Announcing Selected Artists from the Second Fresh Milk/Healing Arts Initiative Open Call!

January 6, 2023Leave a comment

The Fresh Milk Art Platform, Future Centre Trust, Environ Ltd (Adopt A Stop Barbados) and The Healing Arts Initiative in partnership with CULTURUNNERS as part of the World Health Organization are pleased to announce the Barbadian artists, selected by jury members across each participating entity, who will design new works to be incorporated into bus shelters placed in rural, underserved communities around the island.

Joshua Clarke, Versia Harris and Amelia Rouse will provide artwork for the bus shelters. Congratulations to the artists, and in early 2023 we look forward to launching all of the artworks from both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this collaborative venture!

Learn more about the artists and see previews of their proposed artworks below.

About Joshua Clarke:

Joshua Clarke

Concept sketch (side panel) of Joshua Clarke’s proposed work for one of the bus shelters

Joshua Clarke is a graduate of the Barbados Community College with a BFA in Graphic Design. He has worked in game development as a character, environment and concept artist (Le Loupgarou), as sequential artist on graphic novels (Power in the Blood GreenBook Comics 2020) was a semifinalist in the Kingstoon Pitch Competition(Junkyard Dragon 2019) and is the winner of the first Black Celebration in the Future art contest(2020). A childhood spent reading has given him a lifelong love of storytelling and an inability to put the pencil down has drawn him inexorably to his career in illustration and concept art. A student of culture and history he attempts to capture that same joy and wonder of the stories that inspire him while ensuring representation of the fullness of Blackness in his work. His work shows a particular focus on Afrofuturism and Afrofantasy as he seeks to claim space of diasporic Afro Caribbean identity in the stories that shape our collective imagination.

Excerpt from his proposal for the bus shelter:

Afrofuturism, Solarpunk and Caribbean identity. These are the three pillars I hope to explore
and illustrate with the work. As a piece of public art that exists to be pored over repeatedly
I’d like to create a multilayered work that the viewer can find a bit of respite and enjoyment in
every time they see it anew … In the move toward resilience in the face of climate change education is vital, there are many facets to education but with illustration comes imagination, it’s one thing to conceive of implementation of green technology, it’s another to see it incorporated in a unique and appealing way – water tanks, reforestation, solar panels, wind turbines, vertical gardening etc. A visually dynamic piece that captures the embrace of potential for the possible. I myself have felt futility and despair as I think of a small island’s role in the face of climate change. Paying the debt to nature of an industrial world is a daunting one, and one need only watch the news to see the first signs of what’s to come. But we are still here, we are still alive, and while we live there are concrete steps we can take to prepare to survive and thrive in the face of what is to come.

About Versia Harris:

Versia Harris

Concept sketch (side panel) of Versia Harris’ proposed work for one of the bus shelters

Barbadian artist Versia Harris received her BFA in Studio Art in 2012. She has done a number of residences in the Caribbean and North and South America and has exhibited in London, China, Nigeria, Moscow, Michigan and Aruba. She was awarded a Fulbright Laspau Scholarship in 2017 and received her MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan USA in May, 2019, where she also earned a Mercedes-Benz Financial Services New Beginnings Award. In 2022, Versia took part in Documenta15 with Alice Yard and exhibited in Grimmwelt Museum in Kassel, Germany. She continues to exhibit internationally, while teaching at The Barbados Community College.

Excerpt from her proposal for the bus shelter:

Human beings and nature are inextricably linked, as our well being and mental health is supported by the outdoors and green spaces. The pandemic and the volcanic eruption, that forced us indoors, darkened our lives and our skies, was inevitably going to create a sour period of time and recovery. The isolation caused by social distancing, left cold, many physical connections often taken for granted and the volcanic eruption exacerbated the separation by forcing us to close our windows … The work I am submitting for this project is about going through the layers and portals of the mind, that is also the mirror to the outer scape. A journey that can seem like turmoil, as if being in a hole deep in the earth, looking up at an unreachable sky, or being overwhelmed by a a great wave; to constantly look up and out for hope and light. What do we see and feel when we look up? What do we see when we look in. With what what eyes do we look out? I hope that my bench will be a place of wonder and refection for the sitters. To see the portals of their own mind reflected back at them as an invitation to stay reverent to the outdoors while connected to the call and lure of their mysterious inner worlds.

