If you’ve had a chance to stroll down Bay Street lately, I am sure youve seen an assortment of colorful murals awakening the once empty wall space. At first it was unclear whether random artist had taken initiative to add spice to what was slowly becoming a dull city, but after some research we found out that it was actually a program being conducted by the Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP) and the Coco Cola Bottling Company called “LOVE my Bahamas : Downtown Art Experience” …
The purpose of the project is to Beautify, enliven and enrich the downtown area , Capture the rich heritage and history of the City, Promote and showcase local arts and culture, Build upon the sense of community and Promote responsible living. I was definitely happy to see this program coming to life here in the country as it is a staple in modern cities worldwide to have artist use vacant spaces to display their artwork. After speaking to the representative for the DNP we also leaned that along with the 13 Bahamian artist who will be painting, 2 international mural artist have been brought in to add their flavor to the mix. Wall murals give the city an identity, or dare we say a personality which the Bay Street area was definitely lacking. I am looking forward to the completion of this project to see the final product. The DNP has been doing its part to bring a modern urban feel to the downtown area and so far all their efforts have been spot on with world wide standards. Hopefully they keep it up and Bay Street and the Down Town area can return to the glory days, when it was actually a nice outing to go out and spend a “Day on Bay” ( mmmmm … sounds like an event, we won’t charge you for that one DNP). BUT next we here at eLIFE 242 hope to see some restructuring of whats available on Bay Street retail wise, some how it just seems to be way too much jewelry and perfume, but until then shout outs to Coca Cola and the DNP for breathing new life into Down Town.
SIDEBAR: The Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP) was created to help oversee the restructuring of urban space on New Providence. This will involve a social and economic transformation of the city of Nassau—from Wulff Road to Bay Street, and from Arawak Cay to Potters Cay. It will require a focus on culture and heritage, a physical redevelopment, and a systematic effort to remake the city’s image
