FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Stuart Keeler – Curator & Director of Programmes 905 896 5088 / agm.connect@mississauga.ca

Left: Barrington Watson, Washer Women (1966), oil on canvas, 71 x 101 cm, NGJ Collection
Right: Leasho Johnson, Territorial Fad, panel I (2010), acrylic on canvas, 127 x 117 cm, from the collection of Storm Saulter


Contemporary Jamaican Art, circa1962 | circa2012
July 12th – September 8th, 2012
JAMAICA 50 Celebration Inc.
jamaica50.ca

Guest Curated by Dr. Veerle Poupeye
Executive Director, National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 12th 6 pm
All are invited to attend the Opening Reception. Admission to the Gallery is FREE.

Award-winning multidisciplinary artist Peter Chin will be performing at the opening reception. Born in Kingston, Jamaica and based in Toronto, Chin is a musician/composer, dancer/choreographer and performance artist.

Media Preview Reception: Thursday, July 12th 4 – 6 pm
RSVP 905 896 5088 / jaclyn.qua-hiansen@mississauga.ca / stuart.keeler@mississauga.ca

ART GALLERY OF MISSISSAUGA
300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga ON L5B 3C1
905 896 5088
M, T, W, F 10-5 Thurs 10-8 Sat, Sun 12-4

artgalleryofmississauga.com
Admission is FREE. There will also be a FREE bus from The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen St. W., Toronto) at 6 p.m. to the Reception. Bus returns at 8 p.m.

Contemporary Jamaican Art, circa1962 | circa2012
Opens at the Art Gallery of Mississauga Thursday, July 12th 6 pm

On August 6, 1962, Jamaica became a nation and officially received its Independence from Britain. It is with an immense amount of pride that the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada joins with the island nation in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Independence.

Under the Patronage of the Jamaican High Commissioner, Her Excellency, Sheila Sealy Monteith and Jamaican Consul General to Toronto, Seth George Ramoco with the Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc. will unveil a summer of events in the areas of Art, Literature, Dance and Theatre, which will celebrate the island's vibrant cultural heritage.

The Exhibition

The exhibition is guest curated by Dr. Veerle Poupeye, Executive Director at the National Gallery of Jamaica. The exhibition explores changing ideas about art in Jamaica from the period from Independence in 1962 to the present day, placed in the context of broader developments in Jamaican culture and society. Poupeye has curated juxtaposing work that was produced by influential Jamaican artists in the period around Independence with groundbreaking national artists of the early 21st century. The exhibition presents a "then" and "now" view of Jamaican art.

"In showcasing and sharing some of the best of Jamaica's artistic patrimony we hope to engage our fellow Canadians in a different dialogue about what Jamaica is and who Jamaicans are. Art is a form of communication that is inclusive and has the capacity to break down barriers." Paula de Ronde, Art & Literature Chair, Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc.

The exhibition features works by some of Jamaica's most well known artists of the 1962 era such as Edna Manley, Barrington Watson, Albert Huie, Mallica "Kapo" Reynolds and Laura Facey.

"It is an honour for the AGM to take part in this important 50th Anniversary exhibition celebrating Jamaican independence. This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to connect and learn from the plurality of artistic visions from such a multi-faceted culture as Jamaica. Mississauga is a multi-cultural community – what a fantastic venue to showcase Jamaican art to the region!" Robert Freeman, Executive Director, Art Gallery of Mississauga.

The exhibition is presented by Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc., in collaboration with the National Gallery of Jamaica, hosted at the Art Gallery of Mississauga with the assistance of the Mississauga Arts Council.

The Artists

Jamaican: Carl Abrahams, Everald Brown, Gloria Escoffery, Albert Huie, Eugene Hyde, Edna Manley, Alvin Marriott, Karl Parboosingh, David Pottinger, Mallica "Kapo" Reynolds, Barrington Watson, Osmond Watson, Marvin Bartley, Laura Facey, Andrea Green, Marlon James, Leasho Johnson, Patrona Morrison, Michael Parchment, Ebony G. Patterson, Oneika Russell and Phillip Thomas

Canadian-Jamaican: Michael Chambers, Charles Campbell, Lisa Henriques and Dionne Simpson

The Curator

Dr. Veerle Poupeye is a Belgium-born, Jamaica-based art historian and curator who specializes in Caribbean art. She is currently Executive Director at the National Gallery of Jamaica. Dr. Poupeye holds a Master's degree in Art History from the Universiteit Gent in Belgium and is a doctoral candidate at the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts of Emory University where she is writing a dissertation on art and society in 20th century Jamaica. Her publications include the books Caribbean Art (1998), published in Thames and Hudson's World of Art series, and Modern Jamaican Art (1998), co-authored with David Boxer, and many journal articles and exhibition catalogue essays on Jamaican and Caribbean art and culture.

