Art Bytes

JAMAICAN VIDEO GAME DESIGNERS SEEK FUNDING

 

Brothers Akeem and Tyreik Pennicooke are working on a demo of a video game to be ready for release in the next three to six months for PC and Mac users. The brothers hope the demo will help them raise the additional funds they need to complete the project. They are asking those who want to partner or donate to do so at streetboyja.com.

Titled Street Boy, the game follows Arlinton, a 13-year-old boy who lost his parents in a car accident and now lives with his grandmother, Cherry. Arlinton works odd jobs in his Portland community to help support his household and keep the environment clean while staying out of the clutches of George Campbell, an 18-year old gangster trying to lure youth into a life of crime. Akeem and Tyreik hope the game can become a symbol of pride and inspiration for young Jamaicans who want to pursue a career in the multibillion-dollar gaming industry. “If you keep them (youth) busy and educated, then the violence stays down. We want the game to teach them that there are other ways to express yourself and earn an income,” says Akeem.

Art Bytes

Jamaican artist Arthur Simms’ A Totem for the High Line is now installed at the 16th Street Spur Preserve in New York City’s Chelsea District.

The National Gallery of Jamaica has named Ashley James as guest curator for its 2024 Kingston Biennial which opens December 15th. Titled Green X Gold, the biennial will be the closing highlight of the 2024 Gallery’s 50th anniversary. The exhibition will cover works on the environment, nature, and land, inspired by the Jamaican flag’s ecological symbolism. 

The National Gallery of Jamaica will host a five-day Writivity workshop from August 12th to 16th  to help students sitting the Visual Arts CSEC exams with their reflective journals. The reflective journal is a part of the School-Based Assessment and the final grades of the CSEC exam.

Jamaican artist Garfield Morgan has another exhibit in Canada. This time his work is on display at the Don Wheaton Family YMCA in Edmonton.  until October 31st.

The National Gallery of Jamaica’s 50th Anniversary exhibition, Continuity, runs from June 30 to September 30th, 2024. Continuity revisits ten NGJ’s iconic exhibitions, including the Biennials of 2014, 2017 and 2022 and Jamaica Jamaica, (2020).

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