Boulders transformed into sculptures

Wood sculpting is an art, a passion and a business for those forming and shaping new life into the grain. At least nine locals joined a team of international artists for the first Belize at Thirty – Sculpting the Vision symposium. The artists brought in their own machinery to cut deep into eight enormous boulders to create new art and solid artists. Earlier today News Five spoke to the Communications Officer for the National Institute of Culture and History who says that you can purchase one of these larger than life objects.

Shari Williams, Communications Officer, NICH

Shari Williams

“Like for the past month or so, some international sculptors along with some Belizean counterparts have been working nonstop in trying to produce some carved pieces for Belize. We at the National Institute of Culture and History believe that the actual art of carving stone has been lost over years; we have not done some actual pieces since the ancient Mayas. So we felt that it was important for us to invite these international sculptors to come in to not only show our apprentices, but to do some lecture series in terms of bringing back the art to Belize. The entire symposium has been a success. Not only have we been gifted these artwork—artwork that I must say there is no way that we would have been able to pay these sculptors to come in, but they gave of their own free time. Not only did we gain these pieces of public artwork, our artists who were along with them all through the entire month also now have new talent in sculpturing—a new medium. We’re hoping that this is one of many sculptor symposiums to come. We are definitely very delighted about the outcome. We now have about nine pieces to be placed countrywide. A couple are still up for sale. So if anybody has fifteen thousand dollars or care to purchase one of the artwork, you are welcomed to do so. Several of them will be in Belize City; one has been purchased for Cayo Art Center and we still have a couple to go.”

The artists, who come from as far as Austria and the United Kingdom to share their knowledge, left the country over the weekend.