About Amelia Rouse:

Amelia Rouse

Concept sketch (side panel) of Amelia Rouse’s proposed work for one of the bus shelters

Amelia Rouse is a self-taught artist from Barbados. Her practice incorporates drawing and digital collage. She likes to explore nature, humans, technology and urban decay in her art, and is inspired by sci-fi, surrealism, afrofuturism and life in Barbados by the sea.

Excerpt from her proposal for the bus shelter:

Although I have always loved the beach, swimming and diving, I enjoy hiking, parks and gardens and feel many persons around Barbados do too. I would like to spread my love for nature and the plants within it by combining nostalgic stories and ink illustrations. When I go hiking, I like to take as many pictures as possible of the plants and animals I see. But recently I have just been going out into my garden to take photos of trees, fruits, bees, anything in the natural world that interests me that day. I think documenting the nature around me helps me to engage with it more … I decided to illustrate two pieces, depicting in the outdoors using an old poem and a story I heard from several friends and my parents. To pay tribute to many tropical plants, fruit and flowers we enjoy here in Barbados, I collected references and took photos to use as part of the illustrations. I hope these pieces inspire persons of all ages to go outside more, hike, picnic and enjoy the benefits of Barbados flora and fauna.

ABOUT THE Project PARTNERS:

CULTURUNNERS produces cross-cultural campaigns, exhibitions and journeys, promoting peace-building & sustainable development through art. Launching at MIT in 2014, CULTURUNNERS’ first project was a multi-year artists’ road-trip broadcasting between the United States and the Middle East. It has since grown to encompass large-scale cultural exchange and diplomacy projects, an artist-led media platform, artists’ spaces and partnerships with institutions around the world.

Fresh Milk is an artist-led, non-profit organisation founded in 2011 and based in Barbados. It is a platform which supports excellence in the visual arts through residencies and programmes that provide Caribbean artists with opportunities for development, fostering a thriving art community.

Fresh Milk offers professional support to artists from the Caribbean and further afield and seeks to stimulate critical thinking in contemporary visual art. Its goal is to nurture artists, raise regional awareness about contemporary arts and provide Caribbean artists with opportunities for growth, excellence and success.

The Future Centre Trust is a non-governmental organisation focused on raising awareness of environmental impacts to Barbados and the planet with a vision to be “a catalyst for sustainable living today and tomorrow”. It is the main executing entity for the Barbados Trailway Project – a paved bicycle and pedestrian path located primarily on right-of-way lands of the former Barbados Railway.

This network of multi-purpose walking, hiking, running and cycling trails will provide year round recreational access for both locals and visitors, considerably expanding much needed public green space on the island.

For the past 25 years, Adopt A Stop has provided regional and international companies with a unique opportunity to display their products and services on bus shelters and benches in Barbados. The concept for Adopt A Stop was created by Barbadian Barney Gibbs while studying at Cambridge University. The project was then introduced to the island in 1993 as a socially-conscious way to provide a much-needed amenity. The priority was tropical designs constructed with local materials, placed at prime locations to give maximum impact.

The traveling public has embraced the project. The medium provides popular seating and shade for users; while increasing traffic rates mean drivers and passengers are frequently stopped in front of sponsor’s signage.

DEADLINE EXTENDED – Fresh Milk/Healing Arts Initiative: Call for Artworks #2

October 4, 2022November 4, 2022Leave a comment

Earlier this year, The Fresh Milk Art Platform, Future Centre Trust, Environ Ltd (Adopt A Stop Barbados) and The Healing Arts Initiative in partnership with CULTURUNNERS as part of the World Health Organization, welcomed proposals by Barbadian-based contemporary artists for artworks to be installed along the Barbados Trailway.

While we plan for the upcoming launch and unveiling of these pieces to the public, we are thrilled to announce Phase 2 of our collaboration, with our second open call for works. This time around, three Barbadian artists will be selected to have their artwork featured on solar bus shelters, to be installed in rurally located, underserved areas of the island.

