Nine days of KOTE 2014

Kingston on the Edge (KOTE), the largest visual and performing arts festival in the English-speaking Caribbean, kicks off its seventh staging today at Redbones Blues Café in New Kingston.

The festival, which features the latest work by some of Kingston's leading painters, sculptors, dancers, dramatists, performance artists, poets and musicians (among others) will be a nine-day long exploration of the artistic spirit of Kingston, one of the world's famous cities.

The theme of this year's KOTE festival is 'Balance' and participants have been invited to interpret the theme as they see fit, with a view to creating an open conversation about what is an issue of central importance to us all.

Variety of venues

As customary, KOTE takes place in a wide variety of venues and spaces, from the seaside to the mountains, providing a reminder of the multiplicity of possible experiences in the city. Particularly exciting for the organisers is the KOTE event at the Ward Theatre, Kingston, on Sunday, June 22. A part of ongoing efforts to revitalise the Ward Theatre in particular, and downtown Kingston in general, the event presents a mix of classical, jazz, ska and modern music, with dance, drama and performance art as well.

Sunday's event at the Ward is a fitting microcosm of KOTE 2014, providing a space for different art forms and artistes to meet, influence and combine with each other, which is a necessary part of a healthy artistic process.

KOTE 2014 will last nine days, from June 20 to 29.

Among the events that are part of the festival to next Thursday are:

Saturday, June 21:

Artopia, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Grosvenor Gallery, Grosvenor Terrace.

Body Politics, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Grosvenor Gallery.

Jamnesia Sessions, 10 p.m. to 1a.m., Jamnesia Surf Club, 8 Miles, Bull Bay.

Sunday, June 22:

KOTE Kid's Paradise, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., 3 Stanton Terrace (runs through June 28).

Hidden Colours, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Liberty Hall, 76 King Street.

Ward Theatre Project, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Ward Theatre, North Parade, Kingston.

Monday, June 23

Art Talks, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sanaa Studios, 25 Barbican Road.

KOTE Film Night, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., 3 Stanton Terrace.

Tuesday, June 24

Final Year Show, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Poetry Society Fellowship, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Capoeira Workshop, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., 25 Annette Crescent, off upper Waterloo Road.

Wednesday, June 25

Amelioration, 6 p.m - 10 p.m., Spanish Court Hotel, 1 St Lucia Avenue.

Pecha Kucha 20 x 20, 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Spanish Court Hotel, 1 St Lucia Avenue.

Dubwise, 10 p.m. until, Whitebones, 1 Mannings Hill Road.

Thursday, June 26

Social Atrocities, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Olympia Art Gallery, 202 Old Hope Road.

Canopy Guild Closing, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., NLS Gallery, 190 Mountain View Avenue.

Broken Sky, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., Bolivar Gallery, 1D Grove Road.