The Belize Sculpture Symposium which ran from Saturday, November 12, 2011 to Saturday, December 10, 2011 has yielded eight stone statues which will be mounted at strategic locations around the country.
This symposium was the first of its kind, and it ran for an entire month, at the old Center for Employment Training (CET) compound on St. Thomas Street.
The sculptures were created by international sculptors in collaboration with Belizean artisans and students. These artisans were tasked with sculpting a vision of Belize at its thirtieth anniversary of Independence from huge blocks of limestone.
There were a total of seven international sculptors, and two Belizeans who created these 8 works that are now sitting on the CET compound, ready to be transported to their permanent locations.
Each of the eight sculptures has been given a meaningful name, and each reflects the artisan’s idea of Belize at thirty.
Among the eight are “Communication” by Petre Petrov of Bulgaria, “Course of History” by Roland Mayer of Germany, “Breaking of a New Dawn” by Belizean Sculptor, Curl Gordon, and “Smoking Mirror Return” by Colin Fique of England.
The other 4 sculptures include “Caribbean Wave – A Momentary Lapse” by Florin Strejac of Romania, “The Mask (Replicated from Lamanai)” by Anthony Vicario, Belize, “Beyond the Waves” by Canan Zongur from Turkey , and “Inner View” by Caroline Ramersdorfer of Austria.
The international sculptors told the media at the unveiling of the finished pieces on Saturday that they have been honored to have had the chance to visit Belize, and create a piece that will become a part of our heritage in the generations to come.
The National Institute for Culture and History has said that each of these sculptures will be mounted at specific locations within Belize City, and the country, to maximize their artistic value, and they will become landmarks.