The Collegiate Vol. 5 Issue 2

Editor’s Note

Coleen Douglas - Director, Marketing and Communications

In this ISSUE Remembering Our Founders Michelle Serieux - Talks Migration Displacement and Art EMCVPA in the Community: Arts & Human Rights Graduation 2018: Artistic Intelligence Meet Artificial Intelligence

We like stories and music because they simulate social interactions and trigger empathy. Through the experience of art, and from the endless simulations it provides, the individual and the collective become more tolerant, innovative, and stable, allowing for an extended lifespan. Art, in effect, creates chemically triggered emotional response to representations or simulations that are effective in improving our survival.”

(Dennis Duffton)

Art enriches our lives and as artists/es, we have the privilege of enriching the lives of others. This is the privilege afforded those of us who work in the field and I cannot deny the special sense of importance and uniqueness that working in the arts allows. If the Arts is so important to our humanity, why are we not as a people investing more in it? I recently got a call from a friend who wanted a music teacher, but the music teacher MUST, she explained, be able to teach religious education. I was puzzled and asked, “what is the connection with the two” to which she responded that Music is a kind of “add on” and Religious Education is really the main part of the job. It was economics, she continued, as they really had no budget for a teacher just to specialize in Music as the students will not do Music after Grade nine.

This was my own experience in high school – music, drama, dance was far too “light” to go beyond Grade nine and only visual arts escaped into the higher ranking of CXCs during that time. Today, students have an opportunity to sit Theatre Arts at the CSEC level, and so I believe we are making some progress.

I asked a first-year student from the School of Drama, why he chose to do Theatre Arts, specifically the performing arts and it was his response, “getting into a character when performing allows him to place himself in other persons’ shoes”, that speaks to the notion of Monifa Goss and Tash Lamont the arts ability to further our understanding of the world. It was within this same context that move from the Screen: Former the United Nations celebrated “Human Rights Day” on December 10 focusing on arts and Rising Stars Winners humanity. They collaborated with the School of Visual Arts for an Art Competition which gave students the opportunity to use their art to highlight the various articles from the Universal EMCVPA student excelled at CSEC/ Declaration of Human Rights – we share the works of the top three students in this issue of CAPE Excellence The Collegiate. We use this issue to “brag” a little about the accomplishments of some of our students and highlight some special moments in Semester One. We closed its’ curtains with New VPs and Deans welcomed “Praiz ina di Krismus” - the EMCVPA Annual Carol Service led by the School of Music. We share a glimpse of it with you in our last issue for 2018. We are celebrating new beginnings with the appointment of two new Vice Principals and new Dean appointments in the Schools of Drama and Dance.

Published by Marketing & Communication Department Editorial Team: Coleen Douglas, Carolyn Lee Stacy-Ann Lewis Graphic Design: Robert Ayre Photo Credits: Fernandez Barrett Jeana Lindo Jeff Crossley Administration: Kay-Ann McKenzie

Michelle Serieux, Cecil Cooper Artist in Residence at the School of Visual Arts ends her sojourn with us and shares her journey with us. The School of Continuing Education and Allied Programmes offers an opportunity to adults and children to unleash their creativity with short courses across all five schools, and so we invite you to explore our many options. We also pay special tribute to our founders and invite you to share in our celebrations. Artstock remains open with fine art and gifts from our faculty, students, alumni and Jamaican artists community. Stop by for our “one of a kind” gift items Mondays to Fridays 10 am to 6 pm.

We love that we are in Kingston Music City and extend an open invitation to our campus throughout the year. Please, feel free to share your own arts news with us and any insight you may have for the arts community.

One love

Coleen Douglas Director, Marketing and Communications ________________________________ Submit all editorial material to marketing@emc.edu.jm with “The Collegiate Editorial” included in the subject line.

Remembering Our Founders A special Feature The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA) has a very intriguing history, with the Jamaica School of Art founded in the 1950s by renowned artist Edna Manley. The School of Music was later founded in 1962 by Vera Moody.

