ArtWalk Festival invites patrons to ‘Discover Downtown’
ON SUNDAY, March 31, Kingston Creative, in partnership with Red Stripe Flavours, Main Events, F&B Downtown and the KSAMC, will host the ArtWalk Festival with a focus on the art of literature and storytelling. The highlight of the day is a tour that includes a preview of the JCDC Visual Arts Exhibition at the Jamaica Conference Centre, an iconic building designed by revered architect Patrick Stanigar. Guests will be taken on a free walking tour and permitted to view the exhibition of 94 art pieces before the show officially opens to the wider public.
This will be the first ArtWalk since the launch of the new Water Lane murals in the Tourism Enhancement Fund-funded Paint The City project, and the public is invited to view the new artwork from King Street to Orange Street. Anticipation is also building for an exciting performance by musical lyricist Runkus, a talented artiset who has worked with Chronixx, Tarrus Riley, and Ky-Mani Marley, to name a few. Rolling Stone celebrated his album OUT: SIDE as one of the top 100 albums of 2022. There will also be a musical performance by reggae artist Iya Tear from Trench Town, and an open mic session with a cash prize of $10,000 to the winner.
Writers and storytellers will be out in full force, including veteran writers like Kwame McPherson, winner of the 2023 Commonwealth prize for literature. He will read excerpts from his latest book, My date with depression: From mental uncertainty to selffulfillment. There will also be a book reading from senior journalist Earl Moxam, who has been in the Jamaican media industry for over 30 years, and who delves into significant periods in Jamaican history from his new book Vantage Point Jamaica. Guests will also enjoy the ancient art of traditional Jamaican storytelling through speech and song with storytellers Deanne Logan Johnson and Renardo Lewis, and music by DJ Fenix and 8 Mile Sound.
“Literature is typically seen as outdated in a world moving further and further from books and reading,” shared ArtWalk Manager Errol Keane. “Kingston Creative wants to highlight the importance of literacy and how words are the connective tissue for so many artistic forms, from poetry and storytelling to filmmaking, music and songwriting.”
The day starts off with visual arts with the free walking tour to the Jamaica Conference Centre for the JCDC Visual Arts Exhibition. A second tour leaves at 1 p.m. to take in the National Gallery of Jamaica concert by jazz musician, Seretse Small. There will be free Red Stripe Flavours Paint and Sip sessions, a round robin domino tournament hosted by the Domino Association of Jamaica, the open mic session and dozens of artisans on Church Street to shop with. Guests are invited to shop handmade gifts by Unique Inspirations, accessories by Tami Resin & Beauty, and food and drink from Karen’s Kitchen, Asili, and Shanz Streetvybz Cafe.
The public is invited to come out this Easter Sunday and get lost in the tales and visuals of the voices of Jamaica!