IMPORTANT DATES for PHASE 2:

Open Call Announcement: October 4th, 2022
Extended Submission Deadline: December 2nd, 2022
Jury Review of Proposals: December 3rd – December 9th, 2022
Artists Informed: December 12th, 2022
Public announcement of results: December 16th, 2022
Production of new works: December 18th, 2022 – January 27th, 2023
Submission of completed works: January 27th, 2023
Production and installation of works: January-February 2023

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

This project recognises the role of the arts sector in addressing the growing mental health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed and further impacted by the La Soufriere volcanic eruption and Category 1 Hurricane Elsa.

The pandemic and occurrence of natural disasters have reminded us of the value of green spaces and the natural environment to enhance our physical, mental and spiritual wellness. It is well known that people, and children in particular, recover better and flourish in the outdoors. While Barbados is blessed with many beaches where locals can recreate, there isn’t enough variety of safe outdoor recreational activities promoting active mobility for young people and families.

The Future Centre Trust has been working for some time to repurpose the historic train line located in the south-central part of the island in the St. George Valley.

With the support of the Healing Arts Initiative, Fresh Milk is pleased to be collaborating with the Future Centre Trust and Environ Ltd (Adopt A Stop Barbados) to work with local artists and to strategically install these artistic interventions on the trailway as a linear outdoor exhibition opportunity, giving artists a chance to contribute to this dynamic and highly anticipated public project. Secondly, we propose the intervention of three additional outreach solar bus shelters to be placed in underserved rural communities.

Healing Arts launched in 2020 under the auspices of the World Health organization as part of The Future is Unwritten, a global initiative calling for urgent cooperation between the Arts Sector and United Nations Agencies in order to amplify and accelerate implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the most ambitious and comprehensive global development plan in human history. With leading UN Agencies describing the recent pandemic as nature’s first ‘warning shot’ to civilizations playing with fire, global cultural action that contributes to the envisioning and shaping of a more resilient, healthy and sustainable future is now more urgent than ever.

Established as part of the United Nations’ 75th Anniversary Programme (UN75) and Decade of Action, Healing Arts 2020-2030 is produced in 2022 by CULTURUNNERS and Arts & Health @ NYU under the secretariat of the World Health Organization’s Arts and Health Program.

Work on the Fresh Stops bus shelter by Chris Welch

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

● Must be work from artists living and working in Barbados;
● Must be new work produced for this commission;
● The solar bus shelter dimensions for the back of the bench should be 96″ x 24″, and for the side panel (two-sided) should be 32″ x 48″, both with a ¾” bleed included;
● Artists may submit more than one design idea, however only one commission for a bus shelter will be awarded to each of the three artists.

How to Apply:

● Application forms must be submitted through the Google forms portal here;
● Proposals must be formatted and uploaded to the form as ONE PDF including:

– A description of the proposed work specifically responding to the call (500 words max);
– 2-3 concept sketches/work samples (embedded in the PDF);
– A bio (200 words max);
– A portfolio of 5 previous artworks (fully captioned).

● Submissions should be titled as follows:
– Surname_First Name_Healing_Bus Shelter

Submissions that do not conform to this requirement will not be reviewed. Each separate project proposal must be submitted as a new application form.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL!

If selected, final artworks must be submitted as files via WeTransfer, following the below guidelines:

SELECTION PROCESS:

The selection process will be led by Fresh Milk in collaboration with representatives from the three partner entities who will contribute to the review and selection process through a roundtable conversation to select works which align with the project overviews and the mission of the Healing Arts Initiative stated above. A total of three artists will be selected from this open call, one artist for each of the bus shelters.

WHAT THE PROJECT OFFERS:

● The three selected artists for the solar bus shelters will each receive an artist fee of $1,000.00 USD;
● Artists’ work will be showcased and promoted on all partner’s websites;
● Artists’ work will be permanently installed in rurally located, underserved areas of the community;
● The artists’ profile will be permanently housed on the Fresh Milk and partner websites, and their work will be widely promoted throughout Fresh Milk and partners’ networks.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 2nd 2022

About the Partners:

Jury Report: Tilting Axis Fellowship 2023

July 14, 2022Leave a comment

In Fall 2019, Het Nieuwe Instituut joined forces with Tilting Axis to offer a Fellowship to one mid-career or established applicant based in the Caribbean. Barbadian multi-disciplinary designer and architect Israel Mapp has been selected as the recipient of the Tilting Axis /Het Nieuwe Instituut Fellowship 2023. Israel Mapp will begin the Fellowship at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam starting February 2023 and will continue his research and activities through July 2023.

