Until about three decades ago, artists and musicians in Belize worked mainly on their own, or within their specific ethnic groups. But since then, a great deal has changed in this predominantly English-speaking nation, the smallest in Central America.
Today, Belize boasts some two dozen groups dedicated to indigenous music, and just this year, the country inaugurated its first museum.
In recognition of the country’s cultural emergence, the IDB’s Cultural Center is presenting the exhibition “The Art of Belize: Then and Now.”
The exhibit is organized around three themes. First is the ancient Mayan civilization that left so much evidence of its glorious past in Belize and surrounding countries. Second is Belize City, a place where river meets sea, beset and shaped by hurricanes and catastrophic fires. The objects in the exhibition document in part the city’s history, which stretches back to the 17th century. The exhibition’s final theme is the country’s contemporary arts scene, most notably the efforts of a group of young artists in promoting the arts and art education.