Jamaica is known worldwide for its creativity and ingenuity in the music industry but the country's creative collective has much more to offer than just infectious rhythms and conscious lyrics.
NLS (New Local Space) is a Kingston based visual arts program that is dedicated to bridging the gap between Jamaica's vibrant art scene and the global art landscape.
"NLS collaborates with art organisations outside of Jamaica to curate exhibitions of work by Jamaican artists. We also facilitate artist residencies wherein international and local artists share their working methods and art with Jamaican audiences and Jamaican artists travel abroad to do the same," Anzinger revealed, adding that NLS is looking to nourish Jamaica's art scene.
For its latest project, NLS is hoping to import American visual artist, Wilmer Wilson IV, as the first artist in its artist residency program. To raise money for the initiative NLS is going a more contemporary route, having launched the project on the online crowd-funding platform - Kickstarter.
Wilson will be using discarded paper materials such as party flyers and lottery tickets to make sculptures that according to Anzinger will function as cultural archives.
Kickstarter was launched in 2009 as a new way for creative projects to raise necessary capital. It provides a virtual forum for creative everywhere to reach out to anyone willing and able to help fund their projects.
So far NLS has raised US$1,525 of the US$2,750 needed to fund Wilson's three month residency here in Jamaica.
Because of Kickstarter's all-or-nothing rule which requires projects to reach their funding goals before they receive any money, Anzinger is crossing her fingers in hopes that she will raise what she needs in time for her May 28 deadline.
Only four other Jamaican projects have been fully funded through Kickstarter to date.
Those looking to support the cause can log on to Kickstarter and search for NLS to make a pledge or reach out to nls.kingston@gmail.com.
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