On Saturday, December 14th, Nigel Butler and a group of other artistes turned the Courtyard Mall into their own personal live-art gallery as part of their plan to bring more recognition to the creative industries.
Over eight artists participated in the event, called ‘Kayap,’ an Arawak word, which according to Butler, means coming together to accomplish one major task.
If you ever wondered how to make jewellery or carve fruits, the Courtyard Mall was the place to be. You would have also had the opportunity to witness sketch battles, painting charades and make ornaments at that event all while listening to folk songs by Gavin Mendonca.
Local foods and beverages along with paintings and other crafts were on sale at the event.
The event was the brainchild of Butler, who is passionate about ensuring that creative talent in the country is recognised and appreciated. He told other local artists, including Mendonca, Ransford Simon, Andre Hendricks, Sheliza Rampersaud, Andrew Campbell and others about his idea and they agreed readily because it was a chance for them to display their artwork and talents.
Many of the artists who participated in the event welcomed the initiative. Mendonca said, “The whole idea about Kayap is about coming together, young people coming together with a shared purpose and contributing to the development of the creative community. So it’s great to see young people like Simon, Butler and Campbell taking the lead or initiative to put something like this together. I think it’s very much needed here in Guyana. The creative community exists and we got brilliant minds here in Georgetown and in Guyana. We are kind of stifled here because there isn’t a lot of opportunities and platforms for us to express ourselves. It takes young people like these guys and events like these to give a boost to not just morale but overall the creative industry in Guyana so it’s a great way to end the year and I see 2020 being a lot brighter for creative industry in Guyana.”
Simon, who was one of the sketch battle contestants, agreed with Mendonca and added that some of the funds will go towards buying art materials for future projects, especially mural paintings. He then stated that he is glad that he has a chance to showcase his paintings but was also happy that other artists who have different creative talents had the same opportunity and hoped that the event was the beginning of something brighter.
Meanwhile, Butler said that the event gave persons the opportunity to see what artists do behind the scenes and to create their own work of art with the guidance of the artists. He revealed that the artists who participated in the event donated a fee towards the event. He disclosed that they are hoping to host the event once every two months and that it becomes bigger.
