Sagicor Foundation has pumped $25 million into the rebuilding of the Hope Brooks Painting Studios, at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA) in St Andrew. Ground was broken at the facility last week.
The Edna Manley College is one of the beneficiaries of the 25th Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run in 2023. The $25 million is part of what was a record-breaking J$91.8 million raised by the event. Work on the facility will commence shortly, and should be completed by the first quarter of 2025.
President and CEO of Sagicor Group Jamaica, Christopher Zacca, said, “when we witnessed the damage to the studio by a fire, it was an easy decision for us to support this rebuilding”. Zacca, who is also Chairman of the Sagicor Foundation, said this is more than a construction project, “it’s an investment in Jamaica’s creative or orange economy, which is a critical pillar of national growth”.
Sagicor’s support will see establishing a new and improved facility, where students and faculty can continue to create, innovate, and inspire. Principal of the Edna Manley College, Dorrett Campbell, said the ground-breaking represents “a moment of triumph and renewal”.
She said, “The fire that engulfed the Hope Brooks Studio in October 2021 was more than a physical loss; [it] tested our resilience as an institution.” Campbell says the new facility “is an investment in the future of art in Jamaica and the Caribbean and the future of art education in the international arena.”
The Hope Brooks Painting Studio was named in honour of the former Head of the Visual Arts School at Edna Manley College. Brooks said the ground-breaking is “a great moment” representing “support for the arts which is very important to the development of this country”. Brooks still serves as an adjunct lecturer at the tertiary institution.
The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts is the only one of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean.
The paediatric unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) was also a 2023 Sigma Run beneficiary. Next year’s event, slated for February 16 will be launched on December 10.