Denise Reid, Gleaner Writer

The entrance to Outameni Experience

A Taino stands beside a Rastafarian welcoming guests to the Outameni Experience, cementing the fact that Jamaica is a melting pot of identities and cultures, and that we have a land of truly talented artists.

French novelist, Victor Hugo, once said, "There is nothing like a dream to create the future." When Lennie Little-White and his team planned the design that would welcome people into Outameni, he had put away dreams, for he had just the man for the job.

Renowned sculptor Winston Patrick generally deals with abstract forms of art, but he explains tha "the nature of my work is not such", he decided to be a part of the project because of the director's confidence in his work.

Given a sketch, Patrick set to work creating a three dimensional form which will awe patrons for years to come.

Standing at 10 feet and reminiscent of the Jamaican Coat of Arms, a female Taino and a Rastafarian male stand on two separate mini platforms holding a wooden sign.

a model from clay

Taking six months to complete, the sculptor went through a process which began with making a model from clay. A steel structure was then erected and was wrapped with chicken wire. This frame was then clad in fabric and finally covered in fibreglass. The result can be seen at the site today.

According to Patrick, "what interests me most is the size of it." While his present passion lies in trying to marry fine art with industrial design, Patrick says, "I think we did quite well and think the response from patrons will be good."