Thank You

The CHTA Education Foundation honored the corporate & educational partners of the Foundation during the Opening Ceremony of Marketplace, Jamaica 2011. Tom Pas, Chairman of CHTAEF was thrilled to receive checks on stage from some of our partners.

The CHTA Education Foundation was delighted to work with The Gallery of West Indian Art in Montego Bay. The gallery has been collecting & promoting Jamaican, Cuban and Haitian artists for over 40-years. The Education Foundation commissioned 2 local artisans who have worked with the gallery for many years, to produce our unique brightly painted hand-carved fish tokens of appreciation to our sponsors in 2011.

The carver is 37 year old Mathew Haughton. He was born in Bunkers Hill, Trelawny, where he continues to reside. He is entirely self-taught.

The artist who painted the fish is Melissa Williams. She is 29 years old, from Montego Bay and is mainly self-taught and - having achieved a level of artistry we could not hope to better - works independently & unsupervised, enjoying complete freedom in her choice of colours, designs and patterns.

This continues the annual tradition of the Education Foundation seeking young community artists to produce unique pieces.

Marketplace St Lucia saw the Education Foundation working with Zaka, a master masque & totem carver, who trains local community youth in the craft and at Marketplace Puerto Rico we were happy to join with Gadiel Rivera Herrera who created gorgeous ceramic flowers on hand-carved plaques; he is Artist in Residence at Las America High School and Community Artist & Guide in Caguas – his life work is to train & develop young peoples appreciation and ability in visual arts.

Tom Pas, Chairman CHTAEF, talks with BreakingNews online at Marketplace 2011.