Edna Manley

Life

A native of England Manley married in 1921 her cousin, the Jamaican politician Norman Washington Manley, and went with him a year later in his home. She had two sons, Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica later, and Douglas Manley, who also went into politics.

Manley is one of the first artists in Jamaica, who created works of art with an African background. From the 1930s she campaigned for the development of a body independent of the colonial power Britain 's cultural scene. They supported the establishment of a junior center for the demand of the offspring and taught at various art schools. First she performed her works in wood, to later in clay and loam.

The Jamaica School of Art, where she taught, was renamed the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts. A replica of their most important works, Negro Aroused was erected in Kingston, she is a symbol of the emerging awareness of the African origin of much of the population.

An important part of her work is exhibited in the National Gallery of Jamaica. In recognition of their contributions Manley was awarded in 1980 the Order of Merit, the third- highest decoration of the country.

Honors

Works

• Whisper
• Into The Mist
• Before Thought
• Moon
• Into The Sun
• Growth
• The Ancestor
• The Mother
• Negro Aroused
• Diggers
• Man and Woman
• Bead Sellers
• The Trees are Joyful
• Rainbow Serpent
• Rising Sun
• Prophet