The Jamaica School of National Visual ArtsSchool of Drama, founded by the Little Theatre Movement in the early 70s, and the Jamaica School EDNA MANLEY of Dance, founded by the National Dance Theatre Company with key contributions from members Sheila Barnett, Barbara Requa and Bert Rose. All the Schools eventually came together to form the Cultural Training Centre in 1976 and in the 1995 became what we are today – Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

The Collegiate salutes our founders and pay special tribute to the late Dennis Scott and Professor Rex Nettleford for their contributions to the Schools of Drama and Dance, respectively.

Edna Manley School of Music VERA MOODY NEE MANLEY

School VisualArts Arts School of Visual EDNA MANLEY MANLEY EDNA School of Dance SHEILA BARNETT

School of Visual Arts EDNA MANLEY School of Music VERA MOODY NEE MANLEY School of Dance BERT ROSE

School of School of Music Music

VERA VERAMOODY MOODY NEE NEE MANLEY

School of Dance SHEILA BARNETT School of Dance BARBARA REQUA

School of Dance SHEILA BARNETT School of Dance BERT ROSE Schoolof ofDrama Drama School

HENRY HENRY&& GRETA GRETA FOWLER FOWLER

School of Dance

Hon. Edna Manley, O.M was the fifth child of a family of nine children, born in England to a Jamaican mother, Martha Matilda Elliot Shearer and an English father, Harvey Swithenbank.

After leaving School, Edna did several jobs, but her heart’s desire was to study art, and so, she eventually went to various art schools including St. Martin’s School of Art in London and studied privately with Maurice Harding, an animal sculptor.

She married Norman Manley when she was twenty-one years old. They came to Jamaica as a young couple in 1922 with their first child, Douglas. Their second son, former Prime Minister Hon. Michael Manley was born two years later in 1924.

In 1941, she started art classes at the Institute Junior Centre, where she taught drawing and later sculpture. Her passion and great love for art, led her to starting the Jamaica School of Art in 1950. After her death, the Jamaica School of Art was renamed the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Vera Moody nee Manley Vera Moody spent her student days at Hampton Girls School in St. Elizabeth before receiving a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, London. She also did extra music lessons in Russia.

She returned to England and for two years (1916 -1918) worked in the Pensions Issue Office in London.

On returning to Jamaica, she immersed herself in a wide array of cultural groups and held music appreciation classes at her home. Mrs. Moody was appointed manager of the Jamaica School of Arts and Crafts, which was established on a small financial grant with the aim of bringing local artists together in 1950.

She founded the Jamaica School of Music in 1962.

Henry and Greta Fowler Henry and Greta Fowler were deeply passionate about theatre, which led them to establishing the Little Theatre Movement (LTM) in 1941 to raise funds for the building of a Little Theatre, and to help in the development of drama in Jamaica. The Jamaica Theatre School was subsequently established in the 1969, and later handed over to the Government. It was renamed the School of Drama and became a component of the Cultural Training Centre, now the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts.

Henry Fowler served as an advisor on education to successive Jamaican governments and also represented the nation as Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), helping to place Jamaica on its agenda through his interest and influence in education and the arts. Greta Fowler received the Order of Distinction (Commander) for her contribution in the field of the Arts.

Celebrating Our Founders School of Visual Arts EDNA MANLEY

School of Visual Arts EDNA MANLEY School of Music VERA MOODY NEE MANLEY

A special Feature

Cont’d

Sheila Barnett School of Music VERA MOODY NEE MANLEY School of Music VERA MOODY NEE MANLEY

School of ofDance Dance SHEILABARNETT BARNETT SHEILA

Mrs. Barnett had a distinguished career as a dance educator, choreographer and dance performer. After leaving England, Mrs. Barnett returned to Jamaica and joined the staff of Excelsior College, then later joined the staff of St. Joseph’s Teacher Training College as a lecturer in Physical Education, Dance and Drama. She later became an Education Officer (Physical Education and Dance) in the Ministry of Education. She received the Bronze and Silver Musgrave Medals for Arts and Education, and the Commander of Distinction for her work in the field of Dance and Education.

