October 23, 2016
Forty Years of Creative Excellence
Create. Persevere. Achieve. The motto of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), these three words also embody the rich cultural legacy of this one-of-a-kind regional arts college, even far beyond the 40 years that we now celebrate. It is the vision of a creative and determined few, who saw the need for the tailoring of this arts institution towards far reaching national empowerment and transformation of an independent nation.
As a graduate, lecturer, past Director of the School of Dance, and currently Principal of the EMCVPA, I consider myself the recipient of this larger than life legacy. I truly believe, that one of the greatest developments in Jamaica’s history was the establishment of the Cultural Training Centre (CTC) in 1976.
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CREATE…
The CTC was created out of the realisation that developing countries need to apply their rich resources in the arts and culture to educate the next generation. The late Hon. Rex Nettleford, a champion for the establishment of the CTC, noted that this art, this single medium of expression, is critical to the development of the region. Nettleford in 1986 articulated, “Artistic manifestations are just one of the many cultural indices to be found in any civilization. They come easily to all human beings because we have what is called the creative imagination and the intellect… If a child starts knowing that he or she can draw something, that he or she can paint something, that he or she can sculpt, carve something, that he or she can make up a little poem, four lines, that he or she can present a dance, that he or she can make up a song, sing that song and get appreciation for it, then you start teaching…some very important things, not least of all that sense of process which is so critical to the development of the region” and therefore future generations.
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I am also compelled to reference another visionary, the Right Honourable Edward Seaga, who also worked towards the establishment of a CTC. Seaga in 1963 proposed, “It is vitally important that the training schools should be physically situated in close proximity to each other in order to stimulate inter-disciplinary experimentation and practice, and the exchange of thoughts and ideas which should lead to the development of an art, not by way of separate and factional media, but as a single medium of expression”.
With this vision realised in the CTC, the purpose of the CTC quickly expanded with the mission “to enrich the aesthetic sensibilities and promote the cultural diversity of the Caribbean through the highest quality education and training in the Visual and Performing Arts.” As a reminder to us—the students, graduates, lecturers, administrators—the inheritors of the legacy, we can commit to memory this statement by the Right Honourable Michael Manley: “Art is the mirror through which a society perceives itself; and it is a mirror that must be held up to young societies constantly if they are to achieve a sense of their separate identity in the world. Clearly, therefore, the development of the latent artistic talent of a society is important to its growth and critical to the process of psychological transformation with which we are concerned”. And, with this the journey continues with the confidence that the establishment of the CTC was a shared national vision across the political divide.
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PERSEVERE…
Critical to this process of transformation and development, and the continued distinction of EMCVPA as the first and only tertiary arts institution of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, is a concentration of highly trained, artistic, technical and administrative skills among faculty, staff and students, and a diverse curriculum offering, rooted in the strength and power of Jamaican history and culture.
The EMCVPA, over 40 years, has transitioned from the CTC offering only diplomas and certificates under the four traditional Schools—Visual Arts, Music, Drama and Dance—to offering upward of fourteen degree programmes accredited by the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) under five Schools—with the addition of the School of Arts Management and Humanities in 2008. Our sixth school, the School of Continuing Education and Allied Programmes, offers short for-credit or leisure courses throughout the year, its annual Summer School for ages 4-18 years and most recently commenced the Post Graduate Diploma in Arts Education.
Integral to the College’s work is the support of external stakeholders, particularly those who have eased the financial burdens of our students. The CHASE Fund that has pledged institutional support in addition to scholarships and bursaries; the Grace Kennedy Foundation; the Arts Foundation of the Edna Manley College; Restaurant Associates Ltd. (Burger King); Carreras Ltd.; Institute of Jamaica—Rex Nettleford Scholarship; Mona Baptist Church—Douglas Samuels Memorial Scholarship, Jamaica Committee; Liguanea Lodge; Louise Bennett Foundation; Jah Jerry Foundation; JPENT Studios; Mandeville Art Fair; Roy Hall Memorial Scholarship; RBC Scholarship; Cecil Boswell Facey Foundation; Earl Warner Memorial Scholarship; The Rex Nettleford Foundation; All Stars Initiative; LBW Trust; JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation; Jamaica Musical Theatre Company; Christina Bennett Scholarship; Jamaica America Friendship Association Angella Harvey Scholarship; Ebony G. Patterson Scholarship; Sagicor Jamaica Ltd. Bursary; NCB Foundation; Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF); Betting Gaming & Lotteries Commission; Citizen Security & Justice Programme; the Ministry of Education; and the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH); among others. Without these contributions, many students would not have been able to persevere to live their dreams, and arts and culture in the Caribbean would not have had the opportunity to benefit from the luminaries over the many years.
