By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica has made no secret of it plans to push tourism to its capital — and now Kingston is getting another important boost.

An organization called Kingston Creative is planning to establish a major new art district in the heart of downtown Kingston — an effort that is now being supported by the government of Jamaica.

Jamaica State Minister Alando Terrelonge announced this week that the government would be pledging more than $125,000 USD to the project.

“In 2015, Kingston was designated a City of Music. We now want Kingston to be designated a City of Art and Culture, because we do have the talent and the expertise,” Terrelonge said.

It’s an inspiring idea for a city that has long been one of the Caribbean’s cultural and artistic capitals, and mirrors successful art districts in other cities.

“With these first investments, we are one step closer to seeing the vision realized. We have seen tremendous support for this initiative over the past year, and we look forward to more entities coming on board in 2019,” said Andrea Dempster-Chung, co-founder of Kingston Creative.

The organization already organizes monthly events that gather artists and designers on every fourth Sunday, part of the initial groundwork for the art district plan.

“We have a real opportunity here to achieve social transformation and create a new reality for our talented young creatives. Together, we can leave downtown a safer more beautiful and vibrant place than we found it,” she said.