In 1970, she teamed up with fellow dancers Bert Rose and Barbara Requa under the direction of the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica to establish the Jamaica School of Dance.

School of Dance SHEILA BARNETT School of Dance SHEILA BARNETT

Bert Rose

School of Dance BERT ROSE

Bert Rose received his basic training with Eddy Thomas and in the early Summer Schools hosted by the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. Further development of Rose’s technical craft came through his diverse dance experiences in New York, both at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dances, as a performer in off-Broadway productions.

School ofDance Dance School of BERT ROSE BERT

Today, Mr. Rose is still living fully through another of his many passions, the world of event planning, fashion, décor and design. With his own business, ROSE AND COMPANY LIMITED, he is the talent behind many of the creative and colorful uses of lights, fabric and foliage by private and public sector interests.

School of Dance BERT ROSE

Barbara Requa

School of Dance BARBARA REQUA

School of Dance BARBARA REQUA School of Dance School Dance BARBARA REQUA BARBARA REQUA School of Drama HENRY & GRETA FOWLER

School of Drama HENRY & GRETA FOWLER School of Drama HENRY & GRETA FOWLER

Mrs. Barbara Requa was a founding member and principal dancer of the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica in 1962. At the time, she was teaching at her Alma Mater, St. Andrew’s High School for Girls. To the NDTC, Mrs. Requa brought technical versatility and a sound knowledge of movement, as well as performing style. Her strength is rooted in a deep understanding of the dancer’s instrument and the possible range of movement in space due in part to her Laban studies. Mrs. Requa is past Dean for the School of the Performing Arts and also past Acting Principal.

Michelle Serieux - Talks Migration, Displacement and Art The Collegiate sat with Cecil Cooper Artist in Residence Michelle Serieux for a chat about the project she worked on during her tenure.

COLLEGIATE: We saw your final presentation and we are excited to share with our audiences some details of what you have been working on. What exactly is your project about?

SERIEUX: The Victorine Project is a multi - part art project, the main component of which is the short film “Victorine” - Discarded by England and sent back to Jamaica to die after years of working and paying taxes in the UK, the film imagines a day of reckoning for a disenfranchised and marginalised octogenarian who has come to the capital city to seek justice. The film’s visual grammar relies heavily on cinematic framing and architecture, alongside an element of magical realism to explore issues of ancestral heritage, memory and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Michelle Serieux

The Collegiate sat with Cecil Cooper Artist in Residence Michelle Serieux for a chat about the project she worked on during her tenure.

I have been inspired both by Ebony’s work and indirectly by the mentor who encouraged her and so when I saw the residency advertised, I felt that the synchronicity of these events in the past and present meant I should give it a shot, and that in doing so I would gift myself the opportunity to explore a different facet of my creativity, as had been my experience as a student.

The project was initially called “Deceptive and Dishonest; Radical Re-imaginations for Reparation, Restitution and Reclamation;” a component of which is the Victorine short film. In my application, I described the project as a multi- part visual art project that employs still images, moving images and sculptural/ethical spectacle to interrogate issues of memory, citizenship, marginalisation, exploitation surrounding the recent deportation of Windrush generation citizens of the United Kingdom/ citizens of the British Commonwealth. The project is intended to expand the conversation around reparations and uses the words of the CARICOM Reparation Chairman, Hillary Beckles in a recent article this year as its point of entry into the thematic areas under scrutiny. The project itself interrogates the concept of a hostile environment, starting with the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the conditions of chattel slavery, the plantation system and economy, colonialism, neo- colonialism, Reaganism, through to present day atrocities, such as the Windrush deportations and other “hostile environments” that African descended peoples have endured for centuries, through the vehicle of this short film and its main character, an 82 year old deported migrant.

