THE AMERICAN Art Review, a prestigious US magazine which highlights different museums across the country, has published a six-page article on the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art in its August issue.

The article was written by Elise Outerbridge, the museum's collections manager. Mrs. Outerbridge studied Fine Art and Art History at Pine Manor College and New York University and has been caretaker of the 1,200-strong collection since 1988.

Mrs. Outerbridge spoke with the Mid-Ocean News about the article and the history of the museum of Bermuda Art as well as its exciting, ongoing projects.

She said: "This building and the article we have this month in American Art Review has been the culmination of 21 years of hard work and dedication by our staff, volunteers, our contributors, patrons and the people that have supported us.

"We started in 1987, 21 years ago, and when we started out we had 12 works of art. We borrowed about $60,000 from some generous people around the island to pay for the art and today we have a collection which is worth over $7 million and our new building we built is a $9-million facility."

The new building is in the Botanical Gardens in Paget and Mrs. Outerbridge said it was thanks to the Bermuda Government that the facility was able to be built.

She explained: "The Bermuda Government gave us the property for peppercorn rent at a dollar a year and they said, 'You raise the money and build the building.' It's been a wonderful relationship we've had with both the Government and the private sector and I think it's a great example of Bermuda when the two come together."

Mrs. Outerbridge, explaining some of the work displayed there, said: "When you go around the gallery each art piece tells a different story about Bermuda at some point in time.

"I think our earliest work is 1824 and our latest is we go right up to contemporary art work. Each painting tells a different story and each painting is in a different media and style and it's a compendium of the way artists looked at Bermuda and interpreted the island.

"Having said that, most of our artists are from North America just because of the proximity to Bermuda and so many of them would take the ships after 1885 to come down here and paint in the outdoors and experience the beauty of Bermuda.

"I think you see that reflected in all the artwork here whether it's a water colour, oil or print; and whether it's a famous artist such as Winslow Homer or Georgia O'Keefe or some of the lesser known artists, who were equally important in their own right in their contribution to American art and world art in general.

"And that's why we're so pleased to have this article in American Art Review which is a prestigious American publication which highlights different museums across the United States every year and we're one of the few that have ever been chosen outside of the United States and I think that's because of our heavy emphasis on American art."

Speaking of the museum's state-of-the-art storage facility, she said: "Our opening exhibition which opened in March is due to come down at the end of the month. We've kept it up because we wanted to encourage the tourists and the locals to come and see the best of the collection.

"A lot of it will be taken down and put in storage and we do have a state-of-the-art storage facility in the basement which we are very proud of and people have said it's as good as any art storage facility any place else in the world.

"In our storage facility we have the ability hold our whole collection and it is air-conditioned and climate controlled and we have a generator which means we can ensure the arts safety 24/7 despite tropical storms or hurricanes. It's a really comforting feeling knowing how often in Bermuda you run the risk of losing electricity and the artwork is fragile."

Mrs. Outerbridge explained how Bermuda artists can show their works in the exhibition gallery.

She said: "Our exhibition room has rotating artists every two weeks and we feature local artists as well as artists in residence. Every two weeks the artist gets to come bring their artwork in, they curate it and hang it themselves and we help with the price list.

"It's been a great springboard for artists over the years and now that we have this beautiful room it's a great result and all Bermudian artists who want to exhibit should give us a call and we'll try to fit you in our schedule at some point and we'll try to see your artwork. We've had artists as young as 12 and as old as 93 exhibit in our gallery and it gives us a good feeling as to what the art community in Bermuda is doing at any particular moment."

There is another aspect of the museum that parents looking for outlets for their children will appreciate and that is the classroom and educational facilities available.

Mrs. Outerbridge said: "We are very cognisant of the fact that the young artists of today will be the Masterworks of years to come. Our educational classroom is a really important component of the whole Masterworks philosophy and programme and the reason the building was built in the first place.

"We always felt from the beginning that there was no point in collecting all these wonderful pieces of artwork if they weren't going to be used to enhance the lives of Bermudians and Bermudian children in particular.

"From the beginning, we've been holding art classes and we're able to bring the children up into the gallery, talk to them about the paintings and then have them look at the different methods, mediums and styles of the different artists that are in the collection and then they either emulate them or the go off and use their imaginations and do something in the same vein.

"It is one thing to see an image in a magazine or on television but it's entirely different to see artwork up close and really feel the artist in the room with you.

"The children have really responded amazingly to this and we hope in the fall to start our pilot programme Artsmart in the classrooms where we would take examples of the art in the gallery and bring it to the classroom and then bring the children back to study the painting."

She added: "There is a reason for us doing this and it's not just because we love the beautiful artwork and that we are collectors, it's because we've always had a very strong desire to use artwork to enhance the lives of Bermudians and the world in particular.

"The great thing about this collection is we are now getting worldwide attention and it is bringing attention to Bermuda.

"Since this magazine has been published and we've been open people have been calling us from all over the world asking about Bermuda and the artwork and the different artists that have come here.

"I think eventually it will evolve into a great learning process for all of us."