ACHIEVE…
The achievement of this, I daresay, regional arts institution, as an academic institution of higher learning in the arts, and as a repository of creative genius, has a firm foundation in its visionaries—those who started, and those who have continued to support the College over the years. Over the past forty years, the College has been engaged in various productions, exhibitions, administrative and academic activities and collaborations with other educational institutions, government and non-governmental organisations and agencies.
Annually, the EMCVPA undertakes several outstanding performances and productions mounted by the Schools. The School of Drama has won several Actor Boy Awards for its productions, while the Final Year Exhibition in the School of Visual Arts is a traditional calendar event for any art aficionado. The Schools of Music and Dance productions have been applauded for their expertise in techniques and entertainment value, while being thought-provoking and cutting-edge. The College has also played an important role in Jamaica’s annual celebration of UNESCO’s International Jazz Day on April 30 and other milestone national celebrations such as Jamaica 50th Celebrations.
Many signature academic initiatives have been introduced—the Gender and Development Lecture; Research in the Arts Day; and the biennial Rex Nettleford Arts Conference. These events in particular are critical, as the College works towards providing Jamaica and the region with empirical data to support the continued need for arts and culture. We undertake these research activities and events because the EMCVPA, with our history, culture and achievements, is the primary institution to:
• lead the charge of an advocacy platform for arts at every level of education and society;
• fill the growing need for literature about Jamaican (Caribbean) art; and
• prepare tracer studies on the challenges and opportunities of the arts to national development.
Taking this first step, the College has produced its first peer-reviewed academic Arts Journal, the Jonkonnu Arts Journal, which included papers and presentations from the biennial Rex Nettleford Arts Conference.
The College has collaborated with the Ministries of Education, Youth and Information; Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports; Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; and Tourism; and has had representatives on several committees including the Inter-ministerial and lateral-agency dialogue on the Craft Policy, National Craft Council, the Culture Policy, National Cultural and Creative Industries Commission, Entertainment Advisory Board, and the JCDC Traditional Folk Forms Advisory Board. The College lent its’ expertise, in the form of its Faculty on several projects including the Greater August Town Film Festival Committee; the Kingstoon Animation Conference; and national day celebrations of the various embassies and high commissions.
Several memorandums of understanding are agreed upon including the establishment of exchange agreements with the Ohio State University, the San Francisco State University, USA; a partnership for an International Student/Academic Exchange with the Caribbean Campus of the Arts in Fort-de-France, Martinique; a partnership to conduct professional training in the Arts through Guadeloupe Regional Consul and INTERAG Protocol; an agreement for Student and Faculty Exchange Programme with the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts at Arnhem, The Netherlands and the approval of the College as a site for US-based Ohio State University’s and Temple University’s Study Abroad Programmes.
Forty years on from the formation of the CTC, the EMCVPA is in a critical stage of development, as it embraces the present and imminent opportunities and challenges. One of the College’s current major challenges is hinged on its development and vice versa. Since 1976, the institution has grown both in student enrolment and in the number of programmes offered. It has also outgrown the physical space, and the space on which we still operate has proved to be a threat for both the academic and physical growth and development.
The onus of the College now is to source and shape critical relationships that will allow for the continuation and expansion of the legacy of Edna Manley, Barrington Watson, Karl ‘Jerry’ Craig, Bert Rose, Sheila Barnett, Barbara Requa, Henry and Greta Fowler, Dennis Scott, Vera Moody, Olive Lewin, Marjorie Whylie, among so many others.
As we look forward, we must always look back, not to dwell there but to use the experiences, the stories, and the triumphs of those before us or even our own pasts, to inform what we do in the future. We are very proud to celebrate 40 Years of taking a chance, making a difference…and succeeding. The EMCVPA encourages you to support local performing arts productions, art galleries, artists, museums and non-profit art organisations whenever possible, and thanks you for your continued support.
Dr. Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson
Principal
