Turks & Caicos Islands - TCI Mall Island Information - Turks & Caicos Islands Artists

The first settlers (some 800 years ago) of what is now the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Lucayans, developed a society with a political system, it's own distinct language, extensive trade routes, religion and a rich arts & craft tradition; considering the lack of hard stone or metal tools in the region at the time.

However, upon the arrival of Columbus, and with him the Europeans, the Lucayan civilization vanished over the course of just one generation having fell victim to enslavement and barbarism by the conquerors. Luckily, Lucayan West Indian's petroglyphs can still be found in the caves of the Caicos Islands, giving testament to their artistic attributes. This, however, left little chance for inspiration by present day local artists from pre-settler counterparts. The former Indian civilization did not survive, but the arts and crafts, be it indigenous or burrowed, are alive and well here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. There is a wealth of regionally and locally made works of art on display throughout the Islands available from a variety of galleries and artists. The work today is a far cry from the rock carvings, geometric designs and zoomorphic figures of the Lucayan Indians. Local artists are evidently versatile in both tool and material usage, presentation and overall lifestyle.

One such Turks and Caicos artist is Jean Gardiner-Taylor. Her bio reads like a success story: Becoming interested in art from the tender age of 6 years old, Jean started out with pencils, crayons, charcoal and pens. She became serious about art after being exposed to an exhibition on Providenciales at the age of 26. Mrs. Gardiner-Taylor quit her job, got financial sponsorship from Mr. John Shearer, and with encouragement from family and friends, she won awards from the Caribbean Art Exhibition held in Curacao, Cable & Wireless (TCI) open Christmas card design competition, the A.I.D.S. Awareness Poster Competition in 2001 and represented the Turks and Caicos Islands at Carib Art in Santo Domingo recently. Some of Mrs. Gardiner-Taylor's work can be found at the five-star Parrot Cay Resort and in various private homes across the Turks and Caicos Islands or by appointment. She now utilizes a number of different brush sizes and types, different canvas grades and paint combinations.

Above all, the conquerors of yesteryear have evidently failed in their attempt to suppress the evolution of cultural artist expression in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The TCI National Museum contributed to this article. This article was published by Baller Magazine online, April 2004.