Island Construction Services (ICS) has become a supporter of the arts by becoming an associate sponsor of the Bacardi Limited 2006 Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Bermuda Art.

In welcoming ICS? association with the Bermuda National Gallery (BNG), director Laura Gorham expressed pleasure at the company?s decision, and said that henceforth the exhibition would be formally referred to as ?The Bacardi Limited Biennial 2006 Exhibition of Contemporary Bermuda Art presented in association with Island Construction Services?.

Bacardi Limited has sponsored the event since 1998, and remains the signature sponsor of the exhibition.

?We are delighted to welcome, as associate sponsor of this exhibition, Island Construction Services ? a local company that, like the BNG itself, is deeply rooted and vested in the community,? Mrs. Gorham said. ?We are deeply appreciative of ICS? support, and look forward to working with them in the future.?

The director described the Biennial, as it is more familiarly known, as being ?truly representative of the best the Island has to offer in the contemporary arena, reflecting the achievements of Bermudians and resident artists of all ages, races and backgrounds?.

Zane DeSilva, president and chief executive officer of ICS, said his company was ?excited? at becoming an associate sponsor.

?We have seen the (Biennial) develop in artistic importance over the years, and have been impressed by the calibre of work produced in an increasing range of mediums by so many talented Bermudians and resident artists.?

In terms of ICS, Mr. DeSilva said his company?s success and growth have been ?built on diversity?.

?We have a tradition of supporting a wide spectrum of local charities, organisations and causes. We are proud to be associated with a successful event like the Biennial which reflects the diversity of our Island community.?

Founded in 1960 by Mr. DeSilva?s father Howard, ICS is the Island?s largest residential and commercial excavation company, and has also expanded into a number of other businesses, among them property development, quarrying, trucking, crane rentals, landscaping and the Goodyear tyre dealership. ICS employs more than 80 people.

On behalf of Bacardi International Ltd., chief executive officer Roger Collins also welcomed the support of ICS.

?Our continued sponsorship of the Biennial is an indication of the importance with which we regard supporting excellence in the arts in Bermuda. We are pleased that Island Construction Services shares this belief, and recognises the growing impact that the Biennial has on the development of the local arts community.?

Bacardi, founded in 1862 in Santiago de Cuba by Don Facundo Bacardi Masso, is today the largest privately held spirits company in the world, producing and marketing a variety of internationally-recognised spirits. Its worldwide, operational headquarters has been based in Bermuda since 1965.

The Biennial, now in its seventh edition, has become a benchmark of the development and maturity of the visual arts in Bermuda. This year?s exhibition opens at the Bermuda National Gallery on April 21 and will feature works selected from 263 entries submitted by 68 artists.

International jurors Dr. Annette Blaugrund and Professor Moe Booker made the final selections for the 2006 show. Dr. Blaugrund is director of the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Art in New York, while Professor Booker heads the department of Basic Studies at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, where he also teaches painting. He is a former professor at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.