June 2021: Black Lives Matter Bermuda & Peaceful Art Protest
Masterworks Museum, in a joint effort with ‘Black Lives Matter, Bermuda’ and the ‘Peaceful Art Protest’, invited the public to join us as we came together to mark the anniversary of the Black Lives Matter Bermuda March (2020). This special exhibition will showcase the artwork created in June 2020, alongside some new works from local artists, inspired by their reflection upon the event, and the movement, over the last year.
The 2021 Peaceful Art Protest had as its goal to stand as a reminder to continue to move our society forward and remain accountable to the statements and changes we pledged in support of Black Lives in Bermuda in 2020. Founder of the Peaceful Art Protest, Rachel Swinburne, explained that she was looking forward to again enabling art for the greater good, continuing the Peaceful Art Protest into its second iteration, stating,
“We are excited to bring the next iteration of the Peaceful Art Protest 2021 to life, with the opening set for June 7th. to mark the one-year anniversary of the Black Lives Matter Bermuda March 2020. The collaboration between Masterworks and Black Lives Matter Bermuda, along with the artists who contributed artworks last year, will be complemented by a host of new submissions, offering a powerful narrative of the BLM movement at a local level. At the pinnacle of this show, is an interactive installation aimed to foster discussion around race and privileges. We invite visitors to reflect and contribute their thoughts through conversation, written notes and drawings.”
The exhibition quietly opened to the public on June 4th, with an official opening, on the anniversary of the march, June 7th, led by ‘BLM Bermuda’. Speaking to the event, BLM Bermuda said,
“On June 7th, Bermuda protested George Floyd’s murder and the institutions that have enabled such injustices to occur for centuries. A year later, we reflect upon the progress made since that day and call for more action and awareness to combat systems that disproportionately neglect black and brown people. Let this exhibition be another powerful contribution to this fight for racial equity.”
An addition to the Peaceful Art Protest artwork, there was also a public installation running alongside the exhibition. The Peaceful Art Protest exhibition ran from June 4th - June 29th, 2021, at the Masterworks Museum, with an official opening marking the anniversary of the march, June 7th, 2021.
Read more about the show on The Royal Gazette