COLLEGIATE: What inspired you to apply for the Cecil Cooper Residency?

SERIEUX: I applied for the residency out of a sense of nostalgia. I had recently completed a stint as Film-maker in Residence at the UWI when I saw this application.

I realized that if I were selected, it would be a great opportunity to give back to both of my alma maters, in the same year. There were also some serendipitous coincidences around this opportunity, and so I figured I was being pointed in that direction:

L-R: Michelle Serieux and Susan Lee Que

1) I had attended UWI and EMCVPA as an undergraduate before doing post grad studies and September 2018 marked 15 years since I first encountered these two institutions as a student and 2) One of my most memorable experiences at EMCVPA was stumbling into a critique session being run by Cecil Cooper at the end of the Semester in the Painting Dept, and the student presenting her work was Ebony Patterson. I remember being very intrigued by the work, as well as by the critique of the work by Mr. Cooper. I tried to get into his painting class the following semester, but I would have needed that previous semester’s pre-requisite course to have done so, and couldn’t, but I did do other course there that absolutely enriched my experience in Jamaica as a student. Since then, I have been inspired both by Ebony’s work and indirectly by the mentor who encouraged her. As such, when I saw the residency advertised, I felt that the synchronicity of these events in the past and present meant I should give it a shot, and that in doing so, I would gift myself the opportunity to explore a different facet of my creativity, as had been my experience as a student.

On a professional level, I felt that the residency would allow me the opportunity to modify my approach to how I create “social justice art.” My most recent body of work has been in non-fiction/interactive storytelling, which relied heavily on realism and an adherence to “factual” reproduction of images of events as occurred as its’ primary visual vehicle, as the aim was truthful reproduction and almost archival in process. With my more recent non-fiction short film work Sugar, I used the continuous take to explore issues of unrelenting pressure and the transactional relationships between the underdeveloped and overdeveloped world and the disproportionate extortion and exploitation that occurs within this transactionism through the motif of a maid working in a service economy that has insidiously replaced plantation slavery, and can now aptly be described as plantation tourism.

Through the bodies of black women specifically as portrayed in my previous fiction film Sugar, I was able to explore these dynamics and create a visual dance that demonstrated the ways in which African descended women, especially, must weave and bob to circumnavigate the economic and social pressures that try to render them invisible within the heavily contested spaces in the post-colonial Caribbean.

I applied to the residency because I felt that with this new work, I could have the opportunity to change my approach and could explore a process in which I could create heavily stylised and mediated moving images, as well as still image to shape the boundaries of the conversation that I would like the work to engage and to create work that is meaningful and broadens the context of the conversations being had about reparations, involuntary return or deportation of African diaspora/Afri/ Caribbean migrants, racial (in)justice in the Caribbean and within the larger African Diaspora. I discovered a process I have since named the expanded experimental read through, as an intermediate process between the phases of development and preproduction. I am happy to have discovered this useful tool in the process. Now that the residency is finished, we are fundraising, building our online presence #thevictorineproject and hope to move into production by the end of this quarter.

There was some outrage at this “tribute” as it seemed to glossover the bloody history ofempire which includes the fact that in India for instance, the native textile industry was almost completely decimated by colonialism.

We will also be activating the performance/sculptural component of the project, which is called “Wisdom in the Voile.” This part of the project is a radical re-imagining of the wedding veil that the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, wore down the aisle to “pay tribute” to the former colonial nations comprising the British Commonwealth. From my research, I learned that there was some outrage at this “tribute” as it seemed to gloss over the bloody history of empire, which includes the fact that in India for instance, the native textile industry was almost completely decimated by colonialism. The “Wisdom in the Voile” performance/ fashion/sculpture piece re-imagines and re-designs this veil, as tribute by incorporating text and photos of our ancestors into the design of the voile/veil alongside other material objects that reference historical and contemporary issues such as migration, be it forced or involuntary, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the marginalization of indigenous and native peoples, the history of the textile industry of Indian indentured laborers brought to the West Indies and also more

contemporary references to the resilience of the people who occupy space in the former colonies of the British Empire, whether they be West Indian veterans who served in the RAF, whether they be Windrush migrants, or whether they are ancestors and family members dear to our hearts whom we want to immortalize by making their lives and memories part of this sculpture, as a communal act of commemoration via ethical spectacle/ public art.

