Screening + Artist Talk: The Secret Life of Your Clothes

On Saturday February 23, 2019 the National Gallery of Jamaica will be hosting a film screening of The Secret Life of Your Clothes as part of our programming for Beyond Fashion. Following the screening will be a related artist talk moderated by Assistant Curator and co-curator of the exhibition Shawna-Lee Tai. Participants in the Artist Talk will include Ayana Rivière, who is represented in the exhibition, and Nigerian artist Alao Omotoya.

The documentary The Secret Life of Your Clothes is a Firecrest Films Production for BBC’s “This World”, and is directed by Andy Wells and presented Ade Adepitan. The documentary is about the obroni wawu (secondhand clothing) industry in Ghana and how it has not only turned the clothes donated to charity into a profitable business, but has inversely impacted the traditional clothing industry as well as deeper cultural issues.

Ayana Rivière, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, has a passion for clothing design. She completed a degree in Criminal Justice from Coppin University and then pursued her love for fashion. She has worked as a wardrobe stylist on numerous music videos, films, commercials and advertising campaigns within Jamaican and the Caribbean such as the [PUMA in Cuba] campaign and Idris Elba’s Yardie. Her piece Ray Ray (2018) in Beyond Fashion speaks closely to the topic of the film in a Jamaican context.

Alao Luqman Omotoya is a Nigerian artist with a BFA in painting from the University of Lagos, an MFA in printmaking from the University of Benin, and is currently doing his PhD there as well. He is a member of the Society of Nigerian Artist (SNA) and a member of the Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA). He is a Cultural diplomat in Jamaica working with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDC), Ministry of Tourism Jamaica, and currently with Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) and Ministry of Culture.

The screening will begin at 1:30pm and entry is free to the public. As always, the Giftshop and Coffee Shop will be open for business.

Last Sundays February 24, 2019 to feature Tribe Sankofa

The National Gallery of Jamaica’s Last Sundays programming for February 24, 2019 will feature Tribe Sankofa as well as tours of our current exhibition, Beyond Fashion. We will also have on display the winner and entries for the International Reggae Poster Competition in The Art of Reggae Exhibition and the five finalists of the Government of Jamaica Houses of Parliament Design Competition.

February marks both Black History and Reggae month. It is a month that acknowledges and honours the achievements of black people throughout history and despite immense racial adversity. It is also a month that celebrates reggae music and it’s contribution to the development of Jamaica, musically, culturally and economically. With this in mind this Last Sundays will feature two new exhibitions.

The Art of Reggae Exhibition is hosted by the Reggae Poster Contest. The Reggae Poster Contest was founded in 2011 by Michael Thompson and Maria Papaefstathiou and aims to highlight reggae around the globe, create a locally based Reggae Hall of Fame museum and gain support for the Alpha Boys School.

The second phase of the Government of Jamaica Houses of Parliament Design Compettition is being hosted at the National Gallery of Jamaica. Patrons may view the proposals, site models and renderings of the top 5 finalists until February 28, 2019. The competition stipulates that at least 50% of each team be of Jamaican heritage or citizenship and, as such, the new House of Parliament will not only be a place where decisions regarding the Jamaican people are made, but a place created by it’s people. There is also a People’s Choice Award where citizens are encouraged to vote on the design of their choice.

Tribe Sankofa is a performing arts collective formed by Fabian Thomas. It is a vibrant and eclectic group of multi-talented performers who combine their artistry to add an exciting new dimension to the performing arts landscape of locally and internationally. Their niche is “….borrowed and original spoken word/poetry, soulful song-styling uniquely blended with other visual and performing arts”. Tribe Sankofa has shared their unique offerings in diverse spaces including the Poetry Society of Jamaica, Bookophilia, Lignum Vitae Awards, Gungo Walk Alternative Music and Arts Festival, Arts in the Park and the Investiture of the Poet Laureate of Jamaica to name a few. In addition to multiple medals and awards at Tallawah Dramatic Arts Festival and the Jamaica Cultural Development’s Speech and Drama competitions, the collective has also staged its own productions: Black Bodies, A Tribe Ting and their signature annual production Word Soul. This Last Sundays Tribe Sankofa presents BLACKness (an every month thing) ‘A celebration of blackness, spoken, sung and felt’.

The National Gallery of Jamaica will be open from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, with Tribe Sankofa’s performance beginning at 1:30 p.m. As per usual on Last Sundays, admission is free, but contributions to our Donations Box, located in the lobby, are appreciated. These donations help to fund exhibitions like Beyond Fashion and our Last Sundays programming. The National Gallery’s Gift Shop and Coffee Shop will be open for business.

Last Sundays January 27, 2019 to feature Bobby Burns

The National Gallery of Jamaica’s first Last Sundays programming for the year will feature Bobby Burns on January 27th, 2019, as well as tours of our recently extended exhibition, Beyond Fashion.

Bobby Burns is a singer and songwriter whose musical career began in 1988 at the tender age of 12. He began by performing with his older brother and greatest influence, Llyod Hemmings, at shows across the island. Burns migrated to the United Kingdom in 1999 and joined a group called “The Savannas”. They secured a contract with a leading Reggae distributor, Jet Star Recordings. In 2004 Burns returned to Jamaica and has continued to pursue a musical career. He has released the titles “Caught”, “Over U” and “Sunshine”. He has also performed alongside notable names, such as “Sugar Minnott”.

Now extended until February 24, 2019, Beyond Fashion takes a deeper look at the relationship between fashion and art. It explores how they may be integrated to produce works that speak to a variety of concepts. In this exhibition there are a myriad of art forms, such as photography, quilting, installation and jewellery to name a few.

The National Gallery of Jamaica will be open from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, with the Bobby Burns performance beginning at 1:30 p.m. As per usual on Last Sundays, admission is free, but contributions to our Donations Box, located in the lobby, are appreciated. These donations help to fund exhibitions like Beyond Fashion and our Last Sundays programming. The National Gallery’s Gift Shop and Coffee Shop will be open for business.

Beyond Fashion: Extended!

The National Gallery of Jamaica is pleased to announce that our most recent exhibition Beyond Fashion has been extended until February 24^th, 2019. This decision was a result of the exceptional reception we received from you, our patrons.

Beyond Fashion takes a deeper look at the relationship between fashion and art and how they may be integrated to produce works that speak to a variety of concepts. In this exhibition there are a myriad of art forms, such as photography, quilting, installation and jewellery to name a few.

Thank you greatly for the support we have received and, if you have not seen Beyond Fashion as yet, we highly encourage you to do so.

 

Last Sundays December 30, 2018 to feature Nexus Performing Art Company

Last Sundays December 30, 2018

The National Gallery of Jamaica’s Last Sundays programming for December 30th, 2018 will feature the Nexus Performing Arts Company as well as tours of our current exhibition, Beyond Fashion.

To top off the year the award-winning Nexus Performing Arts Company is back for what has become a tradition for our December Last Sundays performance. The Nexus Performing Arts Company was formed in 2001 by Hugh Douse, Artistic Director, voice tutor, singer, actor, conductor, songwriter, and a former Director of Culture in Education. The group has a broad musical repertoire that draws on Gospel, Negro Spirituals, Semi-classical, Popular music including Reggae and show tunes, African and Classical music of the European and African traditions. Join them as they take us on a lyrical tour of the exhibition full song, dance and theatrical performance, a truly festive way to close 2018.

The Beyond Fashion exhibition features artists who utilise, or have included, elements of fashion in their practice. The selected artworks convey ways that art may push beyond the everyday understanding of fashion and to delve into a variety of topics, which range from the socio-economic to the historically political. Beyond Fashion includes the work of artists who are experienced in fashion design, fashion photography and jewellery making. These include Marvin Bartley, Kereina Chang-Fatt, The Girl and The Magpie, Jessica Ogden, Ebony G. Patterson, Alfredo Piola, Ayana Rivière, Peter Dean Rickards, Jasmine Thomas-Girvan, Phillip Thomas, Yasmin Spiro, Seymour Lewis and Cosmo Whyte.

The National Gallery of Jamaica will be open from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, with the Nexus performance beginning at 1:30 p.m. As per usual on Last Sundays, admission is free, but contributions to our Donations Box, located in the lobby, are appreciated. These donations help to fund exhibitions like Beyond Fashion and our Last Sundays programming. The National Gallery’s Gift Shop and Coffee Shop will be open for business.

Beyond Fashion: Artist Talk Dec 15, 2018

Photograph: Michelle Jorsling

The National Gallery of Jamaica is pleased to present the first of two Artist Talks for its current exhibition Beyond Fashion on Saturday, December 15 starting at 1:00 pm. Beyond Fashion seeks to explore the capacity for fashion themed or influenced art making to reflect and interrogate complex personal and societal histories. The exhibition also questions the supposed distinctions between art and craft. These concepts will be explored in the context of this exhibition during this session.

The discussion will be moderated by the exhibition’s lead curator O’Neil Lawrence and the panelist will include exhibiting artists Phillip Thomas, Yasmin Spiro as well as researcher, indigo dyer and artist Lucille Junkere. The panel discussion is free and open to the public. Persons in attendance will also have an opportunity to view the Beyond Fashion exhibition which will close on January 15, 2019.