JCDC Seeking To Promote Digital Art

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) is seeking to promote digital art through its Jamaica Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition.

The event was open to artists, six years and older, who are Jamaican citizens or have been residing in Jamaica for a period of not less than two years at the closing date for entries.

Entries were accepted in seven categories: Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Collage, Textiles and Fibre Arts, Photography, and Sculpture/Assemblage.

A total of 171 award-winning pieces selected from the 2021 edition, covering the seven categories, are now on display at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

Visual Arts Development Specialist at the JCDC, Nicholas Rose, told JIS News that the competition was expanded to include graphic designs, to cater for persons whose movements have been restricted due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

He pointed out that there is growing demand for digital art, noting that the industry is becoming a lucrative one.

“It is a vibrant industry… and we want to align ourselves there; so we started with graphic designs. But in the future, we hope to include far more, like video art and animation,” Mr. Rose said.

He noted, however, that the introduction of new categories will require adjustments to the JCDC’s digital platform.

Mr Rose said none of the graphic designs submitted this year received awards or prizes.

“But it is the first time; it is new, and a lot of people were not aware. But it is something that we will be promoting, reassessing and aligning ourselves [with],” he pointed out.

The JCDC will also be reaching out to persons in special education, to facilitate their participation in the competition.

“We want to reach everyone. We want to reach out to all the institutions so we can get everyone to showcase their talents,” he stated.

A total of 364 entries were submitted via email and through the JCDC’s parish offices for the 2021 competition.

“It was a very challenging process, especially to collect all the works from across the island, in the midst of the pandemic. At times there were lockdowns and at times persons were unable to move around to get material to do the work. But the artists and the Commission rose to the occasion,” Mr. Rose stated.

He said the entrants were asked to submit photos of their work online and then in person for assessment by JCDC adjudicators.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rose is encouraging persons to view the pieces on display at the exhibition.

He noted that there is a special section displaying the works of ‘special awardees’ and ‘the strongest pieces of artwork’.

“It is a beautiful exhibition and the responses have been good; so I would encourage everybody to view it,” he said, noting that the event runs until March 2022.

Mr. Rose said the prospect of staging the exhibition in other parts of the island would prove challenging and expensive, given the 171 pieces of artwork involved.

“But we hope to do things in the future, in terms of a regional basis, maybe in the western and eastern regions; but that is still in the pipeline,” he said.

For next year’s competition, Mr. Rose said the deadline for the submission of entries will be earlier than the usual in light of Jamaica’s upcoming 60^th Independence Anniversary celebrations.

Details regarding entry forms, rules and other aspects of the competition will be announced on the JCDC’s website.

“With the upcoming Jamaica 60 celebrations, we are planning to do something special for that. So we may open entries for that special event [towards] the end of January, hopefully,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, in a pre-recorded message at the virtual exhibition opening and award ceremony, encouraged Jamaicans to take their families and friends to view the displays during the holiday season.

“As my Ministry prepares for the highly anticipated celebrations in honour of Jamaica’s 60^th anniversary, the exhibition is just a preview of what we have in store to celebrate our creative arts,” she added.

The Minister noted that the competition and exhibition give artists, including children and adults, “a chance to shine alongside their works.”

“The works created are not only thought-provoking and memorable but also enlightening and heart-warming, with each piece reflecting various aspects of daily Jamaican life and capturing our rich culture,” she said.