COLLEGIATE: Was film your first creative medium?

SERIEUX: My love of stories is what brought me to cinema, but it was my love of reading, nurtured by my mother’s nightly habit of reading bedtime stories; that’s the real source of a creative spark for me. I pursued Art in Secondary school and loved calligraphy and drawing, but literature stole my attention by fourth form, and later, cinematic storytelling. The process of writing a screenplay fulfills some of that desire of putting pen to paper, expressing ideas and emotions via words on a page, although it’s a completely different skillset and set of tricks required for the type of visual writing demanded by the cinematic arts as opposed to the purely literary. I’d like to think of myself as a multi-disciplinary artist and time will tell whether I create the output to prove this.

COLLEGIATE: Tell us about your process?

SERIEUX: My process for fiction involves a lot of fermentation and requires lots of seasoning, like cooking a bouillon or a good stew, but with lots of research and experimentation. I churn out many different versions of an idea, until I find the one that has been paired down enough from the first wild impulse of getting the idea, straight from the inspiration, on to the page but which also still carries the pulse of the story I initially wanted to tell. For instance, Victorine was initially called “Bitter Medicine” and all these other revolutionary characters like the Haitian Revolutionary Sanite Belair, the Dutch heroine, One Tetay Loki and Jamaica’s Nanny (via an animated 500 dollar note) had all initially shown up on the page. I realized I had to strip this idea down and make the heroine really human but powerful and more un-expected. So, I centralized the heroic journey in the action of this 82 year old woman, who finally stands up for herself. I am very passionate about the concept and practice of freedom, of the idea of sovereignty, as an individual, and on a collective level, so the characters’/ stories are usually in pursuit of, or in the process of becoming perhaps my own idealized version of myself or the society I want to live in. A big theme in all my work is resilience, which as a trait or a value is bred via overcoming struggle and so in my creative work, as in life, the two co-exist. I love the development process, especially character development and a tendency to get really immersed in my imagination, to the exception of everything else.

COLLEGIATE: How do you use your art to dismantle stereotypes?

SERIEUX: I really love characters whose life represents something revolutionary, rebellious and independent. I am inspired by these types of radically liberated people and try to create them in the stories I tell, maybe to inspire the world or just myself.

I’m not involved in the process of dismantling stereotypes, but just creating complex, nuanced, layered characters, who are as real and complex as the people we encounter in our embodied lives. In my opinion, stereotypes are usually created by people telling stories that are foreign to them, and so what is presented, is their idea of what they think a reality is like, without really having done the research or immersion required to get into the skin of the character/life they are trying to (re)present. Once people/creators start digging deeper into the nature of human complexity, of respecting this idea of the innate uniqueness of individual human beings and their expression of these selves, that richness will show up on the page, on screen and in the psychology/behaviour of the characters that are brought to life. There’s also the issue of the gatekeepers who greenlight a certain type of story that perpetuates certain stereotypes on screen, so maybe the long answer to that question is that by making the type of work that I do, by creating the types of heroic/irreverent/flawed/unique/individual characters who exist in my imagination, and bringing them to life on the page at least, contributes to a growing population of (imaginary) characters who will eventually represent us in all our complexity and richness once/if they get their chance to come alive on the screen.

COLLEGIATE: Are there plans to push “VICTORINE” in the commercial space?