See the announcement on the Tilting Axis website here.

Barbadian multi-disciplinary designer and architect Israel Mapp

Procedure

The fellowship is supported by Het Nieuwe Instituut as lead partner and host, and will include collaborations with its partners, the Amsterdam Museum, De Appel, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Kunstinstituut Melly. By the deadline for the application on May 27th 2022, Het Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis received 9 eligible entries in response to the open call, from eight territories in the Caribbean region: Barbados, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Suriname, The Bahamas, and Trinidad & Tobago.

All the proposals were reviewed by a committee composed of the following members:

Aric Chen, Artistic and General Director, Het Nieuwe Instituut
Setareh Noorani, Researcher, Het Nieuwe Instituut
Iyawo (Holly Bynoe Young), Sour Grass and Tilting Axis co-founder
Annalee Davis, Visual Artist, Founding Director of Fresh Milk, Sour Grass and Tilting Axis co-founder
Jessy Koeiman, Curator Collective Learning, Kunstinstituut Melly
Mark Raymond, Director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa
Huib Haye van der Werf (Interim Director), Director at De Appel
Inez van der Scheer, Junior Curator of Contemporary Art, Amsterdam Museum
Charl Landvreugd, Head of Research and Curatorial Practice, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Submissions and interviews were evaluated based on their ability to present a clear proposal outlining their thinking, projected investigation, and how the fellowship would expand and enrich their practice. Four candidates were shortlisted and invited to an online interview with members of the selection committee on 22nd June 2022. Following the interviews, the committee selected Israel Mapp as the recipient of the 2023 fellowship. The other shortlisted candidates were Dayana Trigo Rames (Cuba), Jorge Pablo Lima (Cuba) and Miguel E. Keerveld (Suriname).

General Comments

The members of the jury were impressed by the spirited and dynamic nature of the projects, as well as the ambition of the applicants. The set of applications showed a variety of working methodologies and media, ranging from installations and architectural designs to the role of curating as an artist and various forms of social, political and symbolic public engagements and activism.

The jury was pleased to have received applications from applicants based across three linguistic territories of the Caribbean. Submissions responded to urgent themes including the climate emergency, colonialism, social consciousness, material cultures and architectural innovations found in nature, histories and literature.

The shortlisted projects investigated the nature of pathology in design, knowledge building within collective and co-creative practices, the role of architecture within ecology and embodied knowledge along with exploring non-extractive material considerations in the era of climate emergency.

Comments on the Selected Proposal

Israel Mapp’s proposal “Above Oceans” was supported unanimously during the interview process because of its considerations around material cultures and their connection to tangible and intangible heritages. The clarity expressed along with his poetic, empathetic and human-led explorations made his exchange with the jury memorable. In addition, Mapp was able to expand on his idea of creative placemaking in a meaningful way connecting several of his unique interests to the strengths of each partner institution.

This opportunity to engage in more intimate and nuanced ways with partner institutions is something that is very attractive to the legacy of the Fellowship. His inquiries and curiosities deal with the very real eco-challenges that are being faced by every Caribbean nation. “Above Oceans” points to material culture as praxis and identity and the urgency around forming community and institutional support using generative, open and humanist value systems.

His ambition includes embracing new learning through the introduction of labs which will create a growing reference library and continued opportunity to develop resources that can bring more wholeness and unification to the creative landscape of Barbados through exchange and co-ideation/co-creation. Collectively the jury was thrilled by Mapp’s interest in reworking clay, fibres from native flora, and limestone found in colonial architectural forms, and in re-presenting these materials in ways that will engage in an ethos connected to a regenerative circular design, that will involve creating more adaptive spaces that embody unlearning and transformation for these urgent times.

On receiving the news that he had been awarded the fellowship, Mapp shared this statement with the jury:

“Above Oceans is not the beginning, it is a point along an exploratory journey for me recognizing and acknowledging how landscape influences Barbadian identity. I truly enjoyed developing the “Above Oceans” proposal for the Tilting Axis Fellowship. It was a process of introspection and discovery working towards an alignment of love, joy, my talents and interests, and the needs of community.

