-public urged to support local artists

IN honour of its 20th anniversary, local artists, in collaboration with Eiripan, with support for the Christmas for Makanaima’s Angels project, are hosting the ‘Art for Angels’ exhibition and sale.

The exhibition which is being held at the Black Magenta on Camp Street, Georgetown, began on Wednesday and ends today.

For every artist present, a portion of the proceeds from their work that is sold goes toward the Art for Angels project. Art of Angels was created in an effort to not only raise funds for the Christmas project, but to showcase and bring attention to the unique talent of local artists.

One of the co-founders of Eiripan, Melanie McTurk, during her speech at the short opening ceremony on Wednesday, stated that the Art for Angels project came on as a way to marry two passions: create a space for the art work of artists to be seen, and to celebrate local Guyanese artists.

Eiripan is derived from a Macushi word meaning ‘to share’. During her time residing in Karanambo, Region Nine, with her new baby, Melanie noted that with all the advantages, support, and friends she had, she realised how incredibly difficult it was for parents who are just trying to get their children into school and keep them in school in those communities.

With this in mind, she approached several of her friends and proposed her idea to them to promote literacy in hinterland communities, leading to the creation of the Eiripan.

Annually, an estimated 1,000 children benefit from Eiripan projects such as Christmas for Makanaima’s Angels, Good Job Awards, Classroom Enhancement Kits, Sanitation Drive and the Book Drive.

Eiripan works directly with local institutions such as village councils, health workers, school teachers, and community-based NGOs in all our projects. The volunteers come from various backgrounds, ranging from University of Guyana students to international volunteers and office workers.

Through the organisation, a few young volunteers from the coastal areas of Guyana are given the opportunity to visit and learn about Guyana’s hinterland communities.