Category: Press Links

Creative economies include a broad set of activities that are both cultural and or based on substantial artistic and creative content. Currently, creative economies are a part of the most dynamic in the world.  The Caribbean region is well known for its cultural expression and creative products, but Kingston creative believes that the Jamaican capital is the creative capital of the Caribbean or at least they aim to make it such.

Despite the rain, artists and art enthusiasts came out last week to view an exhibition in the Kingston Creative Hub and join in a Town Hall style discussion on the state of Visual Arts in Jamaica, moderated by artist ChungKnight.

The discussion centred around the premise of Simon Sinek’s bestselling book “Start with Why”. Artists were encouraged to reconnect to why they create art, as if the reason is purely financial, that can overpower everything else.  The audience commented that ‘structure is the core of any progressive society’ and identified implementing more structure and closing some gaps in artists’ educational process as key ways to improve futures for artists.  They also pointed to respect, societal value, financial reward, expansion and growth as what they would regard as markers of success. One artist commented, “The respect for my work is very important to me. I get more respect from people outside of Jamaica for the work that I do.”

The talk turned to whether lack of financial resources in Jamaica was a limiting factor for artists and as one artist mused “It’s hard to talk about great ideas when  your stomach is rumbling.”  However an example was given of artists in Cuba and Haiti who although very limited in material resources, were able to bring forth excellence.  “Art is the language of people. I was recently in Haiti on a residency and it felt like I had time travelled decades. In Haiti, they are making art out of anything, from a cultural space of knowing by doing and becoming. The enabling environment is several things. It is like a wheel with many spokes in it that make that whole,” stated Miriam Hinds Smith.

 

Downtown was once a focal point for the arts in Jamaica, and this is being promoted through Kingston Creative’s advocacy to declare Downtown Kingston an Art District. Carol Narcisse commented, “Imagine all of Kingston from Coronation Market all the way to Three Miles and what emerged from Downtown Kingston. This was the crucible of creativity, imagination, creation and production and everything else – without a formal enabling environment in the context of the musicians and other artists of that time. The enabling environment was just the concentration of how many talented people were in one space. What is the right enabling environment? How much of it happens organically and how much of it happens because we’re engineering it? How does engineering interface with the organic so it doesn’t kill it? How do we make the Haitian magic happen?”

Upstairs in the Kingston Creative Hub space, a cadre of emerging artists hosted an exhibition, including Ceej Arts, House of Caos, Alexis Falloon, Lifechild and digital artist Vance.

House of Caos is the brainchild of multidisciplinary artist Cathy-Ann Smith where she expresses her creativity through fashion, design and photography. She commented, “The event was a good one. The Kingston Creative Hub has a great ambiance and is a perfect place to meet creatives and art enthusiasts alike.”

Alexis Falloon is a traditional artist, painter, illustrator and body painter whose large scale black and white works were a show stopper. She said “0⁹It was a pleasure being a part of the Kingston Creative exhibition. I was humbled by the opportunity to be amongst other talented creatives as well as the platform to showcase my work.The energy and feedback from patrons at the event was also a huge plus.”

Lifechild, who in tandem with his art collective Art Evolution recently completed a series of large scale murals in Tivoli Gardens was also present with his line of jewellery and acrylic paintings in a unique almost aboriginal style. He commented, “It was a really good experience. I connected and reconnected with some really beautiful people at the event.”

“The networking Meetup and exhibitions alike are very important spaces for exposing emerging artists and providing opportunities for collaboration with others who can help propel their work”, explained Kingston Creative project manager Tavia S.K. Benjamin.

These monthly networking meetups, hosted on the last Friday, are a great way to connect the creative community with other communities, industries and develop stronger ties with themselves. The next Networking Meetup will be on October 28, 2022. To keep in the know about The Networking Meetup, and other Kingston Creative events, visit www.kingstoncreative.org.

Kingston Creative is investing in “People and Place”; developing strong Jamaican creative entrepreneurs and building a vibrant Art District in Downtown Kingston.

CEO of EduFocal Limited, Gordon Swaby, visited the Kingston Creative Hub in Downtown Kingston on Friday, September 30, 2022, to sign a commitment letter confirming their 5 year partnership with Kingston Creative.  EduFocal is a publicly listed company on the Jamaica Stock Exchange that provides educational technology solutions in business to consumer space (B2C) and business to business (B2B) sectors and is Jamaica’s leading online preparation for PEP examinations.

EduFocal’s multi-year partnership is a part of Kingston Creative’s First 50 Founder initiative, whereby Kingston Creative seeks the support of 50 entities to invest for social and economic impact, transform Downtown Kingston and grow the creative economy. EduFocal was pleased to announce their sponsorship of the Caribbean Creative Network [www.caribbeancreativenetwork.org]; a searchable, online database of regional practitioners in the Cultural and Creative Industries.

