Sana Rose, Contributor
'Proud to be Jamaican' by Michael Parchment, Gold Medal & Best
Professional 2-D Entry. - Contributed
THE JAMAICA Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) Visual Arts Programme for 2006 is replete with exciting possibilities for the exposure, promotion and development of Jamaica's artists.
With this year's theme for festival, 'In the Mix 2006', the mix of visual arts activities is sure to add a buzz to the year's line-up of activities and events on the art scene. In addition to at least two workshops on the horizon pending sponsorship as part of the department's offering for the year, is the National Visual Arts Competition schedule that includes one major national exhibition showcase with all the awardees in Kingston and two Medallists' Showcases in Montego Bay and Mandeville. Later on, the solo exhibition of the 2005 HEART Trust/NTA Studio Art Prize winner, Stacy-Ann Hyde, will take centre stage in Kingston. But to kick things off, the first showcase will be the photography exhibition of 2005 winners in Houston, Texas, USA, which is being staged after receipt of an invitation to participate in the Houston International Festival.
The festival's theme is based on the culture of a different country
each year, and now in its 35th year, Jamaica is the 2006 theme. It will take
place over two weekends for four days: April 22, 23, 29 and 30 in downtown Texas,
where over 200,000 visitors are expected to be in attendance. Nineteen awardees
from last year's Photography category in the National Visual Arts Competition
will exhibit 33 photographs that depict various images of Jamaica.
Hot on the heels of last year's outstanding performance in the
National Visual Arts Competition where 81 per cent of total entrants were awardees,
49 per cent of total entries submitted received awards, 55 per cent of total
entrants were first-time participants, and 35 different groups, including schools
and photo clubs, were represented in the National Awards Exhibition, an even
bigger and more electrifying competition is anticipated this year.
Although entries promotion was delayed this year, due to regulations
that required more time to sort out, promotional meetings have taken place with
some groups and a number of entry documents have been sent/distributed to various
schools, individuals and artist groups. With the user-friendly concept being
adopted last year with the new name and format of the competition, this year
a Promotional Information Booklet that combines background to and structure
of the competition, benefits, prize list, checklist, the year-long schedule,
JCDC office contacts, the rules and regulations and the colourful entry form
in the centrespread was created and formatted into one comprehensive package.
Now all a prospective entrant needs to do is to collect one of
these booklets and he/she will find that all the relevant information is contained
within it. The cover of the booklet is adorned with some of last year's winning
entries in colour to not only appeal to the eye but to provide even more exposure
and promotion for the winners.
ENTRIES
The competition continues to seek entries in Photography and
the Studio 7 categories, namely Ceramics, Collage, Drawing, Fibre Arts, Painting,
Printmaking and Sculpture, from artists of all ages and levels of experience.
The entry levels have now been streamlined across all categories: Youth 11 and
under, youth 12-14, youth 15-18, amateur and professional. As was the case last
year, winners will be awarded national medals and certificates and sponsored
sectional prizes that have helped to make the competition more competitive.
After last year's unprecedented large audience attendance at
the exhibition opening and awards reception, the National Visual Arts Committee
is contemplating separating the two activities and having the exhibition opening
first on Tuesday, July 11, in Kingston, and about two weeks later at the same
venue, the winners will be invited back to formally and publicly receive their
prizes. The mix of activities for visual arts this year promises thrilling artistic
exchanges and promotional opportunities that can only augur well for the development
of visual arts in Jamaica.
BOOKLETS
The rules and regulations booklets with entry form for the National
Visual Arts Competition are available at all JCDC offices islandwide and can
be downloaded from the commission's website: www.jcdc.org.jm. The Visual
Arts Department can be contacted at Head Office: 3-5 Phoenix Avenue, Kingston
10 and at telephone numbers 926-5726-9 and email address: jcdc@cwjamaica.com.
Deadline for all entries is Friday, May 12, 2006, no later than 4:00 p.m. at
all JCDC offices. Entries for Kingston must be submitted from Monday, May 8
to Friday, May 12, 2006, at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre located at the
Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, 36 Hope Road, Kingston 10, from 10:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. daily. We look forward to receiving the most creative and thought-provoking
artworks from artists this year.
Sana Rose is the Visual Arts
coordinator at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission.
