OUR STORY
Rooted In
Grand Bahama
Calabash Studio was founded in Grand Bahama because serious art students here had talent and no structured place to develop it. Calabash Studio is an answer to that gap.
In-person and online visual arts education in drawing, painting, and sculpting. Structured curriculum, honest critique, measurable outcomes. For students ages 12 and up who are ready to do the work.
THE FOUNDER
Menyelek
Smith
FINE ARTIST. MURALIST. ART EDUCATOR. FOUNDER
ARTS EDUCATION
Menyelek Smith is a Fine Artist, Muralist, and Art Educator with more than 15 years of experience as a visual artist. Born and based in The Bahamas, he has built a career grounded in the belief that artistic practice and teaching continually inform one another.
In 2024, The Charitable Arts Foundation funded his Mural Experience where he engaged youth in a communal mural project. This revealed a clear gap in structured art education for artists on the island. That gap became Calabash Studio.
Menyelek currently teaches students ages 6-16. He has faculty experience at a local Grand Bahama school and at the GB Resilience Centre. He is an artist in residence with the Big Art GB project supported by The Sibrandij Foundation, an experience that reflects his active studio practice. As a member of the Grand Bahama Artists Association and a working artist, he brings professional standards and real-world insight directly into the classroom — whether that's in person or online.
DRAWING
SCULPTING
PAINTING
FINE ART
MURALISM
The principles behind the practice
Calabash Studio was not built to be an activity. It was built to be a standard. These are the commitments that shape everything we teach and how we teach them.
01
Rigor
We hold students to a high standard, not to intimidate but because real growth requires challenge. Comfortable teaching produces comfortable artists.02
Honest Critique
Feedback delivered with care is one of the most powerful tools an artist can receive. We never lie about the work — we help students see it clearly.03
Intentionality
Every session, every exercise, every assignment has a purpose. Nothing at Calabash Studio is filler. We teach with a destination in mind.04
Accessibility
All materials are included in course cost. Payment plans are available. We remove the barriers that keep serious students from serious education05
Community
The artists we develop belong to their communities. We started in Grand Bahama because this is where our roots are. But great art education should travel — and so should we.06
Outcomes
We measure success by what students can make when they leave. Portfolios. Skills. Confidence. A clear artistic voice. Those are the outcomes we build towardBuilt for making
Calabash Studio is not a fixed address. We operate from our open-air canopy, partner with trusted venues across Grand Bahama when the occasion calls for it, and bring the full studio experience directly to you — whether that's a corporate office, a resort pool deck, or a community space.
Every setting is set up the same way: structured instruction, all materials provided, and work worth keeping.
Structure builds freedom.
Every great artist needs roots before they can bear fruit. At Calabash Studio, we give students the structural foundation that makes creative freedom possible — not the other way around.
We teach through the elements of art, with consistent critique and deliberate progression. The result isn't just better technique — it's a student who understands why they make the choices they make.
Structured practice is how raw talent becomes reliable skill, and reliable skill is what separates artists who grow from artists who plateau.
01
Foundations First
Every student at Calabash Studio starts with the elements of art. Not because it is tradition, but because it works.
02
Structured Practice
At Calabash Studio, feedback is built into every session because that is where real development happens.
03
Honest Critique
From your first Foundations session to your final Integrated project, you are building a body of work that represents your growth as an artist.
04
Portfolio Development
Ready to take root?
Explore our programs and find your entry point. Whether you’re picking up a pencil for the first time or building an effective art portfolio.