Hamilton, demonstrated that there are areas of togetherness in Bermuda. Art can have and should have an appeal which crosses any barriers. The large group of people attending the opening appeared to be representative of all sections of Bermudian society and it was as refreshing as the art.

The large and exciting exhibition is sponsored by the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs and shared between the Bermuda National Gallery, the Bermuda Society of Arts gallery and the Arts Centre at Dockyard. The Masterworks Foundation space at the Bermuda National Gallery continues to show part of the Masterworks Collection.

If anyone ever had any doubt about the value of the Bermuda National Gallery, it would have disappeared at Tuesday's show opening. The exhibition is intended to be representative of the work in the islands and countries of the Caribbean and of Bermuda.

The works representing Bermuda hold up very well even though they do not appear to be the best work of the artists represented nor are they the best Bermuda can produce even though Sharon Wilson's entry may well be the best picture in the City Hall show.

However, the spread of this large exhibition over three galleries with a fourth space showing Masterworks pictures serves to demonstrate the splits in the Bermudian art world. It may be time for some consummate diplomat to get these groups together and point out that Bermuda is too small for the divisions and that the politics involved are damaging the local art world. If we can have togetherness of galleries and the public for a travelling show why can't we have it for ourselves? We know that there are some things involved in the local art world which are difficult to overcome, like jealousy and ego and cash, but we doubt if there are enough volunteers, or enough willing cash, or enough administrative talent to keep all of these groups functioning well, even though there is growing creative talent. Much of the problem is in "administration'' and the egos which might not be fed if the societies were as one.

Many people have been surprised to learn that at least three of the groups are now collecting current Bermudian art. Talk about duplication! From the outside, the groups give a very different impression than they may think they give. Their divisions may seem insurmountable from the inside but from the outside there are great similarities and the differences pale in the light of the possible achievements.

The National Gallery has been a much bigger success than most people expected and has proved its worth as both an art institution and a social institution from day one.

The Masterworks Foundation has done a remarkable job, with relatively little cash, in assembling a stunning group of pictures which should be in Bermuda.

The aims of the two groups are very admirable and very similar and it is difficult for outsiders to understand why they are separate.

Politics keep the Bermuda Society of Arts stirred up and the group seems to enjoy offending its friends yet it is hard to understand why the Society and the Arts Centre are not one. They both do very much the same thing.

The solution is for someone to buy one large umbrella and invite everyone to come in out of their bunkers. If we could achieve that then the possibilities for the art world are unlimited.