Belize's Art: A Cultural Blend

Belizean art reflects the country's culture, lifestyle, wildlife, seascapes, local street scenes, and landscapes. The art scene in Belize includes paintings, textiles, furniture, wooden sculptures, slate carvings, and basketry. The country's art galleries showcase the work of local artists and feature a wide range of art forms, including paintings, designer jewellery, masks, ceramics, and carvings.

Belize's art has evolved from artists and musicians working within their specific ethnic groups to a vibrant contemporary arts scene, with young artists promoting art and art education. The country's first museum, the Museum of Belizean Art (MOBA), opened in 2024, showcasing the diverse artwork of Belizean artists.

Belizean art galleries

Belize is home to a wide range of art galleries showcasing the works of local and international artists. Here is an overview of some notable Belizean art galleries:

Museum of Belizean Art (MOBA)

The Museum of Belizean Art, or MOBA, is a relatively new addition to the country's art scene, having opened in 2024. This museum is dedicated to celebrating the talent and diversity of artists across Belize. It is located within the former Government House on Dame Minita Gordon Drive in Belize City, a site that holds historical significance as the seat of power during the colonial era. MOBA exhibits a range of art forms, including paintings, sculptures, and contemporary and modern art. The museum is open from Monday to Friday, with an entrance fee of $10 for tourists.

Image Factory

The Image Factory is a prominent art gallery and foundation located on N. Front St. in Belize. It is known for supporting up-and-coming artists and providing a platform for new works across various art forms, including paintings, books, music, and poetry. The gallery is situated near the Water Taxi Terminal and Maritime Museum, making it a convenient destination for visitors interested in local art and literature.

Art 'n Soul

Art 'n Soul, located in Placencia village, is a gallery that showcases the work of local artists. It is a great place to find meaningful souvenirs and fine art. The gallery displays paintings and other art forms by artists such as Greta Leslie, Nelson Young, Lola Delgado, and Omar Sierra.

Belizean Arts

Belizean Arts is one of the oldest art galleries in Belize, established over 20 years ago by Lyndsey Hackston. The gallery showcases an extensive collection of art by Belizean and expatriate artists, including paintings, ceramics, jewellery, and other crafts. It is located on Barrier Reef Drive, opposite Fido's, in San Pedro.

Aria Kat Art Gallery

Aria Kat Art is a small but well-known gallery located in Caye Caulker, featuring original art and art prints by various Belizean artists. The gallery is known for its vibrant and colourful Caribbean paintings and images. While the physical gallery is currently closed, their website offers online purchases and appointments for viewing original artwork.

Pen Cayetano Studio Gallery

The Pen Cayetano Studio Gallery is another notable art space in Belize. Pen Cayetano, a renowned artist in the Garifuna community, displays his works in a charming old colonial house. The gallery is usually open Tuesday through Saturday and is located at 3 Aranda Crescent in Dangriga. Cayetano's paintings depict the history and culture of Belize and Central America, including the Garifuna, Maya, and Creole influences.

Belizean art history

Belizean art is steeped in the country's rich history and diverse cultural influences. From ancient Mayan civilisation to British colonial rule, Belize's art scene has evolved to reflect the vibrant tapestry of its people and landscapes.

Traditionally, artists in Belize worked independently or within their specific ethnic groups. Art forms included paintings, textiles, furniture, wooden sculptures, slate carvings, and basketry. The vibrant colours and lively depictions of people in these artworks capture the essence of Belize's diverse cultural heritage, which includes Garifuna, Creole, Maya, East Indian, and Afro-Caribbean influences.

Belize gained independence from Britain in 1981, and the country's art scene has flourished since then. The establishment of art galleries and museums, such as the Museum of Belizean Art (MOBA), has provided a dedicated space to showcase the talent of Belizean artists. Located in the former Government House, MOBA displays a diverse range of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and contemporary pieces.

Belize is also home to several renowned artists who have made significant contributions to the country's art history. One notable figure is Pen Cayetano, a self-taught artist who owns the Studio Gallery in Dangriga. Cayetano's artworks depict the history and culture of Belize, including the Garifuna, Maya, and Creole communities. Another celebrated artist is Walter Castillo, a self-taught painter known for his vibrant use of colour and energetic depictions of people. Castillo had his first successful exhibition in England in 1990, launching his international career.

In addition to galleries and museums, art can also be found in gift shops and even on the roadside, showcasing the accessibility and diversity of Belizean art. The country's art scene continues to evolve, with young artists playing a pivotal role in promoting art and art education.

Ancient Mayan art

The Maya civilization flourished in Central America for over 2,000 years, from around 2,000 BC to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century AD. During this time, the Maya developed a complex society with a sophisticated system of writing, astronomy, mathematics, and art. They built impressive cities with monumental architecture, including temples, pyramids, palaces, and ball courts.

The greatest flowering of Mayan art occurred during the seven centuries of the Classic Period (c. 250 to 950 CE). Mayan art forms tended to be more stiffly organized during the Early Classic (250-550 CE) and became more expressive during the Late Classic phase (550-950 CE).

The layout of Mayan towns and cities was characterized by immense horizontal stucco floors of plazas, often located at various levels and connected by broad and steep stairs. Under successive reigns, the main buildings were enlarged by adding new layers of fill and stucco coating.

