IT was a gathering of artistic talent recently, as a number of the participants in the Liguanea Art Festival 2011 launched the annual event. This year’s staging will be held on Sunday, April 17 at the Liguanea Drug and Garden Centre.

“The festival promises to bring patrons the best of Jamaican art, including ceramicists, painters and photographers,” said June Wong, co-owner of Liguanea Drug and Garden Centre, and organiser of the event. “This year, we are bringing back some of the festival favourites, as well as a lot of new faces and talents that will keep the day fresh and exciting for art lovers.”

Of those festival favourites, Jeffrey Perry was on hand at the launch, offering detailed charcoal portraits while the work of Franz Marzouca and Phillip Supersad were also on show, offering a sample of what visitors will be able to view and purchase at the festival. “As an experienced photographer in Jamaica, (I can say) there are not many events that showcase photography as an art form,” said Franz Marzouca. “The Liguanea Art Festival allows photographers to stand beside some of the best creative talents in the island, and bring to a wide audience their particular form of art photography that is both liked and seriously collected.”

Major sponsors of the event include Wisynco, Cari-Med, Appleton, RJR News Group, GraceKennedy, First Global, Scotiabank, Courts, Solid Agency, the Jamaica Observer and CB Chicken.