The Publication

Contemporary Jamaican Art Circa 1962 / Circa 2012, a 48-page commemorative publication, contains exhibition photographs and profiles of 26 Jamaican artists including Dr. Veerle Poupeye, Barrington Watson, Edna Manley, Albert Huie and Mallica "Kapo" Reynolds among others - published by Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc. $15.00. Available at The Art Gallery of Mississauga and online at Jamaica50.ca

Events | Activities

There will be a series of events scheduled every day throughout the summer, over 50 activities culminating on September 8, 2012. Produced by the Art Gallery of Mississauga, in collaboration with the Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc., these events celebrate 50 years of Jamaica's Independence.

" These artists and cultural producers represent more than a Canadian and Jamaican voice; rather, they reveal a voice of global cultural production, which transcends any border, economy or identity. Join us at the AGM in becoming 'Jamaican at Heart'!" Stuart Keeler, Curator & Director of Programmes, Art Gallery of Mississauga

Readings, Poetry, Film, Discussions as well as presentations by Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc. will broaden the exhibition scope with detail and learning experiences.

Listed below is just a peek at the scheduled programming!


Highlights

Walk the Talk with Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc., artist Ebony G. Patterson,
exhibition guest curator Dr. Veerle Poupeye and AGM curator Stuart Keeler
Saturday, July 14th, 1 – 3 pm
Join us at the Art Gallery of Mississauga for a casual stroll throughout the gallery with National Gallery of Jamaica Executive Director Dr. Veerle Poupeye, artist Ebony G. Patterson, and AGM Curator Stuart Keeler.

Art to Heart to Art
Thursday, July 26th, 7 – 9 pm
Walk and dance performance at the Gallery with Kevin Ormsby, Artistic Director of KasheDance, international choreographer and dancer who transforms art to dance while Paula de Ronde, Art & Literature Chair, Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc. relates how art speaks to the individual.

Quentin "Vercetty" Lindsay
Saturday, July 28th, 3 pm
Lindsay knows no boundaries when it comes to his 'urban word' artistic expression. This amazing thinker spreads a message of social change through the innovation of different art forms. The gallery will be a platform for engagement.

Boonoonoonoos = "Something extra sweet"
Saturday, August 11th, 3 pm
Join cultural producer Marcus McLean with an art happening in the gallery. The goal is to increase public awareness of this important anniversary and to foster a coming together of communities in an afternoon cultural celebration. Not to be missed!

A Discussion of Identity | Views
Tuesday, August 21st, 7 pm
Join us at the AGM for an encompassing discussion about Caribbean in the context of its many cultural identities and how they have shaped contemporary experiences. Hosted by Michael Chambers, Morris Lum , Anne-Marie Lee-Loy.

Film Screening | The Chiney Shop, by Jeanette Kong
Saturday, September 8th, 6 pm
In Jamaica, from the 1930s to the early 1970s, the ubiquitous Chinese-owned groceries were located in Kingston and remote towns in every parish. This documentary explores the complex relationship and social interaction between the Chinese shopkeepers and their Jamaican customers.

Book It! A series devoted to literature & art
Various dates in August and September
Features Jamaican and Jamaican-Canadian authors, including Rachel Manley, Peta Gaye-Nash, Honor Ford-Smith, and Olive Senior among others. See the website for updates!

About The Art Gallery of Mississauga

artgalleryofmississauga.com

The Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) is a public, not-for-profit, art gallery located in the Mississauga Civic Centre, across from Square One Mall. The AGM is proud to admit people free of charge, serve communities, and provide positive visual art experiences for all visitors.

The Mission of the AGM is to promote awareness and the appreciation of the visual arts through the operation, development and growth of a public, not-for-profit art gallery. The mandate of the Gallery is to "bring art to the community and the community to art."


2012 marks the AGM's 25th Anniversary. The AGM is pleased to take this opportunity to introduce even more innovative and exciting art exhibitions and programming to the Mississauga community. This year, the AGM launches its Education and Programming philosophy: ENGAGE, THINK and INSPIRE. These principles, combined with Creativity and Imagination reflects our high level of compassion and appreciation for the artist process, provide the highest quality intellectual introduction to critical thinking and instruction. The Gallery has also recently launched the XIT-RM, a new exhibition space dedicated to regional artists. In 2012, the AGM retained the services of Lord Cultural Group for a facility planning study with the goal of expanding the gallery. Check the AGM website often, or contact the Gallery to stay up-to-date on the latest initiatives.


Directions to the AGM, as well as transit routes and other information, can be found on the website.


To view the official Jamaica 50 media kit, please go to http://jamaica50.ca/media/. For more information on the opening reception or any of the events leading up to September, please contact the Art Gallery of Mississauga at 905-896-5088 or visit artgalleryofmississauga.com.