SERIEUX: Victorine is more of an ideological response to the historical moment we are in, than a commercial project. I do intend to distribute the film via traditional and nontraditional outlets once its complete. I felt really outraged by the Windrush scandal and even more so, when I connected the dots of an article titled “Deceptive and Immoral” that made it clear that some of these same wrongfully deported British citizens, were in fact paying the slavery debt of their enslavers, if they had been taxpaying citizens in the UK up until 2015. The concept of the British Home Office’s hostile environment seemed quite ridiculous to me, considering the real hostile environment of slavery, colonialism, post colonialism that our ancestors, survivors of the African holocaust had to endure. And here we have their descendants being deported from a country they had considered their motherland, what a bad mother! So, along with the clear political statement, there was also a fascination whilst developing the main character, in exploring this idea of “bad mothering”. What does that look like? And so, the character of Joseph, her son, was fleshed out as I explored the nuances of this relationship between a woman who sacrificed everything including her son to get to England to create a better life for this son, but eventually leaves him behind, what is their story? How complex is this relationship? Does she have a redeeming quality? Now that she has been deported, who loves her and who is going to fight for her? Who does she have left? This is where Garfield (the grandson) comes in. Why does he love his grandma so much to go through the extent that he does for her on this day? In the development process, I really spent a lot of time working on these historically grounded personal details that would give each of their lives a uniqueness that moved beyond the typical narrative or main narrative about people, about migrants, about families, especially the stereotype of the all sacrificing mother: what if the mother in this instance was not all sacrificing, did she not require our compassion as well? This idea is the undercurrent/subplot in the short film Victorine, which in a nutshell also examines our relationship to “empire’ and its iconography, told via this personal story of a deported migrant on a journey from the canefield to the capital city, where she encounters a monument that triggers a deep emotional response to her current situation.

I hope our audience has an emotional response to her and our collective situation and finds some catharsis as well as inspiration via her actions as well.

EMCVPA in the Community: ART and Human Rights

Sashoy Bewry copped the first-place position in the United Nations Art for Human Rights Poster Competition, an initiative by the United Nations Jamaica.

At the recent celebrations for World Human Rights Day, student artists shared their interpretations of the articles for Human Rights in a visual arts competition organized by the United Nations Offices in Jamaica.

Sashoy is in her fourth year at the School of Visual Arts. She chose CULTURE and posited that “when we think about culture, we think about expression of beliefs. The arts connect us to our local culture. This design showcases the activities that exist within that community. Visual arts, dance, music, drama and fashion are all around us.

They set us apart creatively from other cultures.”

“A Cultural Life” explores the notion that even though the art forms are communicated in different ways, they are all connected at the core, and mirror each other through the expression and enjoyment of oneself.

Therefore, everyone should be able to find something that they can participate in to contribute to the cultural life of the local community.

Instagram @sashoybewry

This work takes a critical view of social and political issues that are never addressed but pushed under the rug. The work exposes the issues of the lack of freedom of movement in many inner-city communities in Jamaica.

It questions the actions of the government of Jamaica in taking away the rights of innocent Jamaicans in state of emergencies and curfews.

Second Place Winner, Sasha-Kay Hinds is in her second year Art Education student.

This work was shot in Tivoli Gardens 8-years after the infamous incursion of 2010. The community is still living with the roads being blocked with a barricade and is heavily patrolled by the military, taking away persons rights to freedom of movement. Sasha-Kay noted that she used photography and digital manipulation to illustrate the lives of not just persons in Tivoli, but also persons who live in communities in Jamaica, who don’t get treated like persons with human rights.

Instagram @ZAZHAK and @BEADZBYASHA

Third-place winner Kobi Bailey is a second year Art Education student. She chose Articles 18 and 19, which are the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as, the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

Kobi shared that “to be able to express oneself authentically and without fear is very important to me. Many of the design elements in this piece were purposeful and had significance in the overall composition. The focal point of the work is a portrait of myself with a look of euphoria and relief. I feel that with freedom comes a sense of euphoria.

I did my best to incorporate that into the portrait. The phrase “My Voice, My Choice” was included to highlight the freedom this cluster of articles gives to the individual; people choose how and when to use their own voice and platform.

