An eye-catching painting by Kai Watson. - Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
On Sunday, April 26, art collectors and lovers of Jamaican art will once again experience the largest one-day outdoor exhibition of art and photography for the year. The Liguanea Festival of Fine Art and Photography is now widely accepted as the premier art exhibition of the year, presenting the best in Jamaican art and photography, where artists are present alongside their exhibits.
This year marks the sixth annual showing of the festival, the brainchild of June and Tony Wong, owners of the Liguanea Drug and Garden Centre, who wanted to provide both experienced and up-and-coming young Jamaican artists a new outlet for showing their work to the public.
This one-day art festival is a fun alternative to galleries, but also exhibits serious art for even the avid collectors who look forward to this event annually. What started out as an idea has blossomed into a serious exhibition attended by hundreds of locals as well as tourists. Many artists, both young and experienced, amateurs and professionals, look forward to this event with much enthusiasm.
Face-to-face contact
An outdoor exhibition such as this, emphasises the value of face-to-face contact between clients and artists, which can lead to opportunities and commissions arising after the event is over. Most exhibitors point out that showing their own work is an ideal way to take control of the business side of their art. Through experience, they learn which works sell best and how to present work for this type of event. In the beginning, it took a bit of nudging to convince even experienced artists to exhibit at the festival.
Sales can be very good for some artists, as the selling environment encourages people to buy, as it is in a more relaxed setting than a conventional gallery. Once the work is sold, it is taken away, allowing the artist to display more work than usual. Another advantage, on the business side, is that payment is usually immediate whether by cash, credit or debit card.
Publicity and promotion is handled by the organisers in association with various sponsors such as The Gleaner which was there from the very start and has continued to support this event each year. The audience reached can be huge, much more than visitors to a two-week exhibition in a gallery.
The organisers operate a rigorous selection process in seeking to display work of a very high standard, aiming to create a "balanced exhibition with excellent work in a wide range of media". Interested artists have to present a portfolio and samples of finished items to be approved. Any member of an art guild or photography club is entitled to show as part of their group exhibit.
Exhibitors can book a tent or share a larger one with allocated spaces in a well-laid out and beautiful setting for a designated fee. Artists can bring their own stands and may display their work as they choose. This allows a wider variety of work to be shown including sculpture, ceramics, paintings, photography and jewellery.
Although the event is well publicised, I usually encourage each artist to use their personal email, website and other avenues to invite previous buyers, friends and family, especially those outside of Kingston to visit.
Selling opportunities
An event such as this is generally billed as a day of selling opportunities, and most exhibitors put a high priority on sales. This is why they come back year after year, although they are encouraged to show new works. This is confirmed by many artists including ceramist Gene Pearson, photographer Franz Marzouca and many others.
In this type of setting, selling doesn't suit everyone. You have to be sociable and like talking to people, sitting under your tent and looking into space won't help. My own experience emphasises the importance of making contacts and it's surprising how many people contact me later wanting to purchase drawings or photographs for weddings, birthday and anniversary presents and especially at Christmas. People often say they remembered my work from the Liguanea Art Festival.
Above all, the experience is enjoyed. It's a fun thing too, and an opportunity for meeting friends, neighbours and even total strangers who know your work, but never got to meet the artist in person. You also get to meet other artists from all across Jamaica on common ground. By watching and talking to people, I get feedback on many aspects concerning our art scene.
This year, the festival has attracted several overseas artists: Kaye Kelly from Canada, Basil and Kai Watson from Atlanta, and Michael Nunez and Juanita Ramos Nunez, husband and wife team from Venezuela.
Many art students, teachers and practising artists look forward to attending this and other open-air events where creative minds meet to display, discuss and share their work. Nothing compares to showing your work outdoors in an environment that offers a refreshing option. It's an experience I've not missed in five years.