Launched on December 27, 2011, and following the May announcement of the contest winner, Alon Braier, the First International Reggae Poster Contest has come full circle. On September 30, 2012, contest co-founders Michael Thompson and Maria Papaefstathiou will join Veerle Poupeye, Director of the National Gallery of Jamaica, Braier and hundreds of fans of Jamaican culture from around the world for the opening of a 6-week exhibition at the National Gallery showcasing the world wide embrace of reggae culture through the visual arts.
Consisting of 100 specially selected posters from the contest including exclusive posters designed just for the event, the exhibition will offer not just a visual interpretation of reggae but also provide a special way to give back to the community that made it possible. In early November, at the conclusion of the exhibition, the posters will be auctioned with 100% of the proceeds going to Alpha Boys School, a 100-plus year old residential vocational school in Kingston serving at risk boys aged 8 to 18 years old.
Alpha’s role in the development of the music can be heard in the music of its ‘past boys’ including ska pioneers the Skatalites, reggae vocalist Leroy Smart and dancehall deejay Yellowman as well as countless session and touring musicians. Members of the current Alpha Boys School band, led by Winston ‘Sparrow’ Martin, will perform at the exhibition opening. For more information about the International Reggae Poster Contest please visit its website.
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Reggae Poster Contest | National Gallery of Jamaica | Alpha Boys School
By Holly Bynoe for Arc Magazine
