Works from the exhibition, 'Young, Gifted and Black' now on at Studio 174, Harbour Street, Kingston. - contributed
IMAGINE A space where trained and aspiring artists come together to learn from one another. Imagine this same space housing the work of Jamaica's emerging artistic talents, while doubling as studios for young artists. Imagine now that this space is in downtown Kingston. Sounds unlikely? Well it's real.
Although Studio 174 opened two years ago, founder Rozi Chung says the first year was mostly spent "cleaning up the place". However, the official opening took place earlier this year when the gallery was invited to be a part of the Kingston On The Edge art festival.
weekly art classes
Nowadays, 174 Harbour Street not only offers working space to some recent graduates of Edna Manley College (EMC), it is also the home of weekly art classes attended by members of the surrounding communities.
Their current exhibition, 'Young, Gifted and Black', is a collection of works from the EMC alumni, who also use Studio 174 as a work space. At Chung's gallery, these young artists are allowed to focus on creation at a crucial time in their careers when, under normal circumstances, many might have needed to get a nine-to-five job to survive financially. At the same time, they act as mentors to inner-city youths who welcome the project as a chance to develop new skills. For many, it also offers a positive alternative to home environments that can be stressful or even hostile.
Studio 174 brings young minds together, according to Rozi, and they all learn a great deal from one another. "Whenever young people get together, and are engaged, things happen," says Chung.
Rozi says the Saturday classes, which are free of charge, currently contain mostly boys between the ages of 15 and 25. Participants learn introductory painting, drawing and textiles through exercises that are as challenging as they are interesting. Field trips are a popular part of the curriculum, which has seen the group travel to such spots as Hope Gardens and Fort Clarence while studying landscapes as subject matter. The trips give the group exposure to new places and new ways of looking at the world around them.
Although the project was initially met with a mixture of curiosity and even scepticism by the surrounding community, attitudes have changed. "At first, they come and they wonder and they think you're mad," Rozi says laughing, "but they come back." Those who know about it, she says, enjoy what's going on.
Funding seems to be at the top of Chung's wish list these days. Her vision for Studio 174 includes physical expansion, as well as a widening of the scope of the programme. Considering how much she has already accomplished to date, any help would go a long way. Driven by a need to see Jamaicans connect with themselves and one another, Rozi wants Studio 174 to do more. From materials, tools and volunteers to teach sculpture and other art forms, her dream also includes equipment and instructors to teach graphic design and film-making.
It is heartening to see the kind of enterprise that almost seems like it could only be a dream in today's social climate. Studio 174 is a shining star amidst a downtown that is in the process of being transformed - physically and socially. For Chung and her young artists, change is happening one person at a time, one day at a time.