Mayan art took many forms, including:

• Stelae: large, elongated stone slabs usually covered with carvings and inscriptions, and often accompanied by round altars.
• Lintels: spanning doorways or jambs, often with intricate relief carvings.
• Panels and tablets: set in the walls and piers of buildings and platforms, often with refined carvings.
• Relief columns: flanking doorways in public buildings, similar in decoration to stelae.
• Altars: rounded or rectangular, sometimes resting on boulder-like legs, and featuring figurative or relief images.
• Zoomorphs: large boulders sculpted to resemble supernatural creatures and covered with intricate relief ornamentation.
• Ball court markers: relief roundels placed in the central axis of ball courts, usually showing royal ball game scenes.
• Monumental stairs: often decorated with a variety of scenes, such as the ball game or captive figures.
• Thrones and benches: thrones had a broad, square seat and a back, while benches were more elongated and lacked back support.
• Stone sculpture in the round: including statuary, captive figures, small stelae, and architectural elements such as the maize deities from the façade of Copan Temple 22.
• Wood carvings: though most were destroyed by Spanish colonial authorities, a few intricate examples have survived, such as the lintels from the main Tikal pyramid sanctuaries.
• Stucco modeling and relief work: covering the floors and buildings of town centers, often featuring large mask panels with plastered heads of deities in high relief.
• Mural paintings: found in substructures hidden under later architectural additions, featuring repetitive motifs, scenes of daily life, or ritual scenes involving deities.
• Ceramics and 'ceramic codex': including cylinder vessels, lidded dishes, tripod plates, vases, and bowls. Vase decoration showed great variation, including palace scenes, courtly ritual, mythology, and divinatory glyphs.
• Jade and other precious stone sculptures: the Maya created many objects from jade, despite not having metal tools. Examples include belt plaques, ear spools, pendants, and masks.
• Flint, chert, shell, and bone artifacts: often found in caches and burials, with intricate engravings and carvings.

The decline of the Mayan civilization is still debated but is believed to be due to a combination of factors, including warfare, disease, overpopulation, and environmental degradation. By the time the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, most of the great Mayan cities had been abandoned.

Modern Belizean art

One of the leading art galleries in Belize is the Image Factory, located on a busy street leading to the Tourism Village in Belize City. Founded by Yasser Musa, a Palestinian descendant, the Image Factory is a hub for up-and-coming artists, providing a platform for them to launch their new works across various mediums, including paintings, books, music albums, and poetry.

The Museum of Belizean Art (MOBA) is another significant addition to the country's art scene. Housed in the former Government House, MOBA showcases a diverse range of artistic styles, from abstract to contemporary and modern art. The museum features works by renowned Belizean artists such as Louis Belisle, Benjamin Nicholas, Michael Gordon, Michelle Perdomo, and George Gabb, among others.

Belizean artists like Benjamin Nicholas, Pen Cayetano, and Walter Castillo have gained recognition for their modern paintings, often depicting local life and the rich cultural history of the country. Dangriga, a vibrant centre for modern art, is home to Garífuna painters like Nicholas and Cayetano, who capture the essence of Belizean culture in their works.

Belizean art also extends to handicrafts, with artisans creating intricate textiles, baskets, and slate carvings. The Garcia sisters, for example, are known for their carved slate bas-reliefs, preserving the traditional Mayan arts in the western Cayo district. Additionally, Mennonite wooden furniture is also available in Belize, reflecting the country's diverse cultural influences.

Belize's art scene is constantly evolving, with new artists and galleries emerging, ensuring that the country's cultural landscape remains dynamic and captivating.

Traditional Belizean art

Paintings

Belizean artists are known for their vibrant use of colours and their depiction of lively people in their paintings. Walter Castillo, a self-taught artist, is known for his paintings of people from different cultures in Belize, including Mayas, East Indians, Creoles, and Garinagus. Another notable artist is Carolyn Carr, an American Belizean artist, whose work "Just Arrived" captures the daily life in downtown Belize City in the colonial era. Other notable painters include Pen Cayetano, Nelson Young, Leo Vasquez, Piva, Eduardo Garcia, Curvin Mitchell, and Jorge Landero.

Textiles

Textile art in Belize includes basketry, embroidery, and needlework. The Maya Center Women's Cooperative Crafts Store in Maya Center Village, Southern Highway, is known for selling baskets, slate carvings, masks, bowls, wood carvings, and other genuine Indian crafts made by local Mopan women.

Wooden Sculptures and Carvings

Belizean artists create wooden sculptures and carvings using various materials, including exotic woods such as Belize rosewood. The Belize Coat of Arms, carved on native hardwood by artist M.A. Romero, is a unique piece of Belizean art.

Slate Carvings

The Garcia Sisters, Maya artists, have revived the ancient art of slate carvings, displaying and selling their work at the Tanah Maya Art Museum in San Antonio, Cayo.

Ceramics

Belizean artists also work with ceramics, creating sculptures and vases. Jack Westerhold, a ceramic artist with over forty years of experience, owns a gallery in the Caribbean and showcases his work in Belize.

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