CHR Productions presents ALTERED FRIDAYS, every Friday at Indies, a YardEdge ENDORSED EVENT!
Described as “the ultimate alternative club experience”, Altered Fridays, offers Metal, Alternative, Classic Rock, House, Electro Pop, Industrial and Trance music in a club atmosphere.
PLUS, every fourth Friday will feature live music performed by some of Jamaica’s leading “alternative” artistes.
Here are some more photos of the Digicel downtown mural taken by Berette Macaulay for YardEdge.
For the past month an exciting new project has been underway in downtown Kingston by the waterfront, a Digicel commissioned art mural covering some 2000 + sq ft of aluminum zinc walls enclosing a city block construction site of the phone company’s new head office.
Digicel commissoned artists from six downtown art organizations to put together creative teams for the job totalling nearly 40 painters, including young students from Edna Manley and Studio 174, self taught community artists, and established veterans in the art world. See more from PART 1
YardEdge once again welcomes a guest post from fellow Blogger, Berette Macaulay, who ventured downtown to investigate the Digicel downtown mural…
For the past month an exciting new project has been underway in downtown Kingston by the waterfront, a Digicel commissioned art mural covering some 2000 + sq ft of aluminum zinc walls enclosing a city block construction site of the phone company’s new head office.
Digicel commissoned artists from six downtown art organizations to put together creative teams for the job totalling nearly 40 painters, including young students from Edna Manley and Studio 174, self taught community artists, and established veterans in the art world.
Each colourful group creation depicts either a historical or contemporary aspect of downtown culture, designed by group leaders or collaboratively.
The rough estimate for the construction of Digicel’s head office is two to four years which means the mural won’t be permanent, but it will be a bright addition to the downtown environs for a reasonable period.
It’s just a block away from the National Gallery, Studio 174, and Roktowa – making this neck of the woods a hot spot not only for an inspiring art walk, but also to perhaps witness the real beginnings of a revitalized downtown Kingston scene.
Chef Paul Griffith - photo contributed by Keisha Witherspoon
YardEdge once again welcomes Guest Blogger, Ian Ferguson who recently chatted with Paul Griffith, an accomplished chef from Barbados now based in South Florida. (Yes, we know he’s not Jamaican but every now and then YardEdge takes the opportunity to showcase our talented Caribbean brothers and sisters).
Chef Paul has been praised as being one of the most exciting young “culinary adventurers” in South Florida and has cooked for some of the biggest names in the Industry including Denzel Washington, Enrique Iglesias, Lenny Kravitz, Sean “Diddy” Combs and others blending the flavors of his island with cuisine from around the world. ”Chef Paul” shares with Ian a glimpse of his life story and what keeps him going.
YardEdge: Some people may know your story, but how did you become a chef?
YardEdge is pleased to welcome this contribution by Jamaican writer Opal Palmer Adisa.
Opal Palmer Adisa has written extensively on a wide range of topics ranging from children’s issues to the environment, in either in poetry, prose or essay. A writer and motivational speaker, Dr. Palmer Adisa has lectured and read her work throughout the United States, Europe, South Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. She is also an award-winning poet and prose writer who has twelve titles to her credit, including the novel, It Begins With Tears (1997).
IN SEARCH OF CLAUDE MCKAY
As I sat outside in one of the central cafés in Tetouan, Morocco in July, the small town an hour plus from Tangiers in which Claude McKay lived during the 1930s, I half hoped to see McKay, his duppy-self, walk up to greet and welcome me as a fellow Jamaican writer, walking the same path he did. I fantasized about meeting someone who would fondly say, “I knew him then, but I was just a little boy, not even coming to his knee.” Or perhaps I would find a tree with his name etched in it, or even more auspicious, a plague proclaiming the fact that he once lived and wrote from here; I half hoped as I walked the streets that perhaps McKay treaded these same streets. But I know the central town of Tetouna where I sat and drank cappuccino was not as modern then as it is today. That when McKay lived here it was a different place, certainly from his travelogue.
That Claude Mckay is one of the greatest writers to come out of Jamaica is a fact, not publicized enough.
This past Saturday, Bookland on Knutsford Boulevard hosted a cooking demonstration and book signing with Virginia Burke, author of two Jamaican cookbooks, Eat Caribbean and Walkerswood Caribbean Kitchen. The event was well attended by foodies, bloggers and cooking enthusiasts who watched and listened attentively as Virginia ably demonstrated how to cook escoveitched chicken (yes, chicken not fish) and pumpkin cornmeal fritters with apple love sauce.
In photo: From left to right Margarette May Macaulay, Berette Macaulay, Sana Rose-Savage, David Sykes, Mrs. Sykes
The winners of the Viewers Choice awards for the National Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition 2010 have been announced. The winners were voted on by members of the public and for 2010 there were two winners – one for the medal winners, sponsored by Claro and the other for the remaining works in the exhibition, sponsored by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).
YardEdge had a chat with Douglas Reid of Grosvenor Galleries about his urban poster collection on now at the gallery, his upcoming show, the Dudus Chronicles, and the state of Jamaican art today.
YardEdge: What got you started collecting these street signs?
Douglas: From the first time I really noticed them, I found them irresistable.
For some time now I thought JamDeal, the online auction marketplace of Jamaica, was mostly about people selling their cars. I’m not sure why I thought that. I think I was interested in buying a car once and someone said I should look there.
Anyway, recently I came across the owner of JamDeal, Chad Cunningham, and he set me straight. Just like eBay, JamDeal allows anyone in Jamaica to buy or sell almost anything with each other. Today it has over 15,000 registered users and almost 2,000 items listed for sale.
The Dudus Chronicles, an exhibition by Belizean artist Hubert Neal, Jr., opens at Grosvenor Galleries, 1 Grosvenor Terrace, on Saturday 21st August, 2010 at 7 p.m.
The Dudus Chronicles, created initially at the Roktowa art studio in downtown Kingston is Mr. Neal’s interpretation of the events which occurred during the Tivoli seige by the security forces.
During the recent Independence Weekend holiday we had the good fortune to attend an amazing gathering held on a farm perched high in the Pedro Plains of St. Elizabeth. The Organic Farm Dinner Project is a series of monthly feasts held on a farm (literally in the middle of a field) in St. Elizabeth, and is an initiative spearheaded by Liz Solms, an accomplished chef and organic farming expert, along with Jake’s in Treasure Beach and Island Outpost. Liz works to promote organic farming in Jamaica, primarily in the Pedro Plains area (which produces approximately 80% of the produce grown in Jamaica).
YardEdge guest blogger, Berette Macaulay interviews Douglas Reid from Grosvenor Galleries on his urban poster collection on exhibit now at Grosvenor Galleries until August 20.
Grosvenor Galleries is located at 1 Grosvenor Terrace in Manor Park.
