The Bermuda Society of Arts made headlines last year, courtesy of a threatened eviction from its purpose-built gallery at City Hall. Whether the island's oldest arts organisation will, in fact, be removed from its home of nearly 50 years, is still up in the air.

What is impressive is that the community felt the need to strongly express its high regard of the BSoA, and why it should stay put, via telephone calls, e-mails and letters, to the media and the gallery and its landlord, the Corporation of Hamilton.

This week, the charity's outgoing executive director Victoria Evans-Cracknell spoke with Mid-Ocean News reporter HEATHER WOOD about its place in the community and her heart, and the trip of a lifetime she and her husband Phil Cracknell are about to embark upon.

Q: When did you first start work with the BsoA?

A: As director, chief cook and bottle washer? I started on August 10, 2006.

Q: Where were you before?

A: Butterfield Bank. I worked in the marketing department taking care of special events and marketing materials, advertising.

Q: And you decided to leave there and work for a not-for-profit because . . .?

A: I wanted to give back to my community. I'm a Bermudian but I lived away for a few years. I returned and I had this overwhelming sense of need and I was in a financial place ¿ thanks to my husband ¿ where I could get by. I wanted to give back to my community before I retired. I showed (at the BSoA) in 1967 as a Mount St. Agnes student.

The BsoA has been very special to me ¿ I've been a member since around that time. And when the job came up I thought, 'What a great way to give back to my community'. I had a heavy corporate background. I was a marketing director in California after kind of a late start in life.

I got my degree when I was 40 ¿ I went back to school after my kids, after a divorce. So I am sort of a late bloomer. I came back home in 2002 and after being in the corporate world for about ten years, I wanted to switch and become more involved in the arts, to take what I'd learned in the corporate world and try and apply it here.

Q: You approached BSoA as opposed to another art centre, because a position was open, because of your attachment, why?

A: It just happened from coming here as a member and coming to shows and knowing (past gallery director) Peter Lapsley. We had a general conversation in January of 2006 where Peter said that he was going to Parsons (the New School for Design) in New York (to complete a master's in Fine Arts). I went, 'What about the position?' And he said, 'Well, we're looking. Vikki, you'd be great for this position.' And I said, 'I would be great. I'd love to do this.'

So I went through the whole vetting process and I was selected.

Q: Prior to Peter's arrival the BSoA was stumbling along a bit and he really turned things around. Was the challenge of taking over after him a bit daunting?

A: He did so much. It was really hard. I had some artists who'd come and say, 'You've got big shoes to fill.' And I'd say, 'Listen, there's a jar right there. Every time you say that I want a dollar in it.'

It was hard. Peter's a young man, really had his finger on the pulse of the younger community. I'm a middle-aged woman, so different peer groups. Totally different backgrounds though we still had the same nurturing and respect for this great place, Bermuda Society of Arts.

To me, this is a hallowed ground, it really is. So coming in with that, I was revved up, Peter was tired. He'd been here for five years. I do not know how Peter did it for five years. I've been in just under two ¿ 20 months ¿ and I'm exhausted. He took it to a new level and I came in all fired up, and I've taken it to an even higher level.

We've added two new galleries ¿ the studios. Now we have 49 shows a year. We've increased membership, we've increased the number of shows, we've increased public awareness ¿ some of it because of our current situation; no news is bad news. Because of that we're swamped, because of all those things coming together.

I have an open-door policy. I really have tried to nurture new artists, and introduce them and (have them) mentor with more established artists.

So I think I've made my own niche, my own legacy and whoever takes over I'm sure, because of our governing body, whoever takes over will have that same passion and then they will take it even one step higher and it will just keep going.

Q: What kind of personality would best fit as executive director?

A: A good friend of mine who is also a member, is also a volunteer ¿ believe me it gets crazy in here, most of the time it's pretty crazy ¿ she tells me that my job's psychotic, that it's a schizophrenic job.

