Rex Nettleford Arts Conference Receives Strong Support from Embassy of the United States, Kingston and Chase Fund

Kingston, Jamaica – The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA) will
stage the third bi-annual Rex Nettleford Arts Conference on October 14 -17, 2015. This year, the
conference has received much needed support from the Embassy of the United States, Kingston and
the CHASE Fund.

The Rex Nettleford Arts Conference brings together arts educators and artists/es from all over the
world to share their knowledge and experiences as well as research in the creative and cultural
industries. The theme for this year’s conference – Growing the Arts: Breaking Boundaries comes
against the background that the arts have been faced with several challenges including
misperceptions of its value in society and lack of support for careers in the field. The conference will
seek to create connections and parallels that will break stereotypes and marginalization of the Arts
that continue to impede its growth. Principal, Dr. NicholeenDeGrasse-Johnson says that as a tertiary
institution the EMCVPA embodies the arts as practice, performance and scholarly pursuit, therefore
the Rex Nettleford Arts Conference is pivotal in achieving this mission.

Counselor for Public Affairs at the United States Embassy Joshua Polacheck says “the arts provide
an avenue for free expression to address social, political and cultural issues. Our two nations share
deep cultural ties and our support to EMCVPA for this conference builds on those ties. We believe
the arts have influence far beyond the cultural sphere and this conference addresses three of our
strategic goals: emboldening responsible and democratic governance, enabling Jamaican prosperity,
and endorsing the concept of equal citizenship for all Jamaicans.”

The support of the Embassy of the United States, the Chase Fund and other sponsors such as
Knutsford Court Hotel and EBSCO and the National Gallery of Jamaica is a testament to a growing
support for the Arts in Jamaica and the importance of Arts and Culture to the development of the
nation.
About the Rex Nettleford Arts Conference
1 Arthur Wint Drive
Kingston 5
Contact: Coleen Douglas
Work: (876) 920-4633
Cell: (876) 468-5409
Email: marketing@emc.edu.jm

The Rex Nettleford Arts Conference was initially staged in 2011 to celebrate the Hon. Professor
Nettleford whose contribution in shaping the cultural and intellectual fabric of Jamaica and the
Caribbean is incomparable.

For interviews, accreditation or coverage, please contact Coleen Douglas at 468-5409 or 920-4633.

The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts has been through several stages in its evolution. The four Schools—Drama, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts—started out at different locations in Kingston. Two of the Schools, namely the School of Art and the School of Music, are historic because of their establishment in 1951 and 1961 respectively, before the island gained its independence from Britain in 1962.