Bermuda's overseas cultural connections through art will be the focus of a lecture by Masterworks founder and creative director Tom Butterfield at the Masterworkd Museum of Bermuda Art tonight.

'Somewhere Beyond the Sea: The Lure of Bermuda To Overseas Artists' will address the connections that Bermuda maintains with overseas locations through the travels of artists whose visits to Bermuda have become part of the Island's shared artistic legacy.

"I will talk about the current show 'We Are Sailing' and address the topic of what and why the Island attracted so many artists after tourism opened its doors in 1885," said Mr. Butterfield.

"In Biblical proportions, I will discuss how the artistic floodgates were opened in Bermuda during this time."

The Masterworks Artist in Residence programme invites overseas artists to work in Bermuda and to share their expertise with Bermuda residents through workshops, lectures and school visits. They also have an exhibition while on Island.

"Overseas artists visiting Bermuda give us a tie to a world beyond the Bermuda reef line," said Mr. Butterfield. "We are not isolated or insular, we are connected. Through the artwork we make those connections by bringing artists here, or by bringing shows or lectures overseas."

He will also speak about the current exhibition, of Hugh Dunford Wood's exhibition of Lyme Regis and Bermuda works that celebrate the twinning of Lyme Regis and St. George's.

Hugh Dunford Wood was essential in organising the same lecture in Lyme Regis that Mr. Butterfield will give tonight.

Doors open for the lecture 5.30 p.m. and lecture starts at 6 p.m. Price: $10 non-members, $5 members. Hugh Dunford Wood's exhibit closes on November 18.