Baha Mar VP of Art and Culture : “More Tourists Would Come Because of Art and Culture”

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – “There’s no place like home” is the message behind this year’s Fuze Caribbean Art Fair at Baha Mar, with the theme “Coming Home.”

But for Baha Mar’s Vice President of Arts and Culture, John Cox, the vision goes much further.

He wants to change the way the world sees The Bahamas, making art and culture just as much of a draw as sun, sand and sea.

John Cox – Vice President of Arts and Culture, Baha Mar

“We’re trying to recreate expectations of why people want to come to The Bahamas.”

For Baha Mar’s Vice President of Arts and Culture, John Cox, that’s the bigger goal behind Fuze.

He wants visitors to see The Bahamas as more than just a place for beautiful beaches.

And with this year’s theme, “Coming Home,” he says the fair is also about reconnecting with your roots, celebrating the people and cultures that shape who we are.

John Cox – Vice President of Arts and Culture, Baha Mar

“A space where you can recharge yourself, like learn and exchange from people who really kind of, you know, gave you the opportunities to be where you are in the first place. So it’s really about, like, a resetting, you know, a reminder that you’re on the right path, that you’re doing a good thing. And, again, physically coming to The Bahamas is coming home, but it’s also just coming to a space in your own mind.”

And that’s exactly the kind of experience Cox wants to create.

This year’s fair features 54 exhibition booths, six art installations and more than 100 artists.

But it’s not just for art collectors or tourists.

The goal is for students and young, budding artists to take full advantage of the experience.

John Cox – Vice President of Arts and Culture, Baha Mar

“We have Scotiabank, who is our main sponsor for the entire Culinary Arts and Fuze festival. But they’re specifically sponsoring the student part of it, along with Caribbean Bottling. So the 700 kids that come, they’re going to get an art kit. They’re going to be given lunch when they’re here. They’re going to be walking through and be able to have access to all of the artists, plus the demonstrations.”

For Cox, exposing young Bahamians to art is part of building something that will last long beyond the fair.

It’s also a vision inspired by his late mentor, Bahamian architect and cultural advocate Jackson Burnside.

Cox says Burnside dreamed of a day when tourists would travel to The Bahamas specifically for its art and culture.

And now, through Fuze, he hopes to help make that a reality.

John Cox – Vice President of Arts and Culture, Baha Mar

“Art is just a reflection of life, and Bahamian life is amazing and often underestimated, misunderstood, you know? And so I’m humbled to be able to be a part of this.”