‘Artical’ part deux
IT took judges Dian Watson, Petrona Morrison, Dr Brian Morgan and Norman P Saulter an entire day to wade through the 165 pieces entered in the Airport Authority of Jamaica’s Schools’ Art Project for 2015. At the end of the exercise, which they did independently of each other, they agreed that schools outside of the Corporate area took the top prizes.
“We were very impressed with the quality of work presented in general,” Saulter, who was chief judge, told
Career & Education at the awards ceremony at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) a week and a half ago.
“We were particulalrly pleased that rural schools participated to the extent that they did and that they took some of the top prizes. I would think that Kingston, with all its galleries; would have had a better showing, but it didn’t; and it wasn’t necessarily the traditional schools either. There was a significant number of entries from schools you don’t hear a great deal about,” he continued.
Corinaldi Avenue Primary, located in St James, and Newell High, sited in St Elizabeth, received special mention for having copped two prizes each in different categories. The other winners were Manchester High and deCarteret College (both in Manchester); Foga Road High (Clarendon); Sydney Pagon STEM Academy (St Elizabeth), Mount Alvernia Prep (St James); Queens’ Prep and Genesis Academy (both in Kingston/St Andrew); Portmore Missionary Prep (St Catherine); and St Christopher’s School of the Deaf ( St Ann).
The competition, which is in its second year, is a vehicle for students to produce art for public spaces, beginning with the link corridor between NMIA’s departure lounge and the departure gates.
“Displaying the students’ art work in the airport art is one of the best ways to engage people as they enter and leave Jamaica, “ executive director of the National Gallery of Jamaica, Dr Veerle Poupeye, said at the presentation of the awards.
But the benefits go much deeper than that, as Lady Rheima Hall pointed out at the inaugural staging.
“Students who produce art for public spaces feel more connected to the community and are more likely to develop into positive members of the society. Art allows children to develop a sense of civic engagement,” she said at the 2014 awards.
“There are numerous benefits to be derived from exposing students to the visual arts. They learn to develop creative and flexible forms of thinking and acquire mental habits that they are not taught in other classes, including envisioning, innovating and reflecting. They are able to stimulate and release their imagination by envisioning a world that is different from the world they know. They are open to creating new worlds,” Lady Hall continued.
The 2015 collection has been added to those already displayed
“We do have a lot of white wall space to fill before we start recycling,” AAJ’s Marketing and Communications Manager Grace Morrison told
Career & Education.
Category A (Children 5-9 years)
Prudent Salmon
Shadi Sinclair
Hannah Mulu
Category B
(Teens age 10-14 years)
C-Jay Smith
Gabrielle Wright
Torie Bygrave
Category C
(Young adults age 15-19 years)
Oneil Mullings
Shane Salmon
Kajae Brown
Category D (Special needs)
Raphic Roberts
Ashley Hussey
Aiden-Neil McLeod