Carolyn Cooper | Joshua Higgins, cultural entrepreneur

Two Saturdays ago, Joshua Higgins, one of Jamaica’s finest visual artists, launched an exhibition of his vibrant work at the AC Marriott Hotel. The venue was the Rock Steady suite. This was most appropriate. ‘Rock Steady’ can be seen as a symbol of the wide range of Jamaican music: the militant sounds of the abeng, Kumina drumming, Nyahbinghi chanting and drumming, mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall, hip-hop, gospel and so many hybrids like Jahfrobeats. Joshua’s exhibition honoured Jamaica’s musical heritage, highlighting a selection of these musical forms. There is an abeng player, Revival and Rastafari drummers and mento performers on the rhumba box and flute.

The centrepiece of the exhibition was “Spirit of Cliff.” There were also seven studies for the work in different media: ink and wash; charcoal; water colour; pastel; coloured marker; coloured pen and coloured pencil. The complex portrait of Jimmy Cliff combined eight images of the iconic singer. The classic pose of Cliff as rude boy Rhygin in The Harder They Come, a gun in each hand, is top and centre. That image intersects with another striking portrayal of the singer with arms uplifted and both index fingers raised in a gun salute. This familiar gesture suggests triumph. But the pain on the singer’s face contrasts with the defiance of Rhygin. It’s as though Joshua undercuts the bravado associated with star bwoy Jimmy Cliff. Instead, there is a sense of vulnerability.

Just below the gun in Rhygin’s left hand, there’s an old-school Shure Brothers microphone, representing the amplification of the singer’s voice. The sound track of The Harder They Come was a major cultural force in the worldwide spread of reggae. The film brilliantly documented the way in which this subversive music became a voice for the poor and dispossessed. It celebrated the defiant human spirit that refuses to be suppressed.

Other vivid images in “Spirit of Cliff” are a drum and guitar. Then there is the ankh on the singer’s hat in another portrait. Wikipedia notes that, “The symbol often appeared in Egyptian art as a physical object representing either life or related substances such as air or water. Commonly depicted in the hands of ancient Egyptian deities, sometimes being given by them to the Pharaoh, it represents their power to sustain life and to revive human souls in the afterlife.” The reggae singer becomes a spiritual force.

AFTER-SURGERY RITUAL

Dr Brian Morgan was the eloquent guest speaker at the launch. On his return to Jamaica in 1971 after completing his training as a dentist at the University of Birmingham in the UK, Brian became a committed patron of the arts. In his reflective remarks, he made this impassioned plea: “As a country, we must recognise that brain drain is not only when we lose our teachers, scientists and managers. We are poorer when we fail to support and retain our artists. May I encourage us to take this exhibition as motivation to make a conscious effort to pay attention, to support, to engage our artists as integral to our national development.”

Brian has long practised what he preaches. Joshua was a student at what was then the Jamaica School Art from 1974-1978. Brian humourously reported that, “Word got around that there was this dentist who had an interest in Jamaican art and would support students by buying their art and doing their fillings pro bono. My then receptionist, Pat Reid, also liked art and would act as a filter. She would tell him: ‘Alright, you can show him that one.’ Thus began what was to become a Friday after-surgery ritual that contributed to Joshua’s and other young artists’ upcoming week’s expenses – at least until Joshua grew large and beyond my capacity.”

That wicked throw-word was Brian’s acknowledgement of Joshua’s ambition to make a good living from his art. Brian did concede that at the time when he was just establishing his dental practice he really could not afford to pay a lot for art. He celebrated the fact that, “There were others whose capacities met Joshua’s growth. His major pieces are in the collections of Mr & Mrs Vincent Chang (also supporters of this occasion); the corporate offices of Scotiabank; Myers, Fletcher & Gordon; Sagicor, among others.”

PROFOUND APPRECIATION

In his response, Joshua expressed his profound appreciation of the foundational role Brian played in supporting art students. He did admit that he was a cultural entrepreneur committed to maximising the returns from his creative work. These days, he no longer sells his originals. He makes reproductions for wide consumption. For him, the value of a work is not based on the fact that only rich people can buy it. Art must be democratised.

On the second day of Josh’s exhibition, I went back to savour the work again. I overheard a conversation between two girls and a woman. Of course, I had to ‘faas.’ I found out that the woman was Rose Washington, an administrator at the Sick Kids Centre for Community and Mental Health in Toronto. The girls were sisters Abigayle and Arianna Hanson in their early teens. Rose had asked them if they knew who Jimmy Cliff was and if they had seen The Harder They Come. Their answer to both questions was ‘No!’

I was not surprised. It’s not enough to have one week, or even a month, in which we focus on our heritage. Children must be systematically taught about their history and culture all year long. The theme of Heritage Week 2023 is “Celebrating a Proud Heritage… Resilient and Strong.” Children cannot celebrate a heritage they do not know. Artists like Joshua Higgins are keeping our culture alive for generations to come. Respect due!

Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a teacher of English language and literature and a specialist on culture and development. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com