- Contributed Children in a drawing exercise on Central Avenue with tutor Makandal Dada (standing).
Georgia Hemmings, Staff Reporter
PAINTING landscapes on the streets of downtown Kingston now forms part of the Multicare Foundation's Visual Arts programme.
The Foundation, in collaboration with the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), is currently hosting "Saturday Art on the Streets" - art classes on the sidewalks for children of inner-city communities.
The centre of this activity is the historic DaCosta Institute on Central Avenue in Kingston Gardens. The former dwelling house of philantrophist Altamont DaCosta, the beautiful 20th century building was used in earlier years by the IOJ as a training institution for artists.
Classes began in late January, and were originally scheduled for one month. But the overwhelming response from the children in the surrounding neighbourhood resulted in an expansion of the project.
So every Saturday morning, between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the youngsters collect their equipment from the DaCosta Institute, then settle on the sidewalk behind easels or on improvised stools, sketching the buildings in the neighbourhood.
"The idea is to move from street corner to street corner all over downtown Kingston so that the children in the programme can explore their artistic nature, and get to appreciate the architectural character of the buildings in the neighbourhood," explained Celestine Thomas, director of the Junior Centre.
Expansion
So successful has been the Kingston Garden's project that another one was launched recently at the nearby Fletcher's Land Community Centre. These Saturday classes complement the Malabre House Community Art Project held weekly on Mondays, and have attracted some 70 young people to date.
Plans are also being developed for classes in the Allman Town and Higholborn Street communities.
The art programme is being co-ordinated by Stanford Watson, Multicare's visual arts director. At the DaCosta Institute, he is assisted by artist/tutor Makandal Dada, and Stacey Ann Hyde, student of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA). At Fletcher's Land, assistance is provided by EMCVPA student Alicia Lazarus and staffers from the Junior Centre.
Clover Johnston, IOJ's director of public relations and development, told The Sunday Gleaner, that the project was in keeping with Multicare's holistic approach to child development, including their creativity and natural talents.
She also explained that under the Saturday art programme - the brainchild of Barbara Gloudon, board member on both the Multicare Foundation and the IOJ - "the idea is to take art to the children in these communities and help attract them to more formal artistic programmes at the Institute's Junior Centres."
