and Cultural Affairs at Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery, City Hall.

This year being the 50th anniversary of the year of Women's Franchise in Bermuda, it was hardly surprising that the chosen theme for Heritage Month this time around, was women, their contribution to Bermuda and the struggle to have that contribution recognised through the granting of some very basic human rights.

In a tribute that commences with the arrival of the first women on the Island, survivors of the wreck of the Sea Venture in 1609, the subsequent story of their contribution to the growth of Bermuda has been carefully recorded. This fascinating exhibition seems to be more ambitious in scope than in recent years -- a list of the credits suggests that the all-female committee were determined to get things right.

They have certainly succeeded in that the show has been meticulously researched. Indeed, there is so much information that it is difficult to absorb in just one viewing. It is worth making the effort, however, for as is so often the case, the story of the Bermudian female's struggle for equality becomes a microcosm of parallel situations that existed in North America and Europe.

In this connection, it is worth noting that this exhibition seems to have caught the imagination of our overseas visitors, several of whom were heard expressing the wish that a catalogue of this show had been provided.

Wash tubs and scrubbing boards, parasols, palmetto baskets, embroidered samplers, and wooden cradles are just some of the artifacts from Bermuda's past that greet the visi tor, reminding us of the trappings, most of which, until very recently, dominated Bermudian women's lives. These have been loaned by the Bermuda Historical Society, St. George's Historical Society and the National Trust.

One of the most aesthetically pleasing items on show in this section are the beautiful 19th Century women's costumes, designed by artist Diana Tetlow for a Bermuda Festival production of "The Importance of Being Earnest.'' It's good to see these exquisite creations (sewn by Bermuda's women) on view again, and underlines the need for a permanent home for such treasures.

This, incidentally, is one of the few instances of the contributions made by female artists to the Bermuda scene: in an exhibition of this kind, it would surely have added at least a visual fillip, to place on show more of the rich contributions made by women on the arts front, especially over the last 50 years or so. Paintings and sculpture are two of the more obvious arts media that spring to mind.

As it is, this show relies heavily on the printed word, with a chronological account of the main events in Bermudian women's history, printed on a long, ticker-tape contraption that winds its way round the central exhibition structure. This also highlights some of the more notable events (a desk symbolises education, and so on) that have taken place since the first "born Bermudian'' (a female, no less) made her Island debut in 1610.

There is also a mock-up of a Bermuda blue-shuttered cottage, and on opening night, this formed the setting for a "happening,'' with Dorothy Matthews demonstrating how, 50 years ago, she ran her hairdressing business from the kitchen of her home.

There is a section on the women's "cottage industries,'' where the gentler sex revealed their prowess in making such domestic items as palmetto hats, brooms, fans, and table mats.

The importance of the Friendly Societies, as a means of ameliorating the lives of the black population at the end of the 19th Century, receives deserved attention, as do detailed expositions on progress in education and medical services.

Illustrating these, and the arrival of the Portugese in Bermuda, are some delightful photographs from the Bermuda Archives. More explanations and captions would have been welcome, however, in chronicling this unique photographic collection.

At one end of the gallery is a collection of headwear -- yes, you've guessed it -- demonstrating the different hats women have worn and do wear in Bermudian society. There is also a certain irony in the ladder, on which reposes a pair of impossibly high heels climbing, presumably, up the rungs towards that glass ceiling. Some women, we should remember, see high heels as a vivid example of the way in which stereotyped perceptions of "femininity'' override health, to say nothing of comfort.

A continuous video, taken from the Ministry of Culture's TV series on Bermudian Profiles, and mostly narrated by Ruth Thomas, brings yet another dimension to the show. And, hanging from the windows of the gallery is a sort of Roll of Honour, featuring the names of women, past and present, who have contributed in some way, to the life of Bermuda.

Bringing us right up to date is a wall covered with photographs and forms filled in by some of today's school students, asking the question, "What would you like to be when you grow up?'' Two things stand out here: not one apparently saw the role of wife and/or mother as a future option and, perhaps even more sadly, there appeared to be not a spark of imagination in any of them, either in the actual career plans (lawyer, doctor, secretary) or the way in which they have written about their secret hopes. It echoes the intense seriousness which, at times, reaches almost mystic heights in this presentation of the woman's lot on an isolated island. Yet probably, as Ruth Thomas has, for instance, so eloquently demonstrated in her Department's book of recollections by old-time Bermudians, it must have been laughter, more than anything, that kept the wheels a turnin' through the hard times.

There are apparently plans to produce a book based on the painstakingly gathered material in the exhibition. This should prove a useful, and interesting addition to the social and political history of our Island. -- Patricia Calnan HAVE A SEAT -- A group of prominent visitors examines an antique chair at the 1994 Heritage Exhibition at City Hall. Taking a look (from left) are: Exhibition Chairman Ms Jackie Hurbutt, Governor Lord Waddington, Lady Waddington, Community Affairs Minister the Hon. Wayne Furbert and Cultural Affairs Officer Miss Ruth Thomas.