Twenty four persons Friday evening graduated after completing courses in various disciplines at the Burrowes School of Art, under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
An exhibition was also declared open by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, which featured the work of the graduates. Students were awarded Diplomas and Certificates in painting, sculpture, textile design, ceramics, graphics and drawing.
There were also a Modular Art and a One-year Beginner’s programme which students attended in the evenings.
The students’ final pieces were assessed by local examiners, assisted by an external examiner, Anthony Butts from Trinidad and Tobago.
Minister Anthony congratulated the students and stated that they are now part of the list of outstanding artists who have passed through the art school.
He added that the students should emulate those local artists who have distinguished themselves in the country as well as in the Caribbean and even further afield.
Minister Anthony said that the Ministry will have to find ways in which the art institution can be further developed to attract more students, and expressed disappointment over the small number of students seeking to enroll at the school in the recent years.
He pointed out that the Ministry is willing to renovate the school and provide more equipment to satisfy the needs of additional students and ensure progress, and urged the school’s administration to re-examine the system and the structure.
The Culture Minister suggested that the school implement computer learning skills, including computer graphics and web site designs and other application skills, since these are in demand as the world becomes more technologically inclined.
Director of Studies Kathleen Thompson said that this is the first time that the graduates from the one-year programme had a chance to display their final creations .
She congratulated the graduates and urged them to continue to work hard in order to be successful in the future.
Butts said he was pleased to see that many of the drawings were of  the human form, which was compulsory in the drawing course.
He suggested that animation be implemented into the curriculum as a pilot project, in line with President Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent disclosure of providing computers to families across the country.
The Burrowes School of Art was established in September 1975 and had graduated scores of accomplished Guyanese artists, sculptors and craftsmen over the years. (GINA)