The late Teacher Leonora Barbieri with some of her students.
SOUTH REWARD--St. Dominic High School has launched the Teacher Leonora Barbieri Memorial Visual Arts Scholarship to honour the legacy of the late educator, artist and DJ Leonora Barbieri while supporting students with a passion for visual arts.
The scholarship was created through fundraising efforts and donations from Barbieri’s friends, family and the all-female DJ group she performed with in Italy, the Calabash Crew. The initiative aims to help young artists at the school continue their studies while embracing the creativity, cultural appreciation and empowerment of women in music and art that Barbieri represented.
Barbieri was remembered as an enthusiastic educator and creative spirit whose life reflected a love for art, music and cultural expression. Words written by her mother, Manuela Toffanin, captured that legacy: “Leonora, a young woman: artist, teacher, DJ, in love with the world and all its different expressions.”
Members of the Calabash DJ Crew, Valentina Pini, Cristina Spinetti, Francesca Ariatta and Ilaria Perrone, visited St. Dominic to officially announce the scholarship and meet with the school’s art students.
They shared that Barbieri was one of the founders of the Milan-based Calabash Crew, an all-female DJ collective. She had been a DJ since 2012 and remained passionate about collecting vinyl records and organising parties in Milan. Her work was heavily influenced by reggae and dancehall culture, which was reflected in her artwork that often featured Jamaican musicians and singers.
According to the group, Barbieri was confident and natural on stage and served as a leader within the DJ crew, approaching every performance with positive energy and a peaceful mindset. Alongside her work as a DJ, she was also active as a graphic designer and photographer.
“We can say she lived her life as a true artist,” the group shared.
The scholarship will support a St. Dominic High School student who demonstrates a clear passion for the visual arts and who embodies Barbieri’s values of artistic freedom and cultural appreciation.
To be eligible, applicants must be rising Form 5 students, currently in Form 4, taking CSEC Visual Arts or applying to the IB Diploma Programme with Visual Arts as an exam subject. Students must also show enthusiasm and positive involvement in visual arts-related extracurricular activities or community projects and demonstrate strong artistic ability through a portfolio of original work.
Applicants must submit a portfolio of three to eight pieces aligned with at least one of several themes: female DJ culture, the Calabash Crew, reggae music culture, women in music, or women in art.
Additional submission requirements include a 500- to 750-word personal statement explaining their passion for visual arts and one recommendation from a Visual Arts teacher. Shortlisted candidates may also be invited for an interview.
The scholarship provides financial support of up to XCG 450 toward the recipient’s continued studies in Visual Arts and will be formally presented during the school’s end-of-year awards ceremony.
Students interested in applying are encouraged to begin preparing their portfolios and artist statements. The application deadline is May 9, and further details will be available on the school’s website at www.stdominichighschool.org. For additional information, persons can contact St. Dominic High School at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