You have to be (able to) multi-task because you've got people coming in, they need advice, they need hand-holding, the phone's ringing, you've got visitors who want to buy artwork, who want to ask questions, you've got a web site you're trying to redesign, you're trying to redo forms, you've got the daily sales sheet, plus you're booking shows ¿ it's just so varied. You really do have to be schizophrenic. It's the best way to describe it although I know it's probably politically incorrect to say that. But you have to be able to multitask.

Q: Do you think its better to have an arts background or is it more important to be a people person who's interested in the arts?

A: You have to have a passion for the arts. Whether it's visual arts or performing, you have to have a passion. And the reason why is that artists, by nature, no matter how new they are at the field or how long they've been doing it, artists by nature, I have found, are always in doubt of their abilities.

They're baring their souls every time, and of course the newer the artist, the more vulnerable they are so they need a lot of encouragement and nurturing. The more established artists may almost become too comfortable ¿ they can be more (diva-like). They're just as high maintenance because they want everything absolutely perfect.

And so you've got this dichotomy between the two sectors that you're helping. So by the nature of the business you have to have a passion for the arts so that you can nurture these types, these individuals who require an awful lot from you. They take a lot and you have to give a lot.

Q: In what areas do you think the Society can grow?

A: I can only speak about my tenure here, my little chunk. But what I have witnessed and what members are seeing, new people coming in, people that are just coming to the openings ¿ this is where I get all my ideas, the 'Arts According to Vikki Gospel'. The thing that's so unique about BSoA ¿ all the arts societies and organisations are vital to Bermuda and to our culture ¿ is that every three weeks, every 21 days, we have, generally, four openings on one night.

For instance, the current show, we have Jonah Jones in the Edinburgh Gallery, we have Bermuda College in the Onions' Gallery and then in the two studios we have two brand-new artists ¿ it's their first show together, a collaboration ¿ and then we have a brand-new solo show. And so what you have on opening night, you have cross-pollination.

Our community is all coming together. People who are coming to see Jonah Jones would not necessarily be coming to see Bermuda College. So they're getting exposed to the talent of Bermuda College and it goes around. People in Bermuda College, maybe they or their families don't know (the art of) Jonah Jones and now they're being exposed.

And so it's this uniqueness. We're under one roof, four openings happen concurrently and all the people who are coming out to support each of those openings are meeting new people and talking and that's where the bridge is, the bridge in our community. Where I would like to see it go, I tried and we don't have the resources at the moment, but I want to get the performing arts involved.

BSoA is not just the visual arts. It's for all artists whether they're poets, musicians, dancers ¿ it's for us all. And I want that network to broaden and so whoever wants to take over, maybe if it's allowed, with resources that can happen.

Q: What are you going to do when you retire?

A: Really, 'retire' is not the right word. But I am retiring from here. I am not going to work for an income. I hope to become a volunteer at several art organisations, BSoA for one, but not right away. The Coalition for the Protection of Children, the Women's Resource Centre, Martha Dismont (and the Family Centre), I'm also going to be doing some diving work, scuba diving, and then come the fall, my husband and I are going to tour North America in an RV.

My husband's disabled and we want to do all of North America, the whole continent, with the intention that we're going to have a web site and it's going to be a resource for other disabled people.

We're going to have a rating system ¿ five wheelchairs is best ¿ and we want it to be a resource for other people who have either limited mobility or have some sort of ability issue, (to show them) that you can go out and do it. And then we'd like to write a book about those experiences.

Q: How long a tour?

A: We're hoping to be touring for two years. We want to branch out ¿ we're going to do a cruise on a tall ship, either the Tenacious, which was here just a few weeks ago, or her sister ship, the Lord Nelson. We want to do a 22-day crossing, you work the ship and it's set up for able-bodied and disabled persons. And we want to do a safari. We want to do things to show other people ¿ other couples because it impounds on both of them ¿ that you can go out and do.

