An independent art curator and consultant has launched an online art gallery to develop international awareness of the contemporary visual-art movement in Bermuda.

Lisa Howie, formerly executive director of the Bermuda National Gallery, has started Black Pony Gallery on www.artsy.net, an online, free-access platform that showcases art galleries, art fairs, and auctions from around the world. The site, Ms Howie said, is a virtual marketplace that connects to global art collectors, and gives the gallery access to an entirely new demographic.

Black Pony partners with emerging, mid-career, and established artists whose artwork challenges perceptions of “island art”, Ms Howie said. Artists featured on the site include James Cooper, Graham Foster, Jayde Gibbons, Teresa Kirby Smith, Kevin Morris, Carlos Santana Dill, A.B. Wilson, and Charles Zuill, all of whom are based in Bermuda.

Ms Howie said: “For many years, I have been focused on strategies to bring international awareness to the talented contemporary artists in Bermuda and one solution now exists with this online gallery.

“The three key opportunities with having a gallery on artsy.net are limited overhead costs, global outreach to a target audience of collectors and art patrons, and the professional structure of the online platform.

“The site looks appealing, is easy to navigate, and allows collectors (or wanna-be collectors) to follow artists and artwork according to one’s personal interests. It is quite a fascinating new territory.”

Ms Howie said she hopes that Black Pony will also strengthen creative opportunities and partnerships in the Atlantic/Caribbean region.

She said: “Ideally, Black Pony will represent artists from several islands in the Atlantic corridor, from the Azores to Trinidad and Tobago. The present focus is on Bermuda however, with sights on involvement in international biennials such as Havana, Venice, etc, and relevant art fairs or art events that value artistic talent from alternative locations.”

Artsy, the organisation’s website says, features the world’s leading galleries, museum collections, foundations, artist estates, art fairs, and benefit auctions, all in one place. The outfit’s growing database, Artsy says, features one million works of art, architecture, and design by 100,000 artists. Artsy says it spans historical, modern, and contemporary works, and includes the largest online database of contemporary art. Artsy, the organisation says, is used by art lovers, museum-goers, patrons, collectors, students, and educators to discover, learn about, and collect art.

• Black Pony Gallery can be found at: https://www.artsy.net/lisa-howie-projects