George Simon – journeys away, journeying within

George Simon

September is here, which means it is Heritage Month. During this month, the National Gallery of Art, Castellani House will host an exhibition of artwork by mostly Indigenous artists who form the group The Moving Circle. Their exhibition is due to open on September 14.

I think of the artman-shaman, recently departed. He was the organiser of the group and a guiding force behind their exhibitions. I suspect that those of us who regularly attended this annual exhibition in the past will miss seeing new work from our friend, mentor, artist, and teacher George Simon (1947 to 2020). Fortunately for him, he received his flowers during his lifetime. So, the visual tributes during the September months since his passing are not a little too late. His friends, students, and mentees celebrated him, and so did his country and the wider Caribbean. I think of those whom he encouraged to harness their talents to paint, sculpt, write, shut out the noises of empty hyper-criticality, and create.