The bright bold colours throughout the work are symbolic of the power and strength that I feel these Articles give to an individual. This piece came together better than I imagined. I believe it expresses the Articles and my thoughts around them clearly.”

Instagram @akohiy.

Graduation 2018 - AI Artificial Intelligence meet Artistic Intelligence Under the creative direction of Pierre LeMaire and the musical direction of Michael “Ibo� Cooper, EMCVPA Graduation 2018 delivered its usual high production to a captive audience of graduates, families and specially invited guests. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Gregory Haughton, Olympian and motivational speaker.

Praises were heaped on valedictorian Nadia Brown, who delivered a speech that celebrated the EDNA spirit!

Enjoy the day in photos courtesy of photographer Fernandez Barrett.

Dr. Gregory Haughton, Olympian and motivational speaker

V.P. Kerry-Ann Henry & Dr. Gregory Haughton.

Dr. Nicholeen Degrasse-Johnson, Principal

Valedictorian Nadia Brown and Dr. Nicholeen Degrasse-Johnson

Special moments at Graduation production

From the screen to the Stage: Former Rising Stars winners Chantel ‘Tash’ Lamont and Monifa Goss CREATE their careers at the School of Music At 11 years old, I sat in my living room staring up at my television seeing how great, talented and young Tash and Dalton were, and how they took charge of the competition. I remember when Tash performed her Lady Gaga cover and I was like, I wanna be just like that!”

Chantel “Tash” Lamont

In 2011, Chantel Lamont better known to us as ‘Tash’, stole our hearts with her delicate and mellow voice week after week in the Digicel Rising Stars Season 8 Competition (DRS08), of which she was the winner. The then seventeen years old from St. Thomas had always had a passion for music and begun seriously singing at ten years old, convinced by her aunt and uncle, that her voice was amazing, and she could really sing.

On the verge of finishing high school, Tash entered the DRS08. Music and singing were her first love and the competition seemed like the best platform for her to hone her skills and get some exposure at the time. As we saw, she dominated the competition from the get-go and was victorious in the end with not just winning the competition, but also cementing her place in the hearts and minds of thousands of Jamaicans.

Attending the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, was always an aspiration for Tash. After winning the competition in 2011, she applied and got in!

According to Tash, “I knew about EMCVPA ever since I was in primary school and the programmes offered would allow me to basically focus on all my talents. Also, my teachers used to encourage me to visit the institution because they saw a lot potential for me in the areas of art.” When asked if she is seeing any benefits from her academic pursuits at EMCVPA her response was “Yes I do see benefits there because I am surrounded by the entire art fraternity. Those areas are vital in my career and having the right influences have grown my talent and work ethic tremendously”.

Tash will complete her Degree in Music Performance at the School of Music in 2020. She holds on to her big dreams of being an international artiste someday and one of Jamaica’s influential female artiste.

Monifa Goss

Monifa Goss, like Tash, had a passion for music. At the very tender age of seven, she entered the popular Jamaica Cultural Development Commission. Her motivation for entering Digicel Rising Stars was simple – “I wanted to open doors for myself in the entertainment industry and help to make my mom, single parent proud.”

So, at seventeen years of age, she decided to enter The Digicel Rising Stars Competition (Season 14) in 2016. She won the competition. Monifa enrolled at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), School of Music to pursue a Bachelors’ in Music Performance. She is now in her first year, as she completed her preliminary year in Fundamentals of Music Literacy and Performance (FMLP).

Monifa shares that her reason for choosing the Edna Manley College is to hone her talent and improve her work ethic. “The level I want to be at in this industry takes more than talent and EMCVPA is a great place where I can start that journey,” she responded. She expressed that she can already see the benefits of an EMCVPA education, “I believe my voice has grown tremendously for the time that I’ve been at EMCVPA. Also, my work ethic has improved so much because of how much my peers help me to strive in being more professional and responsible.”

