So it’s Carnival time in Trinidad, and depending on the band you’ve signed up with you’d probably have your two days chocked full of derrières, drinks and din.  It’s a sensory experience, to say the least…

But in the event your eyes happen to wander, make sure they wander across to the walls of the Queen’s Park Oval, on Port of Spain’s Tragarete Road.  Originally, host of local and international cricket matches – and stomping ground of cricket star Brian Lara, the Oval is now proprietor of the People’s Canvas:  a melange of artwork splashed across the outside walls.

Directed by the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago, these mural inscriptions are replicas of original work by a score of local artists (including Jackie Hinkson, Makemba Kunle and Peter Sheppard) and are artistic odes.  In addition to being really good art, this project encouraged local corporations to flash brand the Oval wall instead of the rusting billboard overlooking the Churchill Roosevelt highway, while saluting Trinidad’s artistic heritage and supporting public art.

Clearly, a little change in marketing strategy never hurt anyone…

Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago | Corner Jamaica Boulevard and St. Vincent Avenue, Federation Park, Port of Spain | 868-622-9827 | E-mail: admin@artsocietytt.org