Her father Maurice Facey, OJ, funded the National Gallery and also was committed to contributing to Jamaica through nation-building and the architecture of the New Kingston district.

[1] His death was deeply felt within the community of the National Gallery of Jamaica due to his leadership and support of his wife who went on to contribute to her country in her own ways.

[1] Specifically Valerie Facey founded the Mill Press, which has 'produced memorable, award-winning books' about Jamaican art, poetry, biography, cuisine, history, and so much more.

[3] Laura Facey lives in the hills of St Ann, Jamaica, where she combines her artwork with organic farming and community development work.

[5] Facey also works in drawing and fine art print media, and she has illustrated two children's books, both on environmental themes: Talisman the Goat (1976) and Chairworm and Supershark (1992).

The human body and the land, sea and natural bounty of Jamaica have provided Laura Facey with a range of metaphors to address themes of personal and collective trauma and of spiritual transformation, transcendence and healing.

Facey's work on the 2003 Emancipation monument marked the start of a sustained thematic interest in the legacy of plantation slavery, as an experience of collective trauma and a defining moment in Jamaican history.

Redemption Song, which was unveiled on the eve of Emancipation Day, on 31 July 2003, consists of two nude bronze figures, male and female, who stand in a round pool of water, which is part of the monument's fountain base, and who gaze up to the sky.

"[16] While intended as a hopeful and unifying image of spiritual transcendence and healing, Redemption Song did not find favour with all and the resulting controversy lasted for several months and reached the international media.

[17] The debate revolved mainly around the nudity, passivity and lack of historical specificity of the statues, as well as around the identity of the artist as a light-skinned Jamaican, and whether these choices were appropriate for a public monument to Emancipation.