UNEARTHING, DEVELOPING and showcasing the best of Jamaican culture has always been the guiding principle of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).
The agency has been presenting the visual arts through its fine arts and photography competitions since 1963.
These two areas are presently managed by committees comprised of volunteers who are either artists or photographers themselves or art enthusiasts who share the JCDC's passion for the promotion and advancement of the visual arts in Jamaica.
Each year, both competitions culminate in an exhibition showcasing the winning entries and at the opening ceremony, participants are publicly awarded prizes in the form of gold, silver and bronze medals, merit certificates and other incentives.
The competitions introduce budding artists and photographers to the community of local practitioners and provide opportunities for all entrants to gain access to the local and international public. Entry in both competitions is open to all artists and photographers of all ages and level of artistic development.
The fine arts competition accepts entries in the categories of painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, fibre arts, leather arts, printmaking, collage and photomontage, while the photography competition is open to submission in black and white and colour prints as well as slides in 13 categories from landscape/seascape and flora/fauna to photojournalism and Jamaican culture. In all there are 14 categories within the photography competition.
Entrants are always encouraged to obtain a copy of the general syllabus at any of the 13 JCDC parish offices, which lists the rules and regulations and features of all programmes offered by the agency.
JCDC'S MISSION
In keeping with the JCDC's mission of expanding the creative talents of the nation's people, the visual arts department has hosted and continues to host workshops leading up to the exhibition for artists and photographers to hone their skills and enhance the standard of their work.
These, in effect, improve the overall quality of the work submitted for the competitions. In addition, the agency is often contacted to relay information to or recommend artists and photographers for participation in various local and international arts endeavours.
This year, the winning entries of both competitions will be jointly showcased in the Marjorie Myers Assembly Hall at the Shortwood Teachers' College, St. Andrew, from July 20 to August 7.
Entries are currently being accepted from fine arts participants who have until May 21 to take their work to the agency's head office located at 3-5 Phoenix Avenue, Kingston 10. The photography deadline is June 7.
Untitled work by Jessica Heholt, a silver award-winning entry in the 2003 National Fine Arts competition (Youth 14 & under category).