I am equally thankful for the Tilting Axis | Het Nieuwe Instituut Team for taking the time and effort to consider, analyze and inquire with interest about Above Oceans. Receipt of critical feedback from one’s peers has always been an empowering experience for me. It often provides multiple and diverse perspectives that one would have not considered, drills down to the details that matter and ultimately adds more value and depth to the initial idea. Good design comes about when good questions are presented. This process with The Jury was insightful, and inspired me to review, refine and develop the proposal with the view to implement in Barbados. They asked great questions.

I am extremely grateful for and accept this gift and opportunity to continue and expand the work I have been doing in Barbados to which the fellowship will provide. It is also one of meaningful exchange, exploration and discovery; experiences that I value and contribute greatly to my work. My practice calls for experimentation and the exploration of the possibilities; working in the creative environment of Rotterdam will be an excellent observatory and laboratory.

The next six months will be critical in the planning of the fellowship beginning 2023. In addition to having access to the resources of Het Nieuwe Instituut, the partnering organisations and building new relationships, I look forward to taking opportunities for research and development, and collaborations towards approaches in architectural-product design routed innately in Barbadian material culture and a parallel track on understanding the development and operations of creative clusters. I look forward to sharing the fellowship and its fruits with my peers across the ocean.”

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Above is a selection of images from Mapp’s work which features:

Architecture: Urban Renewal Project Union at Beckwith Creative Cluster, Bridgetown.
Product Design Homewares: CartoGraphs – surface design of recovered Sukabumi stone tiles and Hot Tea clay tea pot product development.
Product Design Fashion: Flotsam+ Jetsam : Rescued Ocean Objects Reimagines and Hot Tea.

Announcing Selected Artists from the First Fresh Milk/Healing Arts Initiative Open Call!

April 12, 2022April 12, 2022Leave a comment

The Fresh Milk Art Platform, Future Centre Trust, Environ Ltd (Adopt A Stop Barbados) and The Healing Arts Initiative in partnership with CULTURUNNERS as part of the World Health Organization are pleased to announce the Barbadian artists, selected by jury members across each participating entity, who will design new works to be incorporated into one rain shelter and two benches for installation on the Barbados Trailway Project.

Anna Gibson will provide artwork for the rain shelter, while Dion Gibson and Anya Greaves will provide artwork for the benches. Their works will be installed in May/June of this year. Congratulations to the artists, and stay tuned to see their completed pieces!

Learn more about the artists and see previews of their proposed artworks below.

About Anna Gibson:

Anna Gibson

Concept sketch (detail) of Anna Gibson’s proposed artwork for the rain shelter

I’m a Barbadian contemporary artist who explores multiple mediums, crafting images of body manipulation through realism and expressionism. I have been practicing for over 5 years completing my Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts (2017). I have been able to participate in some local (Barbados) group exhibitions at The Punch Creative Arena, UN women ‘1in3 Art Exhibition’ at the UN House Barbados, ‘Young Artist’ at The Barbados Arts Council Art Gallery and more.

My artwork is routed in exploring women’s’ bodies and their relationship between our cultural, racial, and social environment. Focusing on insecurities, my artwork explores and exposes the vulnerabilities women have about their differences to each other, and how they seek to mentally and physically mask or morph their bodies, in an obsessive process of evolving, using various beautification methods to achieve acceptance.

Excerpt from her proposal for the rain shelter:

In response to this project’s agenda of valuing our natural environment and taking mental comfort in its properties, I decided to depict an interactive space between us and nature. Due to the pandemic, we have been restricted and confined in various ways, especially with the constant presence of the mask, which feels like it has become a big indicator of the surreal timeline we are living right now. Using the mask as an analogy of inhaling and exhaling, I focused on creating imagery with movement and lightness to ease the mental suffocation that the mask represents.

About Dion Gibson:

Dion Gibson

Concept sketch (detail) of Dion Gibson’s proposed artwork for one of the benches.

Dion Gibson is a Barbados born visual artist and graphic designer. He began his artistic venture in 1990, using a range of media from watercolours and pastels to acrylics, and since acquiring a Bachelors in Graphic Design, has begun a new journey into Digital Art rendering. Digital media exploration has gradually begun to affect & challenge his fine-art practice.