So we're not retiring, we're actually just doing something new (that will enable us) to give back to the community. My husband's very involved in the ability access group here on the island and whatever we can do, we do to try and help accessibility here in Bermuda. Especially because it's so difficult for Phil to get around now on the island and because we live on an island, travelling by air is difficult.

Just the nature of security checks and all sorts of things, (makes) it very difficult, very time consuming (although) everyone's very polite. But it's a challenge. We can't just get up and go.

Q: So your hope is to promote those areas that are suitable and to show it can be done?

A: Yeah. The web site will be (accessible) to anyone who can log on. We're designing a site with a young Bermudian and what we're hoping is that eventually, we'll be able to get some sort of sponsorship to help pay for the site. And then if that does happen, then we really would like to write a book.

Both my husband and I love to write and collaborate and he's an excellent photographer. The name of our journey is Views from a Wheelchair. We've registered both Views from a Wheelchair and Tours from a Wheelchair.

Q: Have you ever toured in an RV before?

A: No. I've camped when I was younger. When I was living in the United States I'd do a lot of camping, in a tent but never an RV.

Q: And you're going to cook and . . .?

A: Yeah. It's going to be an adventure, for sure.

Q: I understand you've had some health problems recently. Did they have anything to do with your decision to tour?

A: 2007 was a bit of a challenge. I had a tumour in my left breast. I managed to get through all of that and then did a whole bunch of stuff to my foot ¿ it was sort of one thing after another. But the tumour's been removed. It's benign. I had excellent care but it was a bit of a challenge, the last six or eight months.

But I think two things happened (which hastened the decision). My husband's best friend passed away in September, Jimmy Mello. He was his best mate and he just dropped dead. Whenever you have a peer die, whether you're 25 or 55, it shakes your foundation.

It's a wake-up call. And that definitely had an impact (on us and led to us thinking), 'Where are we going? What do we want to do? And how much money do you really need to retire?'

In our situation, when you're disabled everything costs so much more money. And then there was my breast cancer scare ¿ I was told I had breast cancer, initially. So everything just came into perspective.

At the end of the day we decided, 'What are we doing this all for?' All it means is you just have to adjust your living. I think that happens to anyone who retires or changes jobs or has a baby ¿ your lifestyle changes, you have to adapt. So there were a couple of reasons why we decided to go forward with this. They all just made us realise how precious life is.

Q: Will you maintain your home here? Are you giving up on Bermuda completely?

A: We're keeping our home here. We're going to rent it out for a couple of years, but this is our home. I was raised in Bermuda and my husband's been here for 25 years. He's a paper 'Onion'. So this is our home. Our friends, our family, everyone is here. We'll come home probably once we've done our travels and write the book. If we actually see that through, which we're really hoping, then we'll come home and write.

Q: How did you come up with the idea?

A: It was really a great idea and it's all my husband's. He's an amazing man I have to say. I'd have great admiration for him even if he wasn't my husband. There are days where everyone wakes up and says, ' I don't want to go to work. I've got this ache or that ache.' And to watch my husband get dressed in the morning and put on his braces ¿ (he wears) because he had polio ¿ and struggle . . . he's such an independent person.

One morning he was on the floor, bathing and he said, 'Honey, what do you think about Views from a Wheelchair?' I thought it was a wonderful, wonderful name. He said, 'I want to do a coffee table book. Photographs with everything shot from the angle of a wheelchair.' I said, 'That's great. Let's expand. Let's try and see if ¿ because we knew we were going to go around in an RV ¿ let's expand upon it and make it a travel guide.'

Both of us like to pass on knowledge ¿ that's what it's there for ¿ and so it sort of grew out of that. First it was the name, and then from there we've gone to how we're gonna divide up the quadrants of where we're going to travel to sort of working out the template and doing a lot of research ¿ What's the best way to present it? What anecdotes will make it most interesting?

Q: Are you going to focus on small towns, big cities?

A: Initially, we're going to work all the national parks in Canada and America because so many people (want to see them) and then there will be certain roads, like Route 66. Also there's a lot of people who are now travelling on three-wheel Harley Davidsons. We've got our bike enthusiasts on the island who could actually take a road trip even if they are in a wheelchair.

