- ContributedA painting by Garth Bariffe.
Sana Rose, Contributor
NOT MANY students from the School of Visual Arts at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA) go on to post-graduate studies after completing their diploma or certificate courses.
As there is no master's level fine arts programme in Jamaica, aspiring artists must seek further education abroad. As international students, the cost of higher education is daunting but a few have bravely accepted the challenge and along the way, inspired others to follow in their footsteps.
In addition to costs, the challenge of studying overseas include cultural, social and climatic adjustments that have to be made mentally and physically.
Garth Bariffe, a 1998 graduate of the EMVCPA, has just completed his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, in the United States.
Fortunately for him, cultural barriers were not a major problem as there was another Jamaican student in the programme with him and he also had a Jamaican professor as his advisor. Well-known Jamaican artist, Bryan McFarlane, is a tenured professor at the university, and, through McFarlane's recommendation, Garth gained entry to the three-year fine arts programme in painting. He has been instrumental in getting four Jamaicans into the programme.
Garth told The Sunday Gleaner that McFarlane's insights into the experiences of living and working abroad in the field of the arts, was "quite comforting."
Garth's major challenge at university was finance. He explains that "It is usually a very difficult thing to take on further studies abroad especially when you don't know where the funds are going to come from. For me, it was tough, really, really tough. Sometimes I wonder how I made it and am still standing. After the first year, I ran out of funds."
Garth was able to secure a teaching assistantship, which enabled him to receive a stipend and a waiver of half of his tuition.
"I taught for three years at the university and worked at two or three other jobs on the campus while balancing that with pursuing the degree. I taught in the painting/design department at the foundation level."
Such an opportunity is granted to students whose grades are at a high level and, happily, Garth reports that he was able to maintain a 3.920 grade point average. He says he was grateful to receive the assistance as it helped him to pay his way through school and allowed him to gain valuable teaching experience which gave him an opportunity to share a reciprocal teaching/learning environment with the students he taught, which in turn, informed his work.
Garth believes that the art programme at the university is a good one. consisting of a diverse group of students from all over the world, making it a rich environment to work in and facilitative of interaction and dialogue among students.
He states "My Jamaican experiences became very important in my work and became the thing that grounded me as a source for my work."
The faculty was also a contributing factor to the development of Garth's work as they "have a wealth of knowledge and experience both as instructors and practitioners of the arts themselves".
He credits his success not just to the university staff, but also to the staff of the EMVCPA, among them Hope Wheeler, Annie Hamilton, Kay Anderson, Milton Harley and Cecil Cooper. He believes that "the knowledge and experience I gained from the art school in Jamaica made it easier for me to function at the Master's level."
Garth's successful completion of his studies is a triumph of hard work and perseverance and, at the end, his reward was more than he could anticipate.
The university's thesis exhibition was lauded by many and received further commendation in the local newspaper as "impressive".
The university was also impressed by the show, so much so that a decision was taken to give a "Dean's Purchase Award" to one student. Garth became the inaugural recipient of this award, selected from a total of 16 graduates. The panel chose Garth's six-panelled painting which was later installed in the Dean's office. The work is composed of non-traditional materials such as household chemicals, which Garth says is "an influence that came from being Jamaican - the inventive, resourceful and adventurous spirit we all seem to possess."
Garth is currently participating in a group exhibition at the Peck Gallery in Rhode Island, also in the United States, but is seeking studio space to continue painting. His future plans include teaching, travelling and exhibiting.
