SVG hosts CSEC 7th annual Art Exhibition

The Kingstown Methodist Church Hall came alive on Monday, 23 March, 2009, as St. Vincent hosted the CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) Art Exhibition for the first time.{{more}}

The 7th annual exhibition featured Visual Art pieces done by CSEC students across the region, including artwork from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The exhibition also included artwork done by students who received Regional Visual Arts awards over the past three years.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Of Education Laura Browne marveled at the pieces displayed at the exhibition and noted that the Visual Arts in schools have truly evolved. “We never had it in our minds what art was all about.”

Browne, who expressed the hope of possibly having a local art exhibition, encouraged teachers to continue to support the children as they pursue art, mentioning that every student may not excel in all areas. “There are areas in which our students can excel… and we have to encourage our students,” she said.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, CXC Registrar Dr. Didacus Jules remarked about the outstanding quality of the art pieces in the exhibition. Jules also announced that students will soon be able to sell their art pieces on the CXC website as a way of promoting art as a career.

Visual Art students from various secondary schools in Kingstown visited the exhibition with their art teachers and spoke to Searchlight about the pieces displayed.

Ienka Isaacs, a fourth former from the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, seemed to be in awe of the many artistic pieces around her, “I think that they are great,” she said. Isaacs was even taken aback by the realistic quality of some of the drawings and paintings,”Most of them look real!” she said.

Sharisse Noel, another student of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, described the pieces as “great” and added that they have inspired her to work harder to attain high standards in her work.

Art teacher of the Thomas Secondary School Conroy Dyer also expressed similar sentiments to that of his students. While stating that the pieces displayed were of an extraordinarily high calibre, Dyer hoped that the artwork would ignite a spark with students to propel them to work harder. “This is like a catalyst,” he said.

Art teacher of the St. Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua Lynn Cevene also expressed how important the exhibition is to her students. “It will help them tremendously in that they will see the standards that they will have to aspire to, to be successful in CXC.”

The CSEC Visual Arts Exhibition will run for one week from Monday, March 23, to Friday, March 27, 2009. The Exhibition’s main goal is to highlight the work done by Visual Art Students in the region, to showcase the standard required for CSEC examinations, as well as to promote art as a viable career choice. The Exhibition, which officially began in 2003, was last held in Trinidad and Tobago. (OS)