Edna Manley
Edna Manley , née Swithenbank , (born March 1, 1900 in Bournemouth, Yorkshire , † February 9, 1987 in Kingston) was a Jamaican artist.
Life
Originally from England, Manley married her cousin, the Jamaican politician Norman Washington Manley , in 1921 and moved with him to his home country a year later. She had two sons, Michael Manley , later Prime Minister of Jamaica, and Douglas Manley, who also went into politics.
Manley is one of the first artists in Jamaica to create works of art with an African background. From the 1930s onwards she campaigned for the development of a cultural scene that was independent of the colonial power of Great Britain. She supported the establishment of a junior center to encourage young talent and taught at various art schools. At first she made her works in wood, then later in clay and loam.
The Jamaica School of Art where she taught has been renamed Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts . A replica of her most important work, Negro Aroused , has been installed in Kingston and is a symbol of the emerging awareness of the African origins of a large part of the population.
An important part of her work is exhibited in the National Gallery of Jamaica . In 1980, in recognition of their services, Manley was awarded the Order of Merit , the third highest order in the country.
Honors
- 1929: Silver Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica
- 1943: Institute of Jamaica Gold Musgrave Medal
- 1975: Honorary Degree of Letters from the University of the West Indies
- 1980: Order of Merit
Works
- Whisper
- Into The Mist
- Before Thought
- Moon
- Into The Sun
- Growth
- The ancestor
- The Mother
- Negro Aroused
- Diggers
- Man and Woman
- Bead Sellers
- The trees are joyful
- Rainbow Serpent
- Rising Sun
- prophet
Web links
- Obituary by Gloria Escoffery in the Jamaica Journal Vol.20, No.1 (English)
- Jamaica Information Service via Edna Manley (English)
- Website of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMC) (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Birthday according to the Jamaica Information Service
- ^ Obituary to Edna Manley, London: The Times, Feb. 27, 1987.
- ↑ Office of the Prime Minister: Order of Merit (OM) ( Memento from March 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Manley, Edna |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Swithenbank, Edna (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Jamaican artist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 1, 1900 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bournemouth, Yorkshire , United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 9, 1987 |
| Place of death | Kingston, Jamaica |