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Stopped in at the Bermuda National Gallery in Hamilton yesterday

A life-sized bronze sculpture of three figures sitting on a bench against a white textured wall. The sculpture depicts an adult and two children reading together. The adult, seated in the centre with legs crossed, holds an open book while gazing down at it. A young girl sits close beside the adult, also looking intently at the book, her arm resting along the adult’s lap. A boy in a baseball cap sits on the other side, leaning forward with one knee up on the bench while reading a smaller book held in his hands. The bench is simple and rectangular, with the sculpture integrated into its surface. The ground beneath is paved with light brown tiles.A small, brightly lit room in a gallery features a children’s puppet theatre setup. On the right side, there is a red puppet theatre with gold detailing, red curtains tied to the sides, and a small opening where a green puppet is visible. Above the theatre, the sign reads “Bermuda National Gallery” and “The Puppet Theatre.” On the left side, the walls are covered with numerous handmade paper puppets attached to wooden sticks, decorated with colourful drawings of faces, animals, and patterns. In the centre of the left wall, a sign titled “The Greenroom” is mounted, surrounded by additional small photos and Polaroid-style images. A light beige cushioned bench is placed in the middle of the wooden floor, facing the puppet theatre. The space has a creative and playful atmosphere, designed for children’s interaction.Two framed paintings hang on a white gallery wall, each in a gold frame. The top painting depicts a row of stone cottages with steeply pitched roofs and tall chimneys, with a muted colour palette of greys, greens, and browns. The scene is calm, with a simple foreground of dirt and sparse grass. The bottom painting shows a lively, colourful house with green shutters and surrounded by bright greenery and flowers, with several figures and animals around the yard. This painting is more vibrant, with shades of blue, purple, pink, and green. Beside the paintings are two small rectangular museum labels. The top label identifies the upper painting as “Springtime, Etaples” by Will Howe Foote, an American artist (1874–1965), oil on board. The lower label identifies the bottom painting as “Crecy Lisse” by Frank Carson, an American artist (1891–1968), oil on board.A vibrant textile art installation hangs on a white wall, composed of multiple draped and layered fabrics in a range of vivid colours. The fabrics display a tie-dye or hand-dyed effect with gradients and patterns in bright green, orange, yellow, red, blue, pink, purple, and black. The central fabric is pink with symmetrical folds, topped by a multicoloured drape with a rainbow-like pattern, and flanked by two large side panels in green-orange and yellow-brown blends. Long strips of fabric hang down in various lengths, some with soft, fluid folds, creating a cascading effect. A small section of light blue rope or cord decoratively ties part of the fabric on the left. The installation has an overall flowing, theatrical appearance, resembling a colourful abstract curtain.

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