About this event
The National Gallery of Jamaica celebrates Child’s Month with special programming for its Last Sundays programme for the month of May. The programme will feature a musical performance by Stephanie, which will appeal to all audiences, and, for the younger patrons, special readings by three children’s book authors: Tanya Batson-Savage, A-dZiko Simba Gegele and Kellie Magnus. The current exhibition Digital will also be featured.
Stephanie Wallace-Maxwell, known professionally as Stephanie, is a singer and songwriter, whose sound is a fusion of R&B, Reggae, Soul, Dancehall, and Pop; having grown up on a rich variety of music. Stephanie has toured internationally as both lead and backing vocalist with the band Groundation and has also worked with the legendary producers Sly and Robbie for Sony Music Japan, as a member of the group UNITZz, which has had two tremendously successful albums, J Paradise and J Lovers. Stephanie's musical journey continues to blossom into the realization of a dream that has stuck with her since conception: to make an indelible mark on the world.
Read more...Kellie Magnus is a children’s book writer, founder of Jackmandora, a children’s book imprint and currently works for Jamaica Country Lead, Fight for Peace, an NGO that helps young people from violent communities to realize their potential. She will be reading from the widely acclaimed Little Lion series of books which she co-authored with Michael Robinson and which are geared towards children 8 years and under.
Tanya Batson-Savage, in her own words, loves mangoes and stories, and stories about mangoes. She has written for the stage, screen and radio. Her love of stories developed while she was seated at her grandmother’s feet where she developed a love for folk tales that shines through in her first collection of stories of children Pumpkin Belly and Other Stories. Her career has crisscrossed the cultural landscape including cultural policy, teaching, cultural criticism, journalism, advertising, and publicity. But really, she would rather spend her time eating mangoes.
A-dZiko Simba Gegele is a prize-winning writer whose work has been published in diverse international anthologies. Her work has gleaned multiple awards throughout her career. A-dZiko’s poetry and prose have previously appeared in The Gold Anthology, So Much Things to Say: 100 Calabash Poets, Iron Balloons: Hit Fiction from Calabash Writers Workshop as well as on several online literary magazines and journals. Her debut novel All Over Again (2013), published by Blouse & Skirt Books, won the inaugural Burt Award for Caribbean Literature (2014).
As is now customary for Last Sundays, the doors will be open to the public from 11 am to 4 pm and Stephanie’s performance starts at 1:30 pm. The second part of our programming: the readings by Kellie Magnus, Tanya Batson-Savage and A-dZiko Simba Gegele will start at 2:00 pm. Admission and guided tours will be free. Contributions to our donations box are however appreciated and help to fund exhibitions such as Digital and our regular Last Sundays programming. The Gift Shop and Coffee Shop will also be open for business.