PRESS RELEASE
(CASTRIES, Saint Lucia – Tuesday, November 5, 2019) – With this year’s Cultural Icons Series now over, the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) has reaffirmed its commitment to continue honouring outstanding Saint Lucians whose contributions to country inspire and elevate.
This year, the CDF paid tribute to master sculptor, Vincent Joseph Eudovic, whose life’s work in the art form spans nearly five decades. A Sculpture Exhibition in Eudovic’s honour was hosted at Baywalk Shopping Mall from October 25-29, showcasing nearly a dozen pieces of the iconic sculptor’s works.
Jimmy Clavier, CDF’s Senior Business Development and Marketing Officer, says the overall objective of the Cultural Icons Series was achieved this year, leading to opportunities in terms of whom the organization collaborates with to get its message across to the masses.
For years, the CDF has been trying to sensitize the public about those Saint Lucians who help shape the island’s cultural landscape. Several approaches have been used, including through entertainment packages filled with interpretations of dance theatre. Recently, the CDF has been using the Cultural Crew to get its message into schools and communities.
The Cultural Crew, a group of young artistic youths, is a fledgling CDF project and a tool for edu-tainment. The crew uses entertainment to educate and sensitize the public on many issues, including the work of our Cultural Icons. The crew has also been very successful in sensitizing young people about the work the CDF does.
“The youths are a demographic we’ve been tackling for quite some time but have been unsuccessful at entering the schools’ programmes,” said Clavier. “With the Cultural Crew, we’re finding it easier to fill that gap. The crew takes the students out of the classroom setting and immerses them into an interactive setting, thereby helping them retain the information better.”
Clavier said this year’s Cultural Icons Series Sculpture Exhibition added to the ambience of the Baywalk Shopping Mall and took patrons on a journey through the life of the 77-year-old sculptor who owns an art gallery at Goodlands, Castries. He said recognizing these icons allows people to gather such information about them as reference points.
A selection committee selects individuals deemed to be Cultural Icons and previous honourees were Virginia Alexander (dancer/dance instructor), Joseph “Rameau” Poleon (violinist), Hon. Charles Cadet (music composer), and Garth St. Omer (novelist).
