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The World of Carlisle Chang: Home

An exhibit which showcases the content of the Carlisle Chang collection

Carlisle Chang 1921-2001

 

Chang speaks about his life

 "My boyhood was shared with two companions, one a Negro, the other a Muslim Indian at a time when I at least was hardly concerned with such distinctions. What was more important was being boys...

This and the fact that I was born in the Quaysay are probably the most significant circumstances of my early life.

Living in the Quaysay, or as some would insist, the Croisee, was a very special experience because, after all, it was a very special place, and spiritually, I still feel a part of that robust environment.The Northern foothills meandered down the Santa Cruz Valley to meet the Caroni plain at this market junction which, proverbially never slept...it was an accepted fact that here the souse and sweetbread were tastier, the lettuce fatter, the sounds and sights brighter, and everything else about it really better..."

Source: An Ashram at My Door. 

 

Brief Biography

Carlisle Fenwick Chang was born in San Juan, Trinidad in 1921. He was the last of three children born to parents of Chinese descent.

He was a renowned artist who created a dynamic career through his involvement in theatre, dance, advertising, photography, interior designing, painting, carnival, pottery, and other crafts.

 

He began his art career in the 1940s and rose to prominence in the Caribbean region. One of his more famous murals, The Inherent Nobility of Man which was once held at the Piarco International airport, is featured and discussed in many texts on the art of the Caribbean.

Selected highlights from his career include

  • 1950s Designer of Emblems for the West Indies Federation.
  • 1962 Chairman of the Committee for the design of the National Flag and Coat-of-Arms of Trinidad and Tobago.
  • 1964-1985 Carnival bands
  • 1964-1985 President of the Trinidad Art Society

View Carlisle Chang’s Resume