EDITORIAL - Encouraging the arts

Exposing more people to the rich legacy of Jamaican art is one way of rekindling interest in our culture. This is why we have taken note of the plan to establish a branch of the National Gallery of Jamaica in the core of the Second City.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett recently announced that the gallery is to be integrated into the Montego Bay Civic Centre in the historic Sam Sharpe Square, which has also been earmarked for a revival of sorts. While we appreciate that tourism is a big wheel of economic development, let's not make this a mere tourist attraction. Rather, it should function as a centre where the visual arts will be displayed for the benefit of all persons who wish to experience samples from our treasure trove of art and culture.

Jamaica has a unique cultural voice that will not be silenced, so it will be a glorious day when Montego Bay shall have a proper home in which art can reside.

refining effect

In these harsh economic times, it is easy to frown on such expenditure, but it is a fact that prolonged exposure to the arts has a refining effect on people. Right now, Jamaica needs that kind of refinement to erase some of the coarseness that is so evident all around. In any event, a city that wants to be regarded as a vibrant place in which to live and work ought to support and encourage the creative class, because the arts can draw people to an area.

The opening of the gallery should be good news not only for art and culture enthusiasts, but for the vast number of artists, those formally trained and those who are intuitive. Interestingly, the first display is that of the Pringle collection featuring master craftsman Mallica 'Kapo' Reynolds, one of Jamaica's intuitive artists. Hopefully, there will come a time when the centre can create a common workspace for artists where they will get the visibility needed to promote their work.

inspire others to follow

The late Mr John Pringle was a director of tourism and is credited with building the fledgling tourist industry in Jamaica. It is, indeed, praiseworthy that his family has allowed the gallery to put Kapo's artwork on display. This should inspire others with valuable collections to share them with the nation.

And we cannot resist the opportunity to put in a word to those who offer a watchful eye over our national monuments and heritage sites, because they supply important information about our past and help us to understand our culture. We submit that conservation of our important monuments should also get priority attention to ensure their protection. The rich diversity of our country and the tales of historical events, including human triumph over adversity in building a nation, are all told through our monuments.

We commend the tourist ministry for its efforts but believe that stakeholders, including the municipality, hoteliers, academia and others, also need to take their seat at the table.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.