Youth get prizes for heritage art

Adalia Lisk and her mom Brenda Abrahams with the winning entry in the 11 to 18 age category with Unicomer's Shahad Ali, left, and Marie Abdullah of the National Trust at right.
Adalia Lisk and her mom Brenda Abrahams with the winning entry in the 11 to 18 age category with Unicomer's Shahad Ali, left, and Marie Abdullah of the National Trust at right.

THE National Trust, in partnership with Unicomer (Trinidad) Ltd, recognised the creative work of young artists who participated in its Heritage is Me art competition which was done to commemorate the International Day for Monuments and Sites.

Student in the six-18 year range were given five weeks to create and submit an original work of art based on any built or natural heritage site in the country, said a media release from the National Trust.

The youth artists were rewarded at a prize-giving ceremony at Mille Fleurs, Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on April 18, coinciding with the International Day of Monuments and Sites, also known as World Heritage Day.

Topping the six-ten age group was Caleb Bishop with his Caroni Bird Sanctuary and Me which was inspired by a field trip where a “flock of scarlet ibis (was) forming a sea of red in the mangroves.”

A True Queen by Adalia Lisk won the 11-18 group with a creative interpretation of the architectural design of Queen’s Royal College.

Unicomer's Shahad Ali, left, and Marie Abdullah of the NAtional Trust, right, with People's Choice winner and his art Adriel Ghany.

The Best Representation of a Built Heritage Site was won by Brittney Jagmohan's Admiring the Stollmeyer Castle. Her wish is for “all of us to deepen our appreciation of the diversity present in TT’s built heritage,” the release said.

Best Representation of a Natural Heritage Site was won by Makadi Rojas with The Caroni Bird Sanctuary. Rojas says this location appealed to her because it is one of Trinidad’s most serene sites, with its famous mangroves and scarlet ibis on the glistening swamp.

Best Representation of Tobago Heritage Site went to Shemar Thomas from Tobago with The Old Anglican Church at Les Coteaux. Thomas hopes through his work others will be encouraged to have a deeper appreciation of the wooden buildings that form part of Tobago’s rich cultural heritage.

The People’s Choice award, Beauty worth Defending by Adriel Ghany, reflected on the Tobago heritage site of Fort King George, which overlooks Scarborough. As a military heritage site, the young artist explained, this offered protection in the past – and its defence of the country is the reason why TT has beautiful things to witness today.

Given the competition's theme, Complex Past, Diverse Futures for the International Day of Monuments and Sites 2021, chairwoman of the National Trust Margaret McDowall explained it is critical to preserve and conserve TT's cultural heritage, whatever form it may take. She reaffirmed the trust’s commitment to this task and the importance of creating an awareness within the youth of the importance of the built and natural heritage of TT to the fabric of our identity. McDowall expressed her pleasure at the quality and number of submissions received and congratulated all participants, the release said.

Unicomer’s public relations officer Shahad Q Ali also expressed his amazement at the quality of the submissions by students from across the country.

Neisha Ghany of the National Trust and Unicomer (Trinidad) Shahad Ali celebrate with Caleb Bishop for his best entry in the six to ten age category.

He said, “The students illustrated such passion, emotion and dedication to artistic pieces that required time, creative thought and vision. It is our hope that we can continue to develop a relationship with the National Trust of TT to foster a greater national appreciation for our heritage.”

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