Monifa envisions collecting Grammy Awards and having international hits. She hopes to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the music industry, setting records for others to break, as well as having her own clothing, hair and makeup line.

A ROUND OF APPLAUSE EMCVPA Students Achieve CSEC/CAPE Excellence

Okeen Wallace a first-year student at the SVA was awarded the Regional Award for the 2018 sitting of the Visual Arts May/ June CSEC exams, for the best 3D Visual Arts work in the region.

Four students at the School of Drama were also awarded for outstanding performances in CAPE Theatre Arts. Javian Kiffin placed first in Jamaica and sixth in the Caribbean, Goldianna Walker placed second in Jamaica and sixth in the Caribbean for in CAPE Performing Arts Unit 2, while Nevrona Campbell was fifth overall in Jamaica.

Khrissie-Kaye Hudson, a past student of Green Island Comprehensive High School, also placed fifth in Jamaica in Performing Arts Unit 1.

L-R: Goldianna Walker, Javian Kiffin, Khrissie-Kaye Hudson, Nevrona Campbell

Okeen Wallace 3D Visual Arts work

Okeen Wallace

Campus Spotlight Congrats on your Promotion!

Dr. Trudy-Ann Barrett assumed the role of Vice Principal of Academic Affairs at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA) in October 2018, subsequent to serving as Senior Lecturer and Lecturer at the institution for five years.

In this capacity, she is the College’s Chief Academic Officer, with direct responsibility for academic leadership and initiative toward the development and implementation of curricula and programmes that are relevant to the needs of the Caribbean.

Dr. Barrett is a Commonwealth Scholar with a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and an MA in Art Education from the Ohio State University in the USA. She also holds undergraduate degrees in Fine Arts and Education from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts and the Mico Teachers College, respectively.

Trudy-Ann Barrett, PhD Vice Principal Academic Affairs

In her role as Vice Principal, Dr. Barrett is especially looking forward to defining the next era of leadership by steering efforts toward the expansion of the culture of research-based practice at the institution to enhance the EMCVPA legacy.

Ms. Henry is a Corporate and Strategic Planner, Project Manager, Dancer, Choreographer, Educator, Education Technologist, Arts and Social Development Specialist, Statistician, Researcher and Entrepreneur. In her current role as Vice Principal of Administration and Resource Development, she is responsible for the planning and developing of new facilities and renovation, re-modelling, and technology initiatives for the College. She will also be facilitating and supporting the integration of technology into the culture of the College to enhance the teaching and learning process, as well as streamlining the business processes and manage technology to ensure a best fit between operations, output and applicability to academic programmes and student requirements for coursework.

Ms. Henry holds Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Actuarial Sciences; Master of Arts in Theatre and Development Studies; Master of Arts in Education Technology; Diploma in Dance Education (Hons.); and is an LSS Green Belt.

Kerry-Ann Henry, Vice Principal Administration and Resource Development Marlon Simms is a Dance Educator who believes in the advancement of youth and culture through active engagement, commitment of purpose, selflessness and voluntarism within the sphere of a developing post-colonial Caribbean society. A graduate of the UWI, Mona with a BA in English, Simms went on to complete a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance on a full scholarship at the Southern Methodist University, Texas. He is a Dancer and Artistic Director, of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) of Jamaica.

Marlon Simms - Dean School of Dance

Marvin George is a theatre maker and teaching-artist. He’s a Commonwealth Scholar committed to interrogating traditional Caribbean cultural forms and their applications to performance making and popular education and development.

He thus serves as a co/director at Mount D’or Cultural Performers, Arts-in-Action, Caribbean Yard Campus, and Jouvay Ayiti in his native Trinidad and Tobago; the latter, a traditional mas/querade in creative education programme, the work of which also forms part of his proposed PhD study, ‘making mas with development; making development with mas’. He holds a BA (First Class Honours) in Theatre Arts from The University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine, and an MA in Theatre and Development Studies from the University of Leeds.

Marvin George - Dean School of Drama

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