Growing Colony of Artists, Galleries, Museums & Historic Sites on Idyllic Caribbean Island

The world-renowned white sands of Anguilla's 33 unspoiled beaches, caressed by a brilliant turquoise sea and 80°F temperatures year round, lure travelers seeking rest and pampering in style. However, lazy days in the sun are only the start of an Anguillian idyll. Away from the beach, visitors will enjoy another side of Anguilla in the tranquil island's art studios and galleries, private museums and historic sites.

Anguilla is home to a veritable colony of artists who have come here from many parts of the world to pursue their creative muse. The diverse art forms include pottery, sculpture, handcrafts, paintings and woodcraft. There is also a growing collection of tribal artifacts, textiles, antiques, carvings and furniture from many exotic destinations, in the Caribbean and beyond, which can be found in art galleries and studios around the island.

A self-guided "Art Tour of Anguilla" brochure, available through the Anguilla Tourist Board, takes visitors to 15 galleries and studios across the island. Among these, Devonish Art Gallery, located on West End Rd., features Anguillian, Caribbean and international artists as well as the art of proprietor-artist, Courtney Devonish. Next to the Devonish Art Gallery one finds Cheddie's Carving Studio, a one-of-a-kind atelier where local, self-taught artisan, Cheddie, fashions intricate, unique designs out of driftwood, bronze and stone. The CuisinArt Resort & Spa Art Gallery at Rendezvous Bay displays a beautiful selection of original art from Italy by a variety of world-renowned artists, while The World Art & Antiques Gallery, in The Valley, hosts a collection of precious antiques, exotic collectibles and worldwide furnishings.

Italian artist, Gianni Bracciali and his working glass studio, Glass Island in The Old Manse, produce original platters, tiles, jewelry and decorative objects. In The Valley, Savannah Gallery is home to a variety of artwork from local and regional artists alike. Oils watercolors, inks, prints, sculpture and crafts are available.

If you are interested in exploring the island's past, then a visit to The Heritage Collection Museum is a great place to start your journey. As Anguilla's first privately owned museum, it houses an array of Anguillian artifacts, old records and photographs tracing the island's history from the golden age of the Arawaks to the present time. On display from the Arawak period are pottery shards, zemi idols and stone tools. The Plantation Era collection includes original documents and artifacts from the early 19th Century. Colville Petty, OBE, a historian and collector, is the curator-owner of the museum. He is widely regarded as an authority on Anguilla's history and has published three books on the subject.

If your interest takes you further back, you may already know that over 4,000 years ago, Amerindian peoples discovered Anguilla when they ventured from South America's mainland in hand dug canoes and rafts. The Arawak-speaking Amerindians called the lush rain forest "Malliouhana," which meant - arrow-shaped sea serpent. Settling inland, the Amerindians developed villages, began farming and left behind evidence along the eastern end of the island which centuries later historians identified as shell axes, flint blades and stone objects, over 3,300 years old.

Along the eastern end of the island, are two incredible cave sites, The Fountain at Shoal Bay and Big Springs at Island Harbour. Inside The Fountain one can find original petroglyphs, a large religious stalagmite, as well as offering bowls and other tribal artifacts. It is the island's most intact ceremonial site from the time of the Amerindians, and speaks of the importance of religion to this early people.

Big Springs is a limestone sinkhole, which contains a large petroglyph and a carved stalagmite as well as other historic artifacts. Though currently closed to the public, the National Parks System, administered by the Anguilla National Trust, is developing both sites into a historic attraction.

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