Renowned sculptor and ceramic artist, Gene Pearson, may be dead, but his legacy lives on.
RENOWNED SCULPTOR and ceramic artist, Gene Pearson, may be dead, but his legacy lives on.
As the country comes to grips with the loss of one of the greatest artists to come out of Jamaica, some of those who have crossed paths with the late Pearson, reflect on his life and works, as well as the man he was outside of the studio.
Janice Allen, tourism consultant and former director of the Jamaica Tourist Board, described Pearson’s passing as a great loss for the country. She said having met Pearson in 2016 and being completely taken aback by not just his talent but his dedication to his work, she knows he left his mark on Jamaica and the world.
“We lost a true giant and he has left his mark; a mark only he could have created. His work represented Jamaica and Jamaican talent and he ought to be celebrated,” she said. “His talent was phenomenal, I can’t even find words to describe his talent and it reached far and wide. What struck me most about Gene Pearson, other than his great work and talent, was his personality. A more infectious personality and smile I’ve never come across. He endeared many people to him because of the person he was and that was of course reflected in his work.”
Allen expressed that those who have pieces from his unique body of work, are to consider themselves blessed, as they now own a piece of Pearson and will always have him close.
“Those who have one of his pieces in their possession can look at it now and say they have a piece that was touched, created by him with his hand, is something truly special,” she said pointing out that Pearson put a little bit of himself in every piece he did. “He did everything with his whole heart... that’s why so many people were drawn to his work. He did it with so much passion and joy and a pleasing personality, and to me; that is the epitome of any lesson that he could leave us with.”
Filmmaker and close friend, Lennie Little-White, shared similar sentiments. Little-White remembered Pearson as a true patriot, pointing out that despite his many travels, the artist remained dedicated to the land of his birth.
“He had fierce commitment to Jamaica and the Jamaican peo- ple. He used to work a lot in California, but he’d always come back to Jamaica for inspiration. He had his feet firmly planted in Jamaica, so much so that I called him ‘a son of the soil’, and he was that in every sense of the word.
Little-White went on to say that outside of his work, Pearson was an exemplary human being, one who was so impactful yet so humble.
“He was a very private person. He’s not t he one who would draw attention to himself, his work was what spoke for him. He was very humble, very private, but at the same time very intense,” he said. “For me, his biggest legacy is the fact that he created a unique form in the work that he did which will forever be an image that no one will ever replicate. Just like how you have a person who will try to sing like Bob Marley or Peter Tosh, but will never be them, that’s how I see Pearson and the level of his creativity. His work will stand the test of time in the same way Bob Marley’s did or Usain Bolt.”
Pearson, whose works are mostly inspired by the arts of ancient Nubia, Benin and the Rastafarian culture, reportedly suffered a massive heart attack.
Culture Minister Olivia Grange, in a statement following his death, described Pearson as ‘exceptional’ and dubbed his passing, ‘a great loss’. with the master’s degree in cultural studies that Sutherland completed in 2016 to prompt the invitation.
However, it was not until a conversation with Beenie Man last summer at last year’s Rototom Sunsplash Festival in Benicassim, Spain, that Sutherland understood how the girl in the blue dress her mother bought from the salesman from Kingston who would travel through districts came to occupy her peculiar position among her peers. Having won Tastee and then had a connection with Bob Marley through the song, Starvation on the Land, as well as attending the St Andrew High School for Girls, without her comprehension, she was tagged an ‘uptowner’. In addition, Sutherland was in the media spotlight earlier than many of her peers.
Added to those factors were the ones she was exposed to during the master’s programme, when the history and structure of social class - including its connection to complexion - was detailed. Apart from that appreciation, Sutherland said that she was very happy about doing the postgraduate degree. “You look at yourself, and you go about challenging yourself. You sing, and that does not mean you can’t be smart. It is something I have struggled with in Jamaica, with the class thing— how people see a reggae artiste. It was important to me to step out of the confines of how people see you as a reggae performer,” Sutherland said. There is another way in which being a performer was related — or, in a backhanded way, not related — to her studying at the University of the West Indies , Mona campus.
DISLIKE OF BEING JUDGED
“I don’t like when people judge me, say ‘you are Nadine Sutherland’,” she said in expressing resentment at any notion that things are handed to her on a silver platter. That does not apply to the academic process, Sutherland stressing, “I worked hard for it.”
As she was notified beforehand, the Female Icon Award did not surprise Sutherland, although, when the clip of her performing in the blue dress nearly 40 years ago was shown, the emotional impact took away all the quips she had thought of delivering.
“I did not have a speech prepared. I wanted it to be very authentic,” she said. Sutherland has no doubts about deserving the award and also tells The Sunday Gleaner that looking at the overall picture of her life, it has been very good.
The Sunday Gleaner asks Sutherland which period of her music career is her favourite — from pre-teen national talent contest winner, teen star, dancehall donette with Action, reggae rocker with Babyface, waxing philosophical with Karma’, the deep dub of In A Me Blood, and more. The answer is that there is none as the favourite moments are still unfolding.
As is the birthday; Sutherland observed the occasion in a chilly New York but is waiting to get on a plane to really live it up.
“My celebration begins when I come home,” she said.
entertainment@gleanerjm.com