Kevin was invited to give a TEDx talk for TEDx Chester River. He spoke on the topic of the birth of the steel drum and the challenges of working in an art form that originates in a different culture. Kevin's talk was part of the Turning the Tide event held on March 1 at Washington College that sought to address the question, can one person or a handful of people truly make a difference in the world?
Rockcreek Archives: Kevin tours Trinidad and The World
In 2002, Kevin was invited to be an artist-in-residence aboard The World, a luxury cruise ship, as it toured the Caribbean. For two weeks, Kevin gave lectures and hands-on demonstrations on the history of the steel drums and how they are constructed. He also performed and gave lessons. The trip took him to St. Martin, Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, Martinique, Barbados and Trinidad.
Wow, look how young Kevin looks.
Once in Trinidad, we were lucky enough to find tour guides Bagac and Curtis who showed us around the city and also took us up into the hills. We toured several panyards and visited where Trinidad's annual steel drum competition, Panarama, is held. We also saw some local music and sampled foods from Bagac and Curtis' favorite restaurants, food stands, and pubs. There was plenty of Stag beer had by all.
Congratulations to Kevin - The 2012 Young Audiences of Maryland Teaching Artist of the Year
On April 20, 2012, Kevin was awarded the 2012 Young Audiences of Maryland Artist of the Year award in a ceremony at the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.
Here is the video that was shown to introduce Kevin. It lets you know a little bit of why Kevin was picked.
Hot off the Press: Rockcreek in the News
Our copies of Trumpf Express: Magazine for Sheet Metal Processing in North America arrived today! Kevin was interviewed for the magazine a while back last year. In the article, he talks about how he chooses his barrels to build the traditional steel drums, and confirms what we all know – Kevin loves what he does. Thanks to Joe Karr for the awesome photo. You can find a PDF of the article here.
Rockcreek Archives: Kevin Goes to Chicago
Back in 2008, Kevin traveled to Chicago to work with sculptor James Brenner. The project involved building metal sculptures to be installed at Mt. Greenwood park that would become musical instruments that anyone could play. Designing and building the structures was Brenner's job. Tuning them was Kevin's job.
