“Folk, Fancy, Fashionable, Fine: Furniture in Jamaica 1720-1900,” Exhibition to Open at the Institute of Jamaica (Apr-17-2007) Mounted by the Museums of History and Ethnography of the Institute of Jamaica, “Folk, Fancy, Fashionable, Fine: Furniture in Jamaica 1720-1900”, will open at the Institute of Jamaica, on Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 4:00 p.m.  The exhibition examines the stylistic and historical development of furniture making in Jamaica within the broader context of educating the populace about the “complexity of the colonial encounter as well as its impact on material production and consumption in the Caribbean.”    Spanning two centuries of work, an 18th century piece made in 1720 is used as the point of departure for this exhibition, which chronologically charts the growth and development of the cabinet making industry up to the late 1900s. “Folk, Fancy, Fashionable, Fine: Furniture in Jamaica 1720-1900” will seek to engage discussion and explore the impact that the movement of cabinet makers and their wares between Jamaica, other West Indian territories and North America had on furniture design and quality.  The exhibition also offers a comparative view of the development of the furniture industry in Britain and the USA. The stylistic developments of furniture as it relates to design, the types of material used and the decorative art, reflect the influence of colonialism, its ideologies and power relations. As 2007 marks the bicentenary of the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Trade in Africans, “Folk, Fancy, Fashionable, Fine: Furniture in Jamaica 1720-1900” also explores the role of the enslaved and free blacks in the cabinet making industry. A feature of this exhibition is the retention of African craft in the colonial cabinet making industry. This distinguishing character demarcates those made in the colonies as opposed to those manufactured in the metropole.  Of note, is the work of Black Cabinet Maker Henry Page, who it is believed gained his “freedom” at the time of emancipation and became a leading cabinet maker in the immediate post-emancipation period.   In keeping with the mandate of the Museums of History and Ethnography to “encourage serious research and reflection on Jamaica’s history and contemporary life” the exhibition is intended to be a detailed exposition of this important, yet under-explored aspect of Jamaica’s material culture.    Governor General of Jamaica, His Excellency The Most Honourable Professor Kenneth Hall, ON, OJ, will officially open the exhibition at a ceremony to be held in the Institute of Jamaica Lecture Hall, Corner, East and Tower Streets, Kingston.