A GoFundMe, with a target of US$20,000, has been set up to assist students who lost supplies in a fire at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA) in Kingston on September 17, 2021.

Initiated by Paul Wilson, president of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts Alumni Association, it is aptly dubbed ‘Help students who lost supplies in school fire’. He said the fund-raiser is aimed at “helping students recover some of their losses and regain confidence once more in the pursuit of their dreams”.

So far, pledges amount to US$2,279.

“As you can imagine, the students are completely devastated as these tools were an important part of their prep work including laptops, tablets and a camera,” said Susan Lee Quee, EMCVPA acting dean of the School of Visual Arts.

“Though this a major setback, we are thankful there was no harm to any of the students. The students are resilient and determined as they try to work through the setback,” she continued.

The fire also impacted several recipients of the 2020 and 2021 CB Facey Foundation (CBFF) Tertiary Scholarship, which assists with tuition for students in their final year.

“Our support for the students in their final year is strategic as it facilitates their peace of mind to concentrate on creating displays for their final-year exhibition,” said Anna Ward, executive director of the foundation.

“The loss and damage really shook me as it was weeks earlier that we visited to see the displays of the six 2020 scholars, two of whom were impacted by the fire,” she added.

For Brad Pinnock, the fire took away two years of work, but his thoughts are with the current fourth-year artists.

“For the final year students that are coming up now, I really feel it for them more because they don’t have anywhere to work,” said Pinnock who now holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts. “Personally, I lost a lot of stuff. I had a laptop, two phones and a lot of material in the studio at the time that were all destroyed.

“I feel a way about it. That’s the place where we used to stay and work. Now, a lot of restrictions are in place and that makes it even harder for the students to work,” Pinnock said.

He recounts that he was on the compound at the time of the fire, clearing out the studio he used for his final-year exhibition.

“I was moving my stuff out so that a new student could have the space. By the time we came back the whole place was in the flames,” he said.

Ward said, while there are plans to rebuild, students’ degrees are in jeopardy.

“That morning we visited during the summer, students were in the studio working on their art, already preparing for their final year exhibitions. This appeal is for them,” Ward added.