PREPARATIONS for the Jamaica Biennial 2017, set to open on February 24, are moving into high gear with the selection of the juried section of the exhibition taking place tomorrow and Tuesday.

The juried section of the biennial is open to artists resident in Jamaica and artists living elsewhere, but who were born in Jamaica or are of Jamaican parentage. For the juried section of the Jamaica Biennial 2017, the National Gallery has received 176 qualifying entries by 110 artists. The panel of judges for 2017 consists of two international judges — Amanda Coulson and Christopher Cozier — and two local judges — Susanne Fredricks and Omari Ra. Artists will be notified about selections by January 13.

In addition to the juried section, the Jamaica Biennial 2017 will consist of select international artists Jamaican artists who are on the National Gallery’s invited list.

This year there will be two special tributes to the senior painter Alexander Cooper and the late photographer and multimedia artist Peter Dean Rickards.

The biennial will be shown at several simultaneous venues, namely at the National Gallery of Jamaica and Devon House in Kingston, and at National Gallery West at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre.

The event was originally scheduled for late last year; however, the National Gallery shifted the date to accommodate what executive director Dr Verlee Poupeye described as more time “to explore a new, more feasible timeline and new synergies with local and international art events”.

Artists who exhibit at the biennial will be eligible for two major prizes — the Aaron Matalon Award for what is deemed to be the best entry; and the Dawn Scott Memorial Award, which is selected by art critic Edward Madrid Gomez and given to the artist who best reflects Scott’s values.