Young artists exhibit work at hotel gallery
Malcom Mickoy Najari Keron works on a piece for the exhibition
(CNS): An art exhibition showcasing the talents of youngsters is opening Friday, 3 June, with a reception at The Gallery at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman from 6pm-8pm. Year-six students from Government schools all over Cayman created the artwork through their participation in the Heritage Arts programme, which is embedded in the curriculum. Instructors from programme creator Cayman Traditional Arts (CTA) interact with the students on a weekly basis, to ensure the appreciation of Cayman’s heritage, art and culture for generations to come.
Many of the students who took part will be at the opening to present their artwork to visitors. The schools that participated were Lighthouse School, Red Bay Primary, Bodden Town Primary, Prospect Primary, East End Primary, Edna M. Moyle (North Side) Primary, George Town Primary and Sir John A Cumber Primary.
Edna M. Moyle teacher Tonia Harris praised the programme as it exposes students to Caymanian culture in both a theoretical and practical sense.
“The students were very excited about the programme and have definitely learnt a lot about their heritage as a result,” she said. “The students also enjoyed learning how to do sketches, mix paint and create their own pieces of artwork. It was quite refreshing to see my students working collaboratively together to complete the pieces of artwork that they did.
“What made it even more interesting was the fact that they were allowed to create images of local scenes. This was quite enriching as it was something they could relate to and it forced them to examine and learn more about their local environment.”
Harris added that there is value in maintaining the initiative. “Due to the myriad of benefits, I strongly believe that this programme should be continued in schools. I am looking forward to see how my next group of students will benefit.”
CTA director Chris Christian said that the exhibition is the culmination of many months of work on the part of the students.
“The students have incorporated a wide variety of techniques, styles and ideas for subject matter into their artwork and we are very pleased that they have such a prestigious location in which to showcase all their efforts,” he said.
“It would be fantastic if as many people as possible could come and show their support for Cayman’s young artists and visit the art exhibition, which runs until 15 August 2016.”
