A kaleidoscope of kids' art

The room full of exhibits erupted with a riot of colours - showcasing unfathomed ideas, countless rainbows, meandering shapes and a carnival of nostalgia. The art works were the production of preparatory-school students - their creative juices squeezed, blended and transposed on the walls and tables.

From masks to pots, to three-dimensional scaled models of Jamaica's landmark buildings, foil paper, soda bottles, papier-mâché, fabric, paper and paints gave a fresh dimension to the theme 'Nostalgia: Pre-Independence Jamaica', at the Art in Preparatory Schools Exhibition 2012/2013. "This competition is running for 51 years now," informed Georgette Francis, programmes manager, Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) and curator of the exhibition.

"We tied the theme to Jamaica 50 and asked the prep school children to recreate Jamaica's past."

One would have imagined that a generation growing up in a world where they are surrounded by 'smart' everything, getting their hands soaked in paint; and glue and carving out shapes would not be as easy as twiddling their fingers over a QWERTY keypad, but they wowed.
Fourteen schools across Jamaica entered the competition, and the children were given a free hand to give their interpretation of Jamaica's past. Over 200 entries were received, which are on display till June 28 at Junior Centre at East Street, downtown Kingston.

JUDGING CRITERIA
The entries, Francis informed, were awarded points on four criteria - craftsmanship, originality, composition and design, presentation and finish.

"It's always a delight to see the variety and creativity in the pieces that are submitted each year by the children," Francis said.

The interpretation, use of recycled material and attention to details are some of the focal points of the works submitted. "The creativity and what they are able to produce, how they interpret the theme is fascinating," Francis said. "Quality is getting better, in how they present the work; schools have progressed over the years.

"This competition encourages the involvement of the teacher's and parents in each child's artistic development thus promoting more well-rounded individuals with an appreciation for the arts."

But, she said, the participation has dwindled over the years.

She said that though, over the years, the corporate interest and support has increased, the overall support for the competitive visual arts events is dwindling rapidly with each successive staging of this competition.

"This is because of number of reasons, primary being the priority given to academics over art and craft, which is understandable," said Francis, adding that over 20 schools used to participate in the heydays.

Citing an informal survey of the schools done earlier this year, Francis informed that the crux of the problem revolves around paucity of funding for material and associated expenses, at times the respective schools events clash with art competition and there isn't enough time in the year to prepare for the competition.

Despite the challenges, she said, IOJ is upbeat on the possibilities and the future of the competition. It is critical, according to Francis, to get more corporate aid in this initiative.

"I am grateful to our existing sponsors, and I encourage others to come on board, as we try to encourage and reward the participation of the children," she said. "Our sponsors are integral to the successful staging of this competition."

Mere colour, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways, famous Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde once said.

Initiatives like the prep school arts competition not only help hone the boundless creativity of the children, but also help to keep traditions alive and a legacy for the next generation to be proud of and carry to the future.