The Ministry of National Security takes this opportunity to thank those who have provided submissions for the Live. Love. Life. Anti-Violence Art Exhibition, which will be held at the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art from February 26 - March 4, 2020.

The deadline for submissions was Friday, February 21. As a reminder, last year, the Minister of National Security, the Hon. Wayne Caines announced a partnership with Masterworks to host an exhibition in an effort to raise awareness about reducing violence in our community.

The exhibition will showcase works from a variety of local artists as well as contributions from five schools.

Individuals were invited to submit artwork in the following categories:

? Traditional Painting;

? Mixed Media;

? Digital Media;

? Animation; and

? Photography

Tomorrow (February 26) the Minister of National Security, the Hon. Wayne Caines will officially open the Live. Love. Life. Exhibition at the Masterworks Gallery, which will also see a special performance from the students of Delwood Middle School – the 2017 winners of the Live. Love. Life. Youth Talent Showcase.

Minister Caines said today, “We continue to focus our efforts on enacting a number of tactics and initiatives to address our issues with anti-social behaviour. Our Ministry remains committed to introducing programmes aimed at reducing violence. We’ve had success with our young people and with the students in our school system where our Gang Violence Reduction Team (GVRT) have been hard at work.

“As an example, last summer, we launched the Gang Violence Reduction Team’s Work Placement and Mentoring Initiative, where 15 local companies host 14 student employees for a six-week training programme. And we’re partnering with our two senior schools, CedarBridge Academy and Berkeley Institute to support their the My Ambition Program and the MILE Program respectively.

“Also Redemption Farm is having some encouraging results. All of our trainees include young men who are of an age where they would be most vulnerable to joining gang life. And they have expressed their desire to redirect their life towards a pro social and productive path.

“The upcoming Live. Love. Life Art Exhibition is another initiative that seeks to engage the community in a unique way by encouraging them to have a say and a voice through artistic expression. Since we announced our exhibition, we’ve been very encouraged with the level interest and feedback from the community. The arts can provide an outlet for self-expression, and this exhibition is part of our continuing outreach efforts to raise awareness about the importance of reducing violence and anti-social behaviour.

“Tomorrow evening, I will formally open the Live. Love. Life. Anti Violence Art Exhibition and I am encouraging the community to come out and support these works of creativity and passion. On behalf of the Ministry of National Security, I wish to thank each individual for their submissions. I also wish to thank them for supporting this Government’s efforts to reduce violence in our community.”

The exhibition will be on display in the Rick Faries Gallery through March 4. At the conclusion of the exhibition the Ministry and Masterworks will announce the overall winners.

• Press release from the Ministry of National Security