When Glenevea Paul-Penny from St. Mary first picked up her crochet hook again last year, she had no idea that within months, she would be standing among some outstanding artists. Her intricately woven fibre art creation, ‘Jah Kass Seh Di World Nuh Level’, earned her a gold medal at the 2025 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Visual Arts Competition. The...

At 72 years old, Manchester-born artist Nugent Hewitt continues to prove that creativity knows no age, turning decades of passion and perseverance into gold, six of them to be exact. Mr. Hewitt, who turns 73 in January 2026, has been named the Most Outstanding Overall Artist in the 2025 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Visual Arts Competition, receiving six gold...

At just 10 years old, Yolanda Stephenson is the first Mini Miss St. Catherine Heritage Queen. She tells JIS News that a wave of emotions swept over her the moment her name was announced as the Queen for the parish. “I wasn't expecting to be the winner. When it was time, my heart was out of my ribs, and it...

Poised, confident, and purpose-filled—eight-year-old Breanna Gayle embodies all this and more as she makes history as the first-ever Mini Miss St. Thomas Heritage Queen. Crowned in June, Breanna is now preparing to represent the parish on the national stage in December, as she competes for the title of Mini Miss Jamaica Heritage Queen 2025. The articulate Grade Three student of...

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) is celebrating the 106th birthday of late cultural icon, the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou), with a slew of parish-based activities across the island in September. Director of Community Cultural Development Services at the JCDC, Marjorie Leyden-Kirton tells JIS News that the month of activities is aimed at preserving the legacy and cultural impact...

Among a cohort of scholars pursuing advanced studies in traditional fields like law and governance, Kerry-Ann Chen is charting a unique course. She stands out from her peers with her decision to pursue a Masters in Art History, a clear signal of her unconventional academic path. The curator and arts manager at Narrative Curatorial, is a graduate of the Edna...

Jamaica has proudly etched another milestone in its cultural journey with the recent inscription of Port Royal on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. Once dubbed the ‘wickedest city on earth’, the 17th century archaeological landscape has been formally recognised for its global significance, a recognition that took more than a decade of research,...

The Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA XV), which began on Friday (August 22) in Barbados, has returned with a vibrant showcase of cultures, cuisines, fashion, performances, and visual arts from across the region, celebrating the theme, ‘Caribbean Roots; Global Excellence’. Now in its 15th staging, the event, returning for the first time since 2019 after a COVID-19-related hiatus, runs until...