Glen Resource Centre has new giant mural

The largest wall painting in SVG has recently been completed on the wall of the new resource centre in Glen.
Requested by the Ministry of Education, two of the A-level art graduates, Dane Jack and Roland Layne with art lecturer Vonnie Roudette, worked on the mural design and subsequently painted it. {{more}}
Roudette saw it as an opportunity to showcase the A-level artwork and also to demonstrate how art can make a statement within a community and educational setting.
The building is the new resource centre and library for the united college of five institutions of tertiary education, and so the theme chosen for the mural was, “The importance of knowledge acquisition through learning.”
The design is a montage made from six different paintings. The composition sets the theme of learning into the context of Vincentian life. Religion, historical heritage and nature are symbolized as the foundation of knowledge acquisition. The upper section has images of the arches of St. Mary’s Cathedral surrounding a moon-lit sky that radiates light upon an open book, which in turn contains shapes symbolizing the windows and doors of opportunity that come from pursuit of knowledge.
Roudette, who has also designed and painted a 40-foot mural and the restaurant ceilings at the Canouan Resort Beach Club, says, “It has been exciting and challenging to paint in its full size – 17 ft x 15 ft. The numerous colours, tones and textures require a lot of concentration and technical skill to reproduce accurately on a large scale.
“It is a departure from the typical style of art that we have seen in St. Vincent to date – that is to say the colonial style of realistic representation. The mural is more complex. By combining a variety of images into one expressive composition, we have attempted to convey a deeper message than would be possible with a simple illustration. It is to the architect Trevor Thompson’s credit that he has embraced this new departure from the established view of art and has given us an opportunity to develop what he hopes is a new exciting relationship between art and architecture.”
The mural is a pioneering work in several ways. First, it is the largest single image wall painting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Second, it portrays the work of the first group of A’level art and design students. Third, it is the artistic product of a group of artists working in collaboration. And fourth, it has a unique home-grown expressive style that has developed within the island to communicate a shared vision.
“We are very proud of this accomplishment,” says Roudette, “as it aptly demonstrates the team spirit that we cultivate within the art department at college and shows what can be accomplished through co-operation, sharing thoughts and ideas which are vital not only in the arts but in all fields of life and productivity.”
Roudette says the team has enjoyed interacting with passers-by and other workers on the building. Responses have been very positive and people have given accounts of their personal interpretation. It seems to stimulate the imagination of the viewer.
The art teacher explained: “The mural has essentially brought art to the people and connected with them; this is something that is long overdue. After all, art should be enjoyed by everybody, not just the minority who go to exhibitions or have the opportunity to travel.
“Art has a vital role in society, which is to improve the quality of life, to engage the attention of people, to make them experience visually a sensation, emotion or intellectual thought. There are many immediate and long-term benefits of exposure to various
forms of art, from beautifying the surroundings
to enriching and elevating the spirit, to leading
to an informed understanding of the world around us.
“Unfortunately in St. Vincent we have had very limited exposure to the many different ways that creativity can be effectively incorporated into daily life.
“It is my hope that through our continued work in the field of arts, and the emergence of graduates from the A’level programme at the Community College, that the general public will begin to have the exciting pleasure of experiencing art in its many forms.
“The interest of the public in the mural at Glen has reinforced my long-held belief that ordinary Vincentians are readily moved by things of artistic merit. It’s important for us as artists to engage in this creative dialogue with the general public. The mural is already doing its job – creating pleasure and interest for people who will see it every day. I hope that each time they pass they will notice something different in it, causing them to think, to question and to recognize within it a part of themselves.
“In this way the mural is performing its function as a piece of art and we are doing our duty as artists towards our fellow countrymen and women.”