Fifty years ago, in the Carnival of 1974, masman Peter Minshall would cement his name as a powerful purveyor of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival culture, creating the now infamous costume ‘From the Land of the Hummingbird”.

Not only did the piece, portrayed by his adopted sister Sherry-Ann Guy, win the titles of Junior Carnival Queen and overall Individual of the Year; it marked the genesis of a fresh interpretation of Carnival costuming, one which employs kinetics, the scientific study of forces and movement.

In 2016, during my tenure at state media TTT Limited in 2016, I was privileged to secure a one-on-one sit down with the legendary mas man; indeed, one of my earlier career highlights as, by his own admission, he had grown to be quite selective about agreeing to be interviewed.

I walked away from that conversation enamored by his knowledge, wit, humour and sheer passion for the work he has so diligently pledged his life to. One specific sentiment still fuels my own journey to this day: “The artist never retires”.

This year, in honour of the 50th anniversary of “From the Land of the Hummingbird”, Minshall will exhibit, for the very first time, his original drawings for the Hummingbird, complemented by artifacts and other archival material which provide a more intimate look into his process for the creative project. 

The exhibition, hosted by Castle Killarney in Port of Spain, will take place from January 24th to March 9th- we know, we can’t wait either!

In the meantime, as we prepare for the magic that awaits, YCG takes a brief look back at some defining moments over the course of the legendary masman’s history.

Early Days: Minshall’s love affair with Carnival begins

Born in Georgetown, Guyana on July 16, 1941, Peter Minshall migrated to Trinidad with his family as a young child after his father accepted a job in the capital Port of Spain. He quickly developed a love for Carnival, inspired by the creativity it allowed. He was just 13 years old when he attempted to make his first Carnival costume.

“When I was a little boy I was fascinated by the mas; I was frightened by the mas. The J’ouvert filled the little boy with terror. When I was a little boy I was filled with joy on a Tuesday afternoon. Such magnificence! Such glory! Such power! And when I was a little boy I couldn’t help myself, I had to be a part of it,” Minshall recalls in his novel, Masman.

“Somewhere from the Christmas decorating there was a pot of silver paint left and there was some green floor paint that we used to paint the front steps, and down the road by Mr. Chin’s grocery the little boy got for free a cardboard box into which he could fit himself,” he says of the materials used to make his first costume.

Minshall would continue to explore his creativity as he grew older, becoming deeply involved in theatre arts when he attended Queen’s Royal College.

After graduating secondary school, he continued his creative pursuits, departing for London at the age of 21 where he studied Theatre Arts at the Central School of Art and Design.

The Making of the ‘From the Land of the Hummingbird’

Returning to Trinidad after completing his studies abroad, Minshall was thrust into his first major Carnival offering, ‘From the Land of the Hummingbird’, which he had made to be portrayed for his adopted sister Sherry-Ann Guy, at the request of his mother.

After conceptualizing the costume in his mind, it would take five weeks, 12 people and 104 massive feathers to bring the project to a reality. Minshall’s work focused beyond the aesthetic appeal of a costume; his intent was to allow movement to be an integral part of the story telling through his designs.

After receiving high praise for the costume, Minshall went on to design his first full-scale mas band for Trinidad Carnival, which he named ‘Paradise Lost’ which won the coveted Band of the Year title in 1976.

Carnival wins

Peter Minshall’s era-shifting designs saw him winning the coveted Band of the Year title a total of nine times, most recently in 2020. His wins, in chronological order, are:

Paradise Lost (1976)
Carnival of the Sea (1979)
Jungle Fever (1981)
Carnival Is Colour (1987)
Hallelujah (1995)
Song of the Earth (1996)
Tapestry (1997)
The Sacred Heart (2006; medium-size bands category)
Mas Pieta (2020)

Minshall’s work shines on world stages

Outside of his work within the Carnival space, Minshall’s artistry has also been featured on several prominent world stages, perhaps the most monumental of which was his heading the design and production team for the 1996 Olympic Games.

That year marked the 100th anniversary of the first modern Olympic Games, so the stakes were high- and Minshall and his team delivered beyond expectations.

Displaying his Carnival inspired flair to the world, Minshall and members of his Callalloo Company team produced more than 1,800 costumes-  around 6,000 of the costume elements were actually made right here in Trinidad and then shipped to Atlanta.

The presentation was positively received by the 85,000 people inside the stadium for the opening ceremony, as well as the 3.5 billion people viewing globally. 

Other pivotal career projects include Minshall having a lead design role in ceremonies for the1987 Pan-American Games in Indiana, US, the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain and the 2002 Winter Games at Salt Lake City, Utah, for which helped produce ‘Fire Within’, a 12-minute segment which later won an Emmy Award.

Minshall also worked alongside French composer Jean-Michel Jarre in 1991, curating the presentation of two concerts in Paris, France: Concert at La Defense on Bastille Day.

Minshall’s awards and honours

Over the course of his more than 50 years in the industry, Minshall has received several esteemed awards and accolades for his artistic efforts.

In 1987, he was awarded a Chaconia Medal Silver for his contribution to Trinidad & Tobago’s cultural landscape. In 1991 he was bestowed an Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of the West Indies.

Five years later in 1996, Minshall was awarded the Trinidad & Tobago Trinity Cross for Art and Culture. In 2001, he received the Prince Claus of the Netherlands Award for outstanding contributions to Carnival.