Copyright stabroeknews
By Alyce Cameron This week, multi-disciplinary artist Alyce Cameron shares her experience as a participant of the inaugural Guianame Conference and Expo, held from 25-27 September in Paramaribo, Suriname. The event, themed “Colours of Guianame – Exploring the Guianame Identity,” brought together creatives and scholars from Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Cameron works primarily in acrylics on canvas (painting) and leather (sculpture). When I received the invitation to exhibit my artwork at the First Guianame Conference and Art Exposition 2025 in Suriname, I was both honoured and excited. It was my first time exhibiting on such a major platform among regional artists, and I saw it as an opportunity to showcase the strength and creativity of Guyanese art beyond our borders. However, I must speak honestly, I funded this trip entirely on my own. As someone who works within the ministry that is responsible for the preservation of our culture and heritage, and as an art educator, this reality was both empowering and disheartening. Empowering because I believed in the value of representing my country, but disheartening because artists like myself continue to face financial hurdles when trying to elevate our careers or represent Guyana internationally. I hope that, moving forward, our government and cultural institutions recognize how essential it is to invest in the arts, in real, tangible [ways].