So we want to see what sort of trips you can do, as I said, in quadrants. We'll do Canada in quadrants. We'll do America in quadrants and Alaska alone. I think the only place we probably won't get is Hawaii unless we go by ship. We want to actually drive as far as you can in Alaska and then hop on the ferries that go across to the islands. So it's a big undertaking.

Q: Are your plans a bit bittersweet considering you're leaving the gallery at an uncertain time?

A: I knew in October that I would be leaving in March of this year and then when the whole eviction notice was made known to us at the end of December, I was thinking, 'Oh, this is really bad timing'. I don't want the public to think that I'm leaving because of the unsettled lease. I'm not. I've actually extended my stay here to try and get through this little interim period.

Q: The BSoA represents what for you?

A: My whole life, my whole being, really. I've said it before to other people, I feel the people who have come before me ¿ the artists, the people of the governing body ¿ I feel their emotions in this place.

It's like it is for a lot of people when they go into a sacred place ¿ it doesn't have to be a church it can be outside, wherever ¿ but for me, this is a very sacred place. I feel all of those emotions and I'm a touchy, feely kind of person so I've tried to do good by all of those people before me.

Q: You're constantly surrounded by art. Ever tempted to buy?

A: All my income from here basically goes back into BSoA. You should see my house. I support the arts so much that I'm always buying the artwork. Basically, for two years I have been buying artwork. I don't need to buy any more. There's not enough room and besides, how much artwork can you put in an RV?

Q: How big is the membership? Has it grown?

A: It has. We have approximately 400 current members ¿ which is fantastic ¿ although in our database, we have 700 people who we're sending correspondence to on the shows and everything. The shows are packed. Every three weeks they're absolutely packed.

Q: Even with all the galleries that have closed in recent years, do you think it's a great time for art and artists in Bermuda?

A: There's so much talent on this island. Not just in visual arts ¿ there's so much talent. It's sad that a lot of artists have to leave Bermuda in order to make a living in their craft. We need more places in order for artists to be able to sell their work.

I'm quite hopeful that BSoA, no matter where she is, will continue selling original artwork and having a large number of shows ¿ I hope it'll be here at City Hall. Each one of the art organisations on the island ¿ there's Dockyard, Masterworks, Bermuda National Gallery, Kaleidoscope and ourselves ¿ all of us are unique and extremely important. Without one, the others suffer. We all are intricate parts.

Q: When is your last day?

A: May 15. We have a very exciting show coming up (before then), two actually. We've got Tech Art coming up, which is huge, huge, huge, huge, and (British wildlife artist) Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson is a very exciting show not only for BSoA but for Bermuda and Coalition for the Protection of Children ¿ a wonderful organisation. He's an internationally acclaimed artist and this will be the largest show he's ever had in North America. It's a big show and his work's fantastic and we're going to share the commissions with the Coalition ¿ they're also having a gala to raise funds and Michael's going to donate a piece of artwork for that.

So it's great. It's this collaboration between us and another community organisation that's so important to Bermuda. (I find it fascinating that) we're not just a gallery we're part of a community. We have (community-driven) events ¿ we had CURE here a few weeks ago for the celebration of the Bill of Rights, we have MAWI here for art therapy, we had the prisons show, we have the annual schools show. So we have all these organisations that are community based and again, that's so important for our country.

Q: Any final words?

A: I just want to convey my appreciation to all the volunteers at the BSoA, to the people that support us, to the people who have written letters ¿ the Government of Bermuda is very supportive of us. I'm just very appreciative of what each and every one has done to help my job, to make it easier. A beautiful time for me is when I open up the gallery.

There's no one in here and I always walk around and look at the art again. I'm sure I'll shed a tear or two on my last day, when the gallery's closed and I'm in here all by myself. It's a very special, calming place. So I will shed a tear but at some point I'll come back as a volunteer if they'll have me.