Youth in art celebrated at Mural unveiling

Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw, says Government is committed to providing the opportunities and the requisite infrastructure for the Arts to be developed within our schools and among the youth in this country.

Speaking yesterday morning during a ceremony at the Grantley Adams Memorial School to unveil four murals painted by a team of local artists - Kwami Hunte, Sheri Nicholls, Don Small and Nikolai Charles; she said that boosting the Arts ensures that they can be seen as “viable vehicles for social and economic development”. She made the point while indicating that as a country we are indebted to all of our artists for the work they do.

“We remain committed to leveraging the Arts in our schools, so that our students, parents and all stakeholders can grow to appreciate their value and relevance, not only as tools for beautification and enhancement and entertainment, but as methods to promote discipline and also to provide motivation,” the Education Minister stated.

She spoke to such while noting that over the years murals have become an important feature of this island’s landscape with several leading local artists even calling for more murals to be placed in public spaces and places of prominence. Bradshaw said her ministry is committed to making this reality, but noted that they cannot do it alone. As such, she said they welcome the opportunities provided through partnerships with private sector entities like Harris Paints, which provided the paint for the project, as well as the participation of cultural practitioners, which enabled the project to come to fruition. With that in mind, she explained that the murals at Grantley Adams are only the beginning of the Ministry’s efforts to beautify the school plants across the island.

“This year, we have therefore targeted for murals, two secondary schools, of which Grantley Adams is one; one primary and one special school. Not only will students and teachers enjoy more serene and beautified spaces, as aspects of their schools’ physical environments are enhanced, but these murals can easily be used as tools for teaching, for reflection and for inspiration,” she stated.

To that end, Minister Bradshaw encouraged the students present to continue to enjoy the murals, to treat them with respect, love and care, and own them as an important part of their environment. She added that her ministry hopes the series of murals will inspire the artists amongst the students to use their artistic talents and creative abilities to spread positive messages of their own in the future.

“I want to see that this institution is brought to life by the hands of the students in particular, and I think this is just the beginning of a wonderful journey and a wonderful partnership between the Grantley Adams Memorial School, this team of artists and certainly corporate Barbados,” she stated.

The Minister went on to say that the Ministry is aware that there are other things within the school that have to be improved and gave those present the assurance that they are working closely with the principal and the board of management, to ensure that all their concerns can be addressed. (JRT)