Kendra Earls Reflects On Time At Masterworks
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Kendra L. Earls is stepping down as the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art education officer after four years of helping inspire others to explore their creativity through art.
Ms Earls, who leaves the island after 20 years later this month, believes she achieved her aim of helping people of all ages and abilities connect with their artistic nature at the nonprofit organisation inside the Botanical Gardens in Paget.
Before joining Masterworks, Ms Earls spent seven years as an art facilitator at the local charity Action on Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Her successor will be Bermudian Kimberley Fisher, who has been delivering art classes at Masterworks for several months.
“It’s been great getting the Masterworks programmes off the ground,” Ms Earls told Bernews. “I wanted to take a holistic approach to art so it encompasses all ages and helps people in the whole community connect with their creativity naturally.
“It’s time for a change, though. I’m not sure what comes next; I have some ideas, but I’m sure I’ll keep painting!”
Ms Earls, who hails from Atlanta, Georgia, added: “I brought my vision to the role. My teaching style is very non-judgmental, allowing people to express themselves freely regardless of their skillset and hopefully enhance their creativity.”
Tapping into the knowledge and expertise of local artists to share at the various Masterworks programmes also played a part in Ms Earls’s teaching philosophy, something she hopes Ms Fisher, her successor, will continue with even greater success.
“Kimberley has been working with me since December last year and will do an amazing job,” Ms Earls said. “She’s creative, smart, and has all the wits to carry this position further than myself.
“I started getting other artists to teach [at Masterworks], such as Carlos-Santana Dill and Kimberley. It’s hard to find artists who will teach what they know, their different techniques and skill sets.
“I tried to do that as much as possible; I’d love for her to be able to expand on that.”
A gifted artist in her own right, Ms Earls has several public murals dotted around the island, including a 12-by-30ft pop art-style mural, which she created alongside graphic designer Shanna Hollis to honour Dame Flora Duffy’s gold medal win at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
She also worked with the late Dennis Joaquin on the Moongate mural on the public bathrooms on Front Street and, more recently, pieced a 13ft-by-10ft mural on the mezzanine at Masterworks called Bermuda Overgrown Paradise.
“I advocated quite a bit for public art and its importance,” Ms Earls added. “When I was the featured artist at the Bermuda Festival in 2012, I did a couple of talks about its importance, and many [public murals] happened from that.”
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