Edward Rupert Burrowes
| Edward Rupert Burrowes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 September 1903 Barbados |
| Died | 1966 (aged 63) |
| Nationality | Guyanese |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Known for | Working People's Art Class |
Edward Rupert Burrowes MBE (15 September 1903 – 1966) was an artist and art teacher who founded the Working People's Art Class (WPAC), the first established art institution in Guyana. The E R Burrowes School of Art, an undergraduate institution accredited by the University of Guyana, is named after him.
Burrowes was born in Barbados in 1903, of African origin. He arrived in Guyana as a young child. His father worked for the privately owned Daily Chronicle. After his father's death, the family had little money to live on. When Burrowes left primary school he became a tailor's apprentice. He continued to study from books, and passed examinations in English Language and Literature, English History, and Scripture. He passed the City and Guilds examinations at an unusually young age, and was able to open his own tailoring shop.
Burrowes was interested in art from an early age, and had natural talent. Unable to afford to buy paints, he worked out how to make them using tailor's chalk. He was a frequent visitor to the Georgetown Museum, and was fascinated by the Indian artefacts and displays of Guyanese geology that he saw there. The British Guiana Arts and Crafts Society (BGACS) was formed in 1932, and Burrowes became a member. The established BGACS members were impressed by the talent he displayed in his landscape and genre paintings. The latter depicted working-class people in everyday scenes.
Burrowes began teaching Working Peoples' Free Art Class, which influenced artists such as Dr Denis Williams. His goal was to give ordinary working people an opportunity to develop their artistic talents. Burrowes founded the WPAC in 1948. In 1949 he received a British Council scholarship which let him attend the Brighton College of Art, where he specialised in block printing. When he returned after a year, he was appointed Art teacher at the Government Teachers' Training College. In the 1954 New Year Honours, Burrowes was appointed a Member of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire for services to art in British Guiana. In 1956 he was teaching Art and Art History at Queen's College. He died aged 63 in 1966.
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