Acknowledged as having a way of capturing ‘the dramatic’ especially in his use of composition, Dion delights in the Surreal and is passionate about bringing dreams and visions to life. His concepts can be unconventional at times, carrying a futuristic value and a satisfying attention to detail. He will often times request a black canvas to get his work started.

Some of the artists that inspire him are Kervin Andre, Stanley Greaves, Timothy Parker and Salvador Dali.

Dion believes that art is a medium that has the capacity to challenge how we see the world and invariably affect how we relate , how we engage and how we live. Part of the role of art is to help others see what is possible. He is looking forward to widening his scope in the area of ‘Art as Activism.

Excerpt from his proposal for the bench:

[This artwork] tries to offer solutions to Mental Health issues while taking a look at the effects of Covid, La Soufriere Volcano and Hurricane Elsa. It tries to communicate the unique emotions of each natural activity by drawing the connections towards men in society. In so doing, it draws the line between poorly managed or unresolved emotions in men, mental health and suicide … The tears seen on each man’s cheek are important, because society generally does not allow men to cCry” which results in unhealthy pent up of emotions. Here we are letting men know that “it is okay to cry” (…allow your tears to be washed away by the sea.)

About Anya Greaves:

Anya Greaves

Concept sketch (detail) of Anya Greaves’ proposed artwork for the bench.

Anya is a 19-year old Barbadian visual artist, expressionist and hobbyist. Her eyes are the windows to her resplendent and complex imagination; her hands, her instruments. From the lively and colourful world around her, she draws her inspiration, and from it she emanates her vibrant and unique perspective.

Anya has an innate artistic gift, and from the moment she gripped a crayon, her creativity was
communicated through her strokes. With influence from her parents, she was exposed to and enamored with the sundry textures and mediums of arts and crafts. Throughout primary and secondary school, she had a drive to refine her skills and took to drawing, painting and mixed media. In secondary school, she formed a mentoring relationship with her art teacher; criticism and love. From it she attained a grade 1 at CXC Visual Arts.

She uses art as her gateway into another dimension and flourishes in the joy of creating whenever she can. Her focal point is in “Making your dreams reality.”

Excerpt from her proposal for the bench:

Recent events in world history, particularly on my small island of Barbados, have shaken us. Throughout my life, the thought of a pandemic has never dawned on me. Initially, the virus’s emergence in China seemed far away, and I never dreamed it might travel over the ocean to Barbadian shores … We desire stability as we emerge from the mental coop that [the pandemic, La Souffriere volcano and Hurricane Elsa] forced us into, and the proposed concept seeks to demonstrate this. It depicts a contrast between the past: the historic train line, and the present: the Barbados Trail-Way project initiative in St. George Valley, Barbados’s south central area.

ABOUT THE Project PARTNERS:

Open Call: Tilting Axis Fellowship 2023

April 8, 2022Leave a comment

Het Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis launch the third iteration of a fellowship programme for mid-career or established applicants based in the Caribbean. The initiative aims to foster and stimulate mutual exchange between the Caribbean region and the Dutch cultural field. Together with lead partners – Het Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis – other cultural institutions including The Amsterdam Museum, De Appel, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and Kunstinstituut Melly will collaborate with the selected applicant during the fellowship.

For Whom?

One mid-career or established researcher, artist, designer, writer, curator, or cultural producer based in the Caribbean region interested in building new links with cultural institutions in the Netherlands, and with an interest in developing their practice around themes related to architecture, spatial practice, design or digital culture.

Resources offered by the Fellowship

Opportunities to develop, stimulate and visualise curatorial, design, and artistic realities coming from the Caribbean region.
Enhance knowledge exchange and collaboration with a cross-section of Dutch cultural institutions.
Network and exchange with a variety of platforms for professional experience
Produce critical knowledge on inter-disciplinary exchanges as well as visual culture.
Access practical support and travel to the Netherlands for an extended Fellowship.
Engage with hosting and collaborating institutions to interrogate and challenge their institutional structures and methodologies.
Utilise the existing Tilting Axis network.

