Jamaican artists will be joining over one billion individuals from around the world celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday March 22, 2020. During this week, artists will be using creativity and innovation to raise awareness on critical issues like climate change, sea level rise, pollution and other challenges that impact the health of our planet, through visual arts, dance, spoken word, theatre, crafts and writing
The Kingston Creative online Meetup, Virtual Artwalk and virtual tour of Tivoli Gardens will showcase creative entrepreneurs and cultural practitioners from Jamaica who are addressing environmental concerns through their work.
Meetup
The Meetup will be held on Friday, April 24 from 5:00 pm where artists and activists will discuss art and the environment. The gathering will be held on Zoom https://bit.ly/2KxRp5z and will feature noted author and environmentalist Diana McCaulay, Artists Anna K. Cuffe and Veronique Linyard (“The Girl and the Magpie”), Jhannel Tomlinson and Ayesha Constable from Young People Against Climate Change, writer Emma Lewis and entertainment by DJ Fenix. The Meetup features a special guest speaker, Tre Packard, CEO of the Pangeaseed Foundation based in Hawaii, who runs the project “Sea Walls” which intends to create 10 new murals in Kingston later this year focused on our oceans.
Artwalk
The Virtual Artwalk will feature a community-led artwalk which will highlight the cultural history of Tivoli Gardens. This virtual tour is a collaborative effort between Tivoli Gardens Community Development Commision, Faces of Tivoli, the European Union, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund and Kingston Creative. Thies series of community events is geared towards building capacity in the community, training youth as cultural hosts and driving community tourism in Downtown Kingston.
The audience can tune intoKingston Creative’s IGTV channel to enjoy performances, talks and displays from local artists and artisans such as Sharon Austin – Fashion; Paris Porteous – Dance, Daniel Carnegie – Community Centre , High Flyaz Graphics and Audley “Razzle” Malcolm.
The Arts and Environment Artwalk experience kicks off on Kingston Creative’s IGTV channel on Sunday, April 26 at 11 am until 2 pm with performances from various artists and a showcase from vendors that will allow the audience to enjoy the arts while they shop for locally made creative products. The virtual experience will be made available on Kingston Creative’s Youtube channel after April 26, 2020.
This month’s theme is Arts and The Environment, and we will be enjoying performances from the likes of: Kemanie Boothe – Participant of the EU short film competition which focused on the environment – best cinematography ; Tiffany Thompson – singer, principal member of QUILT; video presented is a medley of songs; Ardine Spencer – Poet; Deron Douglas – Participant of the EU short film competition which focused on the environment – competition winner; Micheal Elliot – Visual artist; presented a video of artworks of everyday items that convey deeper messages and commentary on social issues; Lisa Ledge – environmental artist who encourages environmental protection and awareness through her art. Advocates reusing, recycling and upcycling and Anna K Cuffe – ceramic artist with a deep love for the ocean and protecting marine life, particularly our coral reefs.
The official virtual after-party will be led by DJ Fenix as an Instagram LIVE from Kingston Creative’s account @kingstoncreativejm. The Virtual Artwalk will take place every Last Sunday of the month, on Kingston Creative’s IGTV channel from March – June 2020 with the footage available on Kingston Creative’s YouTube Channel afterward.
These virtual events, or “digital commissions”, were developed in response to Covid-19. Kingston Creative has launched a newly-created $2.7 million fund aimed at promoting online cultural activities and keeping local artists and artisans employed and visible during this time. The fund is sponsored by tTech, JAMPRO, CB Facey Foundation, Sagicor and the Tourism Enhancement Fund, who are also “First 50” Founders of the new Downtown Kingston Art District. Creatives can access this fund between March 20 – May 31, 2020 by emailing [email protected].
