New mural unveiled at Decommissioned E.T Joshua airport (+Video)
A new mural has been unveiled at the shopping complex at the Decommissioned E.T Joshua Airport and the public can expect to see another 14 at various locations across St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) in the future.
A small group of female students from the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, under the guidance of Visual Arts teacher and entrepreneur, Shanique Stewart, have been battling hot days to complete the complicated and attractive mural which was unofficially unveiled on Friday, December 16.
The unveiling was attended by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and Education Minister, Curtis King who both commended Stewart and the Visual Arts students for their artistic work.
Stewart said while the goal of 15 murals may seem like a small number, she noted that “in the context of St. Vincent that number is grand”.
She lauded the four students who were part of the initiative- Kelize Samuel, Davina Jackson, Antonia Cruickshank and Ajanli Gibson, describing them as “professionals”.
Stewart said the aim of the mural drive is to build up the visual arts culture in SVG, adding that there needs to be more investment in the sector.
“We don’t have a visual arts culture, we may think we do but we do not. So how do we change that? We decided that we are going to start with these murals, make sure we are in your face… visual arts has a budget and a market and we are not tapping into it and we need to,” Stewart said at the launch.
“ Those countries like the United States, the European countries, they are willing to invest into this sector, however, we have to prepare ourselves for those opportunities.”
PM Gonsalves commended the students and Stewart for their hard work and made a call for more young men to join creative initiatives such as the mural drive.