About the Fellowship

This Fellowship focuses on applicants living and working within the Caribbean region and is both research and practice-led. The selected applicant will be based in Rotterdam at Het Nieuwe Instituut and will have access to other partner cultural institutions in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. A total stipend of €12,000 will be granted by Het Nieuwe Instituut to cover living expenses and in addition to the stipend, Het Nieuwe Instituut will cover the round-trip airfare from any country within the Caribbean to The Netherlands. Accommodation will be provided for a period of six months for a maximum of €800 per month. Stipends may be subject to a withholding tax. Specific details about the position will be discussed with the selected applicant. Developments around Covid-19 and/or the restrictions imposed by governments will be taken into account. Therefore the Fellowship might be developed partly remotely.

Read more about the past editions of the Tilting Axis Fellowship with Fellow Sean Leonard in 2020 and Fernando Martirena and Anadis González in 2021-2022.

Knowledge exchange

The Fellowship will be developed through independent research; individual support and interaction with the Research Department team at Het Nieuwe Instituut; monthly meetings to discuss thematic and methodological aspects of the project; and diverse collaborations with partner institutions.

Application and selection process

Applicants for the Fellowship are invited to develop an independent proposal outlining a clear interest in the areas of research/practice and organisations highlighted. The proposal should be content driven and can be based on already existing research or offer new projects. The Fellow is not expected to produce an outcome or finished artwork or product but will be encouraged to publicly present the ongoing research interests whilst in The Netherlands. The research will also be published on an ongoing basis via Het Nieuwe Instituut and partner institutions’ websites, newsletters, or other publications.

Proposals will be considered by an international committee consisting of the Tilting Axis and Het Nieuwe Instituut teams along with representatives from the partner institutions including curators, academics, and museum professionals. The review committee includes Aric Chen (Artistic and General Director, Het Nieuwe Instituut), Setareh Noorani (Researcher, Het Nieuwe Instituut), Iyawo (Holly Bynoe Young), (ARC Magazine, Sour Grass and Tilting Axis co-founder), Annalee Davis (Visual Artist, Founding Director/Fresh Milk, and Tilting Axis co-founder), Jessy Koeiman Curator Collective Learning, Kunstinstituut Melly), Mark Raymond (Director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa and the current Plym Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Huib Haye van der Werf (Interim director at de Appel), Imara Limon (curator of modern and contemporary art, Amsterdam Museum), Inez van der Scheer (junior curator of modern and contemporary art, Amsterdam Museum), Charl Landvreugd (Head of Research and Curatorial Practice, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam)

Read more about the Tilting Axis Fellowship and the Call for Applications on the website of Het Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis.

Covid-19

Developments around Covid-19 and/or the restrictions imposed by governments will be taken into account. Therefore the fellowship might be developed partly digitally/remotely.

Crossovers Programme

This Fellowship is part of Het Nieuwe Instituut’s crossovers programme that aims to stimulate the international exchange of knowledge and research through collaborative fellowships, events, exhibitions, and publications involving designers, researchers and partners across the world. Broader alliances can contribute to cultural and political change, and eventually to policy adjustments.

HOW TO Apply

The Open Call for 2022 is available from March 28, with a deadline for submission on May 27, 2022. The call is open to individuals. Applications should be submitted in a single PDF file of a maximum of 10MB. In order to be considered, proposals should include the following information:

A self-introduction in which applicants articulate the relation between their interests and the hosting/partner institutions. Departing from a curatorial, research, or design and artistic ambition, we expect to see a statement of intent of a maximum of 1000 words. This statement should explain the applicant’s research focus, its possible connection to architecture, design, or digital culture, and the interest in the anchor and partner institutions.
Relevant documentation of previous work, and/or links to audio or video files (maximum 10 minutes) in the application PDF.
Indication of availability to take up the Fellowship from February – July 2023.

Proposals should be written in English and applicants must have a working knowledge of English. While we understand that English proficiency may vary or that English may not be the applicant’s first or primary language, unfortunately, we are not able to offer translation support at this time. Applicants with specific questions are encouraged to contact ta-fellowship@hetnieuweinstituut.nl about the availability of any support service.

Applicants for the Fellowship are invited to develop an independent proposal outlining a clear interest in the areas of research/practice and organisations highlighted.