On a day when the temperatures were heading above 90 and approaching 100 degrees, we headed to the ImagiNation Factri as the gallery celebrated over 3 decades in existence. We went to see their newest exhibit and pick up a copy of he recently published "Know Ourselves." We learned of the publication featuring all women artists, 45 to be exact, from throughout Belize from the Cultural Liaison, Karla Pinelo, at the SISE House of Culture. Both The Director Ilona Smiling, who is also a contributor to the publication and Karla Pinelo are among the artists featured. Since learning of this ImagiNation Factri publication celebrating women we were determined to get a copy. This was our second trip since they were closed when we visited just after Easter and the publication hadn't been released at that point.
On this visit we walk into a space lovingly curated with art in every direction flanking both sides of a luxuriously massive varnished guanacaste wood slab and and black metal table that spanned a sizeable portion of the length of of the gallery. We forgot to ask about the cardboard installation on the ceiling, because we were met with the dancers-like enthusiastic energy of Gilvano Swasey who manages the gallery. He's been involved with the gallery since he participated in the inaugural exhibit in 1995.
Having moved from small rural Boston Village some kilometers north of Ladyville to study biology, it wasn't long before the art bug took hold of Swasey who then shifted gears to focus on the arts. As an aside, he admitted he wasn't much of a swimmer, so biology wasn't the best fit for him. Alongside Director, Yasser Musa, they have been showcasing Belize's creative talent that was once on the upper floor of the same building. It now occupies the ground floor space gallery that looks out across the water the the BLISS Performing Arts Space that house Belisle gallery.
Several of the artists in the current exhibit are the also featured in the the "Know Ourselves" publication including Maureen Navarette, who creates sustainable fiber art and was recently in the Womxn in Art 2026 exhibit at the Belisle Gallery. Galvino Swasey assisted Curator Saidy Moore of Art Schack with installing the over 100 works of art. Mercy Sabal is also in both the exhibit and publication featuring her Garifuna Folkloric dolls that she's been creating 'throughout her life' along with her other traditional fiber art. Sheherah Young, while we don't recall specific artwork in this exhibit, we happily came across a massive canvas of her art installed outside New Flags in Santa Elena as an introduction to her art. She too was also featured in the "Womxn in Art" exhibit.
Galvino gives us an impromptu tour of the over a dozen artists collectively exhibited beginning with the iconic Pen Cayetano alongside his daughter Mali Wagunda Cayetano, who is featured in "Know Ourselves" as well. We experience Papo another iconic artist from San Pedro, who influenced many artists throughout Belize, alongside Sophia Lisbey Foreman's marine life inspired works through a Ambergris Caye lens. In rapid fire he calls the names of the artists while nearly dancing around their art in excitement.
In his introduction to this Imagination Factri's publication celebrating over 30 years of the gallery and organization's existence, Yasser Musa acknowledges women artists contributions to the arts while 'too often being represented.' Our introduction to Musa was through his TedX at the University of Belize on the Bembe concept (stay tuned...). That connection led us to experience this bold display of Belizean art including the gorgeous publication celebrating women artists who to their point want to be seen as Artists without necessarily adding woman to be complete. Contributor and artist Briheda Haylock says pointedly, 'The one thing we would like is the word woman being removed when referring to an artist....just as a man we introduce ourselves as an Artist (with a capital A!).'
Before we parted we had a brief conversation, that could definitely become a more focused article, about the proliferation of AI generated sites about Belize (including:______) that created fake content of art and culture that don't exist or give completely inaccurate or made up information about the country, the people, and history. This can be substantially damaging for youth who are trying to do research on or just want to learn their history and cultures. We agreed that, with that concern in mind, creating virtual spaces that document and provide accurate information with integrity for future generations is becoming more urgent as the speed of the technology overwhelms most.
On our way out, Swasey piled us with a treasure trove of past publications released by the Image Factory Foundation and ImagiNation Factri. SHE was a publication dedicated to the art of women artists in the gallery's first all female artist exhibit in March 2001. FIRE: A Catalogue of the Major fires in Belize was published in 1999; George Gabb the Gifted Giant (July 2004); Benjamin Nicholas Painter: From Boyo Creek (November 2003); Belize A Moment of Change (1999); Black Cross Nurses: A Student Driven Analysis. We left feeling so much more enriched for the experience and even more excited about the arts of Belize overall.
The ImagiNation Factri also curates traveling exhibitions that travel between the Houses of Culture in the different districts throughout Belize including the Wild501 exhibition currently on view in Orange Walk. The exhibit travels next the SISE House of Culture serving San Ignacio and Santa Elena communities opening in May 2026.
VIEW IMAGINATION FACTRI ART TOUR
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