The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) posthumously honoured renowned Jamaican artists Mallica “Kapo” Reynolds and Kenneth Abendana Spencer at its Craft with a Difference event on Sunday, November 26.

Previously called ‘Crafting for Christmas’, the rebranded event took place on the south lawns of Devon House in St Andrew.

In a recent interview with JIS News, director of product quality and training at TPDCo Deanne Keating noted that the name change signals a re-imagining of the annual event and sets it apart from other craft fairs.

“There are a number of entities that stage craft fairs and there was, in our perspective, not much difference between them. We wanted to stand out… We want to make a big impact [with a] specific focus on the development of souvenir items for the tourism sector,” Keating said.

She informed that honouring trailblazers in the craft and artisanal sector will be a feature of the annual event going forward.

“We’re going to be having a presentation ceremony, and one of the sons of Kenneth Spencer, Kensington Spencer, will receive the award on his behalf. Naomi Reynolds, the daughter of [Kapo] will receive the award on behalf of her father. We’ll also be having their work on display in a mini museum, which will be part of the [offerings] on the day,” she noted further.

TPDCo partnered with the National Gallery of Jamaica, which curated an exhibition of the artists’ work at the fair.

Keating informed that the intention behind celebrating the two masters of their craft is to inspire current and future artists while preserving Jamaican art and culture.

Kapo was a mixed artist, skilled in carving, painting, and pottery and has been recognised both nationally and internationally, while Spencer is known as a painter of scenes in Jamaica.