Saint Lucian sculptor Jallim Eudovic was this week named a 2020 laureate by the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence. Launched in 2006 by the ANSA Mcal Foundation, the program seeks to recognize significant achievements and to encourage and support the pursuit of excellence by people from the Caribbean. The foundation advocates that talent in the region must be sought out, brought to light and encouraged. Awarded to individuals age 35-55, the areas of recognition are: Arts & Letters, Science and Technology, Public and Civic Contributions and Entrepreneurship.
Eudovic was awarded in the Arts & Letters category and is the second Saint Lucian to be recognised by the organization, the first being Adrian Augier who in 2010 was similarly recognized under Arts & Letters. The other 2020 laureates are Guyanese David Mendes (entrepreneurship); Jamaican Dr. Olivia Burke (public & civic contributions) and Trinidadian Dr. Shirin Haque (science & technology).
While announcing the laureates on Tuesday, the foundation’s secretary Maria Superville-Neilson observed that awardees have a track record of superior work and had demonstrated excellence, leadership and a pioneering ability. “They are in mid-career,” she said, “ and are expected to go on to significant future achievements, fulfilling their promise and potential. Their work can be benchmarked and is likely to be of tremendous benefit to our region. As such, these are not lifetime achievement awards.”
She noted that Eudovic’s work had been commissioned as gifts for Prince Harry and Duchess Kate; Prince Charles; the Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg; President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador; former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet and the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. Eudovic serves on the board of the Cultural Development Foundation, and is an executive member of the St. Lucia Archaeological and Historic Society. These roles, Superville-Neilson said, have deepened Eudovic’s passion for Saint Lucia’s creative industries. A tangible outcome is the launching of Eudovic’s company Papa Bois, a venture that seeks to rescue the indigenous basket weavers and potters from St Lucia’s craft mecca, Choiseul, from economic collapse.
Superville-Nielson also praised Eudovic’s works that have been showcased at exhibitions such as the Afro Future Art Exhibition (Miami, 2019), the Zari Gallery (London, 2016), Carifesta, Suriname (2013), the Stephen Lawrence Centre in London (2016) and the 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel (New York, 2017). “One of his most consistent foreign ports of call is China, where he has been invited to create public works for the cities of Zhengzhou, Changchun and Fuzhou since 2008,” she said.
It emerged that Eudovic was in China on Tuesday when the STAR interviewed him: He recalled that even at age five he was already creating art pieces. Referencing his latest accolade, he said: “I was extremely elated. I’m the second Saint Lucian to receive this award so I’m following in the gigantic footsteps of Adrian Augier. This is an award not just for myself but for all of Saint Lucia. This is a statement that we can achieve and that we can function at the highest levels. My heart right now is filled with humility, pride, joy. A whole load of positive feelings.”
He advised fellow Saint Lucians in the creative industry not to be deterred by criticism and to remain true to themselves. “Just look at our stalwarts like Sir Derek Walcott, Sir Arthur Lewis, Ronald Boo Hinkson, Luther Francois, Adrian Augier, Vladimir Lucien and so many others who have blazed the trail and have put us on various maps globally. I would like my fellow artists and artisans to be more epic in their thinking and know that the world is their oyster, that they can achieve and attain anything their hearts desire.”
