AFTER YEARS of agitating, visual artistes are finally getting increased prize money.It is the only area which has seen an increase this year. The top prize has gone to $7 500, up from $5 000; the smaller prizes have also been raised to $1 200 from $750.A shift in focus has resulted in greater prominence being given to visual arts this Crop-Over and there have been several innovations.What used to be a Visual Arts Exhibition is now being promoted as a Visual Arts Festival with several mini-exhibitions being set up at venues in and around The City in the lead-up to the final exhibition, which opens on July 4 at the Grande Salle.Cultural officer for visual arts at the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), Rodney Ifill, told a media conference yesterday that the exhibitions would be on a ten-day rotation. Members of the public would have an opportunity to choose a winner from each of the exhibitions.“In each of these exhibitions, there will also [be] special evenings of interpretation through art and dance that people can come out and be part of the process and engage in a discourse,” Ifill said.As part of the overall prize, the winner will exhibit his/her works at the Queen’s Park Museum and will also be featured in a magazine.Ifill said the NCF would start some business development initiatives working with the artistes to brand their products as collectibles. (YB)
