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Pat Ramsay Director, Art and
Culture |
“The Central and seminal
value of the creative imagination is that it functions as a civilizing
and a humanizing force.” - George Lamming
Accordingly, The Centre
for the Arts focuses on becoming a nurturing and dynamic centre of
excellence that promotes individuals to unleash their creative energy
towards living as the highest and the best of who they are.
The Centre itself is
surrounded by an ever-unfolding creative Caribbean dream - The Caribbean
Sculpture Park. The Caribbean Sculpture Park is a tangible showpiece
that demonstrates our ideal that Art should not be considered a vacuum,
but must come together with science, to extend into the community.
Included in our wide
range of excellent cultural programmes, we offer Music, Dance and Drama
Electives to University students for credit through the Faculty of
Education and Liberal Studies towards a degree programme. Outstanding
students from our cultural courses form the UTech Art and Theatre
Ensemble and Instrumental Band, which at present, are being trained for
professional off-campus performances.
Our major community
outreach project is in the form of an educational programme for children
called “Tomorrow’s Children”. It is co-sponsored by The Environmental
Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) and is in collaboration with The Institute
of Jamaica. Throughout the Programme we encourage the children to learn
about their rich environment and cultural heritage.
To this effect, we also
utilize a gallery space cum theatre, where we exhibit the works of
prominent and upcoming artists throughout the Caribbean, and host
activities in the Sculpture Park, showcasing talents of professional
artists intermingling with students.
Presently, we are
concentrating on the building of a New Caribbean Cultural Centre. The
complex will be laboratory, incubator and showcase Jamaican creativity
at its best; it will incorporate our established ideals and contribute
to the strengthening of the nation’s social capital. It will undoubtedly
be of significant benefit to members of the UTech community,
neighbouring groups, and indeed, Artists in general.
The Centre for the Arts
shall continue to foster an environment in which young adults, students,
leaders, and visionaries intermingle with the sages, the scholars,
maestros, and the ordinary folk, with ease, compassion, and sincerity,
moving into the 21st Century and beyond. |
