Edna Manley College:A training ground in 'making do'

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

The quartet of artists from the recent Young Talent V Exhibition who participated in a Gleaner Editors Forum recently, all studied at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts at Arthur Wint Drive, St Andrew. Megan McKain is the last to have graduated from the college, in 2008, while Marlon James has returned to his alma mater in the Photography Department.

Phillip Thomas said his work really started to germinate after his time at Edna Manley College while he was doing post-graduate studies in New York. Ebony G. Patterson, currently working as an assistant professor in painting at the University of Kentucky, attributes much of her success to the college.

"It was a very solid experience that helped me to negotiate my experience in the United States," Patterson said.

James went to the college to study graphics, moved on to sculpture then settled on photography, liking the speed of going into the darkroom, processing and coming out with a product.

Strong foundation

"I am grateful for my experience and what I learnt at Edna Manley," he told The Sunday Gleaner. With what was available at Edna Manley College, "It forced us to get it done". So when his work was shown in New York, people were asking questions about the technology utilised but James pointed out that one does not have to rely on the technological tools.

After graduating from the Edna Manley College, McKain did an artist-in-residence stint at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University in Canada. She had a "good experience" in Nova Scotia, where "the facilities are really, really good. My situation was not that I was doing classes. I had access to studio space, all the tools".

However, the level of the facilities had its drawbacks. "That was overwhelming at first. I am used to a minimal set of tools and even improvising," she said. However, she noted that the improvisation teaches adaptability and one lecturer told her that after their experience at 1 Arthur Wint Drive they can go anywhere and produce anything.

Patterson points to another angle at Edna Manley College, dedication to the craft. She said "while we may not have all the facilities we may dream of, the real difference is rigour. That is something which is definitely emphasised there".

"If you are someone who understands the value of rigour and pacing yourself, the rest is all thrills."