As a longtime supporter of the Kingston Creative movement, Gordon Swaby was happy for the opportunity to pledge more hands-on support.  “As one of the founders of EduFocal I am personally interested in Jamaica and Kingston’s renaissance,” said the EduFocal CEO. “We actually reached out to Kingston Creative, as doing good is a part of EduFocal’s DNA. I was so excited to have an opportunity to be a part of this important movement, not only for creatives but for the economy, for Downtown Kingston and Jamaica as a whole.”

“EduFocal is a company of creatives. From Graphic Designers, UI/UX designers, Developers and so many others, we depend heavily on the Creative Community to grow and thrive. Supporting Kingston Creative, and by extension, a regional network of creative entrepreneurs and artists, was an easy decision.”, Swaby continued.

EduFocal has committed to a recurring donation of $1,000,000 JMD in cash annually for the next five years and has expressed the desire to support Kingston Creative with in-kind support and advocacy.  “Downtown is a special place. The role that the murals have played in igniting a conversation around  Downtown Kingston is important, but that’s not the only aspect of the renaissance that is happening – creatives and corporations have a bigger role to play.  In terms of EduFocal’s involvement, as the CEO I am personally invested in Kingston’s renaissance and I’m happy to see the pieces coming together.

The Caribbean Creative Network is such an amazing initiative from Kingston Creative. It’s a central hub for employers to find talent and for talent to put themselves out there.  EduFocal is proud to support it and we’re looking forward to pushing to higher heights for it to be the “go to” place for talent to be found and for employers to find the best of the best. We want all Jamaicans to live well and enjoy a prosperous Jamaica and we think the work that Kingston Creative is doing is extremely important.”

Cofounder and Executive Director of Kingston Creative, Andrea Dempster Chung commented, “We are so happy that EduFocal is one of the First 50 companies coming on board to invest in transforming Downtown and improving the lives of creative people.  We appreciate their tangible support and encourage other corporations to come on board.”

The Caribbean Creative network currently has over 500 creatives in its database, across several disciplines (artists, graphic designers, filmmakers, writers, dancers, artisans, content creators). To learn more about the Caribbean Creative Network, post a job or to hire local talent, visit: www.caribbeancreativenetwork.org

Kingston Creative is investing in “People and Place”; developing strong Jamaican creative entrepreneurs and building a vibrant Art District in Downtown Kingston.

Music and Soundsystem culture has a way of bringing people together while German Bauhaus Design is known for its clarity and simplicity. What do you get when these two aesthetics come
together? According to artists Matthew McCarthy and Gabriel Holzner, the result is a bold mural in the Downtown Kingston Art District that expresses the themes of togetherness, unity and
collaboration between cultures.

This mural celebrates 60 years of Jamaican independence and German-Jamaican friendship and was funded by Kingston Creative in partnership with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Jamaica, Kingston.

“The aim of this mural was to celebrate Jamaican-German friendship and it has worked even better than we could have imagined. So many people involved share a link with both cultures and were dedicated from the beginning to make the project work. As Gabe studied a semester at Kingston’s Edna Manley College and Matthew spend some time in Weimar, Germany, they were the perfect fit and luckily also connected immediately on an artistic and personal level,” said Sara Azadan, Head of Legal and Consular Section, Press and Cultural Attachée.

Accommodation for the international artist was also provided by the Rok Hotel and the location for the artwork was provided by Orlando Kemar James, owner of the historic Ambassador’s bar in Water Lane, Downtown Kingston just west of King Street.

Kingston Creative Kingston Creative is a nonprofit arts organization started in 2017 by a team who believe in using Art and Culture to achieve social and economic transformation.

Andrea Dempster Chung, Executive Director commented, “This is our first international partnership as all of the other 83 murals have been created by Jamaican artists. We want to see the city of Kingston leverage its heritage and reach its potential to become a truly Creative City. We envision a safe and vibrant Art District in Downtown Kingston, a Creative Hub that trains, develops and gives global opportunities to creatives. Long-term, we want to see a healthy creative ecosystem in Jamaica. We are a charity organization, so donors, funding and partnerships like these are critical to making the vision a reality. We are very grateful to the German Embassy for coming on board and collaborating with us. We recognize that Downtown Kingston transforming into a Cultural District is a huge vision, but it is certainly a vision worth working towards.”

The public is encouraged to book a tour at www.kingstoncreative.org/tours to view this and other stunning examples of street art in Water Lane in the heart of the Downtown Kingston Art District.

The birthplace of Jamaica’s modern political movement and popular music, downtown Kingston was once the go-to location for Caribbean progressives. That was before crime and urban decay transformed it into a haven for undesirables and the homeless.