As we wandered into BLISS the enormity of an exhibit featuring over a 100 works of art by women from throughout Belize .

On an invitation to a research conference at the University of Belize on March 20, Belize Sol sat down with Art Shack during lunch at their featured booth in the conference center.

As we celebrate International Women's Day during Women's History Month, and we remember the contributions women have made in innumerable and invaluable ways, Nana Barouda Lubafu Isieni (Powerful Spirit in Garifuna) - also known as Cynthia Ellis-Topsey - comes to mind. And that is because so often women make massive contributions that generally go unnoticed globally.

We first encountered Erwin Chan's art eating a tasty shrimp Chow mein dish at Little Creek restaurant in Santa Elena, Cayo District, Belize. It was in the form of a collaborative lush tropical mural created with Jorge Landero to cover 2 major walls in the restaurant.

On a flight from Belize City to Arizona in April 2025 we sat next to a young Belizean woman who asked, since a passion for the arts is our profession, if we knew “Griffith - the Artist.” She showed us his phenomenal art on Instagram and mentioned that he had a gallery in Belize City.

Some time after visiting San Ignacio, in the Cayo District, Belize in April 2025 a social media post came up for Reyna Gallery featuring artist Fernando Reyna.