Heavy musician presence at 2010 Musgrave Awards

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

THE PLAYERS of instruments had a very strong presence in the Institute of Jamaica's Lecture Hall, East Street, Kingston, on Wednesday afternoon, as outstanding practitioners in Jamaica's literature, art and science were honoured at the 2010 Musgrave Awards Ceremony.

Of the 12 awardees, four - Silver Musgrave awardees Lloyd Brevett, Lloyd Knibb and Jon Williams, as well as Bronze Musgrave recipient, Warrant Officer Class 1 Albert Hird - were honoured for their musical exploits.

Scientists formed the next-largest group of 2010 Musgrave awardees, Professor Terrence Forester, the sole Gold recipient, and Joel Saddler and Dr Patrice Smith, awarded bronze Musgraves. Artists Gene Pearson and Gaston Tabois were honoured with silver medals. Colin Channer (silver) and Jean Small (bronze) were the sole literature and theatre-arts awardees, respectively. Oswald 'Newton' Marshall is this year's Youth Musgrave honouree for his contribution to sport.

Though one of the three awardees was absent from the ceremony (the citations were read, but the medals not handed over to a representative), Marshall provided the first fodder for the ceremony's host, Barbara Gloudon, to inject humour into what can be an austere ceremony, what with all the honourees' achievements being detailed in their respective citations.

Marshall was recognised for his strong showing in the gruelling Iditarod sled-dog race, during which the temperature can drop to -50 degrees.

"We think that depicts the spirit of Jamaica, a young man from Jamaica running after dogs in Alaska," Gloudon said, to laughter.

There were other moments when humour cracked the solemnity of the Musgrave Awards Ceremony, not for words (although Gloudon had other off-the-cuff comments that triggered titters), but in the absence thereof. There were chuckles at the height difference between Professor Sir Fitzroy Augier, who presented the bronze medals, and Hird. And when the medal's ribbon caught on Saddler's bushy ponytail, recipient and presenter smiled along with the audience, which occupied about 80 per cent of the seating inside the IOJ Lecture Hall.

Bittersweet occasion

Jamaica Music Museum curator Herbie Miller paused in reading Channer's citation, as the audience reacted to the author and Calabash International Literary Festival co-founder's blue jeans, cuffed to show the tops of his brown, high-top shoes, but not so far as to reveal above the top of his footwear.

Before the light moments, however, there was the solemn acknowledgement of those who were missing from the 2010 Musgrave Medals Awards Ceremony. In the early going, Gloudon noted that it was a "bittersweet occasion", as some of those who had contributed much had passed on. Among them were Professor Rex Nettleford and archaeologist George Aarons, both former IOJ Council members. Current chairman of the council, Professor Barry Chevannes, was also absent, due to health reasons.

Forrester, who replied on behalf of the Musgrave Medal recipients on Wednesday, noted the preponderance of the arts honourees, as opposed to three scientists. However, instead of bemoaning the imbalance, Forrester explained the difference in the approach to the creative process between science and arts and made three recommendations to improve the scientists' standing.

He proposed that, "we place greater emphasis on the arts in the school curriculum", that concentration going up to the GSAT level. Also, Forrester said, that during their training years, budding scientists spend time in understanding the abstraction paradigm, delving into music, literature and art to develop the inductive aspect of interrogation. Finally, he put forward that a scientist's pursuit of an art during their career should be rewarded, as it also relates to the inductive side of their reasoning.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could release creativity across all our spectrums?" Forrester asked in closing his reply.