice in Wonderland in a series of large-scale paintings in which characters from Lewis Carroll’s much-loved book intermingle with Bermuda flora and fauna. 

There is a purpose-built children’s education space to take young visitors through Elizabeth’s process and an interactive game, designed in collaboration with virtual experience company Hi From the Future which brings the paintings to life. Click here to play along at home. 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is wonderland-2.jpg