DETECTING CREATIVITY EVERYWHERE: Finding the Spirit of Expression Walking the College of the Bahamas Campus

DOORWAY TO EDUCATION OF THE MIND AND SPIRIT! How inviting is this sun-drenched hallway, which allows passage from the front of the campus to classroom buildings and study spaces with picnic tables under the trees! (photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

COLLEGE STUDENTS GATHERINGS BETWEEN CLASSES! Imagine attending a college with a temperate climate! Between classes at the College of the Bahamas, the student body meet outdoors with each other to relax, exchange ideas, and study. It was a delight to walk between the venues of the First National Natural History Conference of the Bahamas and witness the camaraderie of the college students.(photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

Hallelujah Pilgrims! CREATIVITY IS EVERYWHERE! And it is my mission to SEE it, hold it PRECIOUS, and to connect with the HUMANITY that expressed it. In a recent post, I wrote as the "SOUL's ADVOCATE" as I roamed the streets of Nassau, New Providence. Today, I offer you my CREATIVE FINDS on the campus of the College of the Bahamas.

HIBISCUS EXPLOSION ON A CLASSROOM BUILDING! Traveling from the Performance Arts Center to the Harry C. Moore Library, I was greeted by this lovely mosaic! Is it a random art happening on this campus, or are there other such pleasing surprises? (photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

ITS ART ON THE SWIMMING POOL WALL! Along the same trek from the Performance Arts Center to the Harry C. Moore Library, I spied this colorful mural. Later, when I investigated, I learned that a swimming pool was on the other side! This painting of active students serves as a visual backdrop for studying out under the trees, enriching their learning experiences!  (photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

TREE ART! What you see here are pieces of decorated canvases wrapped around the trees. Entranced by these intriguing ornamented trees, I asked students to explain the "why" behind their presence. Most students just shrugged. They didn't know. Then one student told me that older students decorated the trees to welcome incoming new students. Whatever the reason, Hallelujah for art being integrated with the environment! By the way, you don't see any students photographed because I took special care not to be an "ugly" tourist and point a I-Phone or I-Pad (of which I had both) at them. (photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

SIDEWALK ART FUND RAISER. On Thursday, March 7, 2013, while taking a break from the sessions at the Natural History Conference of the Bahamas, I strolled out on the campus and found this chalk art image. When I asked one of the students what the event was, she explained they were raising money for a student organization--was it a literary group? Anyways, she explained that for 5$, students got chalk and as many drinks as they needed while completing their image.(photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

BEYOND THE CHALK ART. I confess an absolute love of college campuses! And I fell in love with the College of the Bahamas. Out beyond students creating chalk images, was this intriguing building! From what era? I asked one of the students what it was, and they told me it was an administration building. (photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

A CURIOSITY! On Thursday, the spectacular banner for the First National Natural History Conference of the Bahamas had come down in the Performance Arts Center Foyer. I found this mannequin reposing on the floor. What creative project had it been a part of? Who knows! But fellow pilgrims, it is worth everything to SEE and ASK the question! (photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

FLAG OF THE BAHAMAS. The national flag (center) of the Bahamas represents the unity of the Bahamian people, the sun and the sea. The other flag (to the left) you see is the flag of the College of the Bahamas. (photo by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! What CREATIVE ACT will you witness today? Share it with me when you SOUL BLOG with Hallelujah!

RANDOM FINDINGS OF THE SOUL'S EXPRESSION: Art found outdoors in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas

CREATIVITY IS EVERYWHERE! Seek and you will find the expression of someone's SOUL everywhere you go. Open your eyes. Journey down streets of new cities to see what expression you can discover of the inhabitants' creativity.  I found this image traveling down from the closed National Art Gallery of the Bahamas in Nassau, New Providence, to the beach! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah Pilgrims! Today, I am celebrating being the SOUL'S ADVOCATE! And for me SOUL is expressed through CREATIVITY! Wherever I JOURNEY in this life, I search for evidence of the SOUL'S EXPRESSION! 

In the first week of March, 2013, I TRAVELED to the island of New Providence for the very first National Natural History Conference of the Bahamas. Along with Sandy Voegeli, a dear friend, master diver, environmentalist, and educator, I, Hallelujah Truth, spoke for the vital role that art can play in developing environmental stewardship (see blog, Guardian Angel Project).

Busy with this natural history conference, I had no time to see the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, which was a 5-minute walk from my hotel, until the last day. BUT!!! The museum was closed because of a funeral of a well-loved former commissioner of the police taking place across the street!

CLOSED NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF THE BAHAMAS!  When the obvious source of CREATIVITY is "closed," it is an opportunity to open our eyes WIDE and SEEK the presence of the SOUL in the "ordinary." (Photo by Hallelujah Truth)

Presented with a closed source of obvious CREATIVITY, I summoned courage as the SOUL's ADVOCATE! First, I invited myself through the partially opened car gate to examine the garden sculptures!

ARCHANGEL, WELLINGTON BRIDGEWATER!  Wellington Bridgewater, considered an "intuitive" artist, is self-taught and expresses his prophetic visions. He is the first Bahamian to display his work in New York city's American Folk Art Museum. The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas is extremely fortunate to have several of his sculptures in its gardens! (Photo by Hallelujah Truth)

QUEEN OF JUNKANOO, NICK "THE COPPER KING" AUSTIN!  Hallelujah for creative expression of important celebrations. This Queen of Junkanoo was hand crafted in Nick Austin's backyard! (Photo by Hallelujah Truth)

What a beauty this copper Queen of Junkanoo is!

Slipping through the gates of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas and past the police assembling for the funeral, I tumbled down the hill towards the crystal blue waters of Nassau's beach, asking myself this question: "What can I discover of the SOUL's energy expressed through ART on the streets?" Here is my answer!

RANDOM FINDINGS OF THE SOUL'S EXPRESSION! (all photos by Hallelujah Truth)

Dear fellow Pilgrims! We are all on a JOURNEY! We can absolutely find what we are SEEKING if we develop the "right" attitude and open our eyes! What do you think of my random findings of the SOUL'S EXPRESSION in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, March 2013? What are you SEEKING? What will you discover? 

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