Howard Moo Young, Contributor 
Rodney-Harrack
NORMA RODNEY-HARRACK is a Jamaican artist living and working in Kingston. Her entry in the Jamaican Biennial 2004, titled Maverick Spirit, is an installation made up of 120 clay birds and an open cupboard.
Here she discusses her work with Dr. Jonathan Greenland of the National Gallery of Jamaica.
JG: What is your greatest artistic influence and why?
NH: That would be the forces of nature: the landscape, the sea, the rain, the mountains with their contours. I'm interested in the expression of enduring values as seen in nature and natural objects.
JG: Why are you interested in enduring values?
NH: Enduring or abiding values help to enhance our identity, sustain or uphold our roots, enrich our lives and environment and validate the past.
JG: What inspired your piece?
NH: In my installation titled 'Maverick Spirit', perhaps better understood as 'Free Spirit', I was driven to extend the clay beyond the containment of a vessel. The bird form is my engagement with nature.
JG: What do you think of the Jamaican art scene?
NH: I think that the vibrancy and energy experienced a few years ago is not so apparent now; the inventiveness has diminished somewhat.
JG: What has been your greatest moment of artistic achievement?
NH: I cannot specify any one moment, however my silver Musgrave Medal, my admission to the International Academy of Ceramics, and also the acquisition of a ceramic work of mine by the World Museum of Ceramics in Icheon, Korea are achievements I am particularly proud of.
JG: What are your favourite materials?
NH: Nothing comes even close to my medium of clay. It is fragile, unpredictable and obedient.
JG: What is your favourite work of Jamaican art?
NH: Let me think.....I cannot identify any one particular work, even though I recall a fine bas-relief work in wood by Edna Manley, which I saw some years ago when I was a student. My husband Fitz tells me that it now hangs in the National Gallery. I will have to revisit it sometime. I also like George Rodney's modernist approach. I like, too, the works of Osmond Watson which exude a celestial or spiritual quality. Then there are the works of Dunkley with their spatial organisation and renderings of Jamaican life. Not to forget the works of Zion: his communities, his rural landscapes, his innocence and honesty.
JG: Where is your favourite place in Jamaica?
NH: Gee, I do love Portland; it appears so pristine, always so green and lush. Besides, I love the rain and it seems to fall in that place a lot.
JG: Matisse or Picasso?
NH: Undoubtedly, Picasso. Need I say why?
JG: Yes!
NH: Picasso shines out to me as one of the best artists to have responded to the opportunities and challenges that clay offers. He carried clay to the level of museum sophistication. I greatly admire his invention and fecundity, his willingness to try anything and his ability to make art out of disparate and unlikely materials (such as fish bones). Picasso is one of the artists of the 20th century whose vigorous efforts broadened the boundaries of what could be conceived of and executed in clay.
JG: Cats or dogs?
NH: Dogs are mankind's best friend. They not only make good company, but they are compassionate, protective and responsive. I have seven.
JG: Where do you see your work in five years (or less)?
NH: Who knows! I hope to be pursuing the art of clay in even more positive ways; that is, broadening boundaries and pushing frontiers, after all, that is what I do best. I certainly hope my work will continue to impact both locally and globally.
Norma Rodney-Harrack's piece can be seen in the Jamaican Biennial 2004 currently on display at the National Gallery of Jamaica. Please call the National Gallery for details at 922-1561.
