Page 7 HILMA SMITH BARNES: Trailblazer in art and art education. A talented figurative artist, Hilma has exhibited her Art in Trinidad in mixed and group displays as well as in solo shows. She also served for 33 years as a secondary school Visual Arts teacher in Trinidad. Several of her students have pursued different aspects of Art as a career. On her retirement, her students mounted a week long exhibition “Brushstrokes of Gratitude” commemorating her artistry and influence. In 2025, the Jamaican High Commission presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award for three decades of outstanding contribution to the Arts in Trinidad and Tobago. DIANE BROWNE (NEE HOOPER-AIKEN): Trailblazer in children and youth literature. Diane has written over 40 stories or books and her works have been published in Jamaica, the United Kingdom and the USA. She has edited textbooks and conducted writing workshops in Jamaica and the Caribbean. In 2004, she was the recipient of a Bronze Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica and in 2011, her story The Happiness Dress won the Commonwealth Foundation Special Prize for the best children’s story. Diane is also the author of the best-selling Abigail’s Glorious Hair. JOAN ANDREA HUTCHINSON, OD, JP: Trailblazer as performance poet, writer, public speaking coach, communications and public relations specialist. Like her friend and mentor, Louise Bennett, Joan Andrea is well known as a Jamaican cultural ambassador. In 1996, wearing Nubian Knots (chiney bumps) on local television, she blazed a trail for wearing natural black hair styles in the media. She has written 3 books, produced 7 CDs, composed a number of skits and songs, and co-written award-winning plays. Her work is included in the syllabus for students pursuing CXC CSEC. Joan Andrea has received a number of prestigious local and international awards for excellence in the promotion of Jamaican language and culture. NADINE SUTHERLAND, OD: Trailblazer in entertainment: Reggae and Dance Hall. Nadine is a singer, songwriter, producer and award winning actress who began performing at six years old when she won the Tastee Talent Competition. When she was 11 years old, she was the first artist signed to Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong label. She has collaborated on numerous hit songs, including providing background vocals for Peter Tosh’s Grammy awarded album ‘No Nuclear War’. In 2024 Nadine received the Caribbean Hall of Fame Music Entertainment Icon Award (Female) as well as the Jamaican Order of Distinction (Officer Class) for her significant contribution to the development of Jamaican Music. More recently, she won an award for her first acting role at the Essence Film Festival in New Orleans. DR. HONOR FORD SMITH: Trailblazer in Theatre and the Arts. Academic, poet and playwright, Honor was the co-founder and artistic director of Sistren Theatre Collective, a group that contributed significantly to the Caribbean Women’s Movement through popular education and community theatre. She edited and contributed to Lionheart Gal: Life Stories of Jamaican Women and was one of the founding mothers of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA). Honor is Associate Professor Emeritus at York University in Canada, and was the recipient in 2022 of the Honorary Associateship Award from the Canadian Association for Theatre Research. DIANE DE LA HAYE (NEE CUNNINGHAM): Trailblazer as screen writer, film maker, story and film editor. Diane is involved in all aspects of film production, and has been Lead Writer and Executive Producer of several TV episodic series in Canada. She conducts workshops on “The Business of Film” and writes and oversees documentaries for children’s shows, feature films and travel docuseries. She won the Best Web Series Award at the Conch Shell International Film Fest (CSIFF) for her work on the series “Fab 4 and the Silent Retreat”. Much of her work has faith-based content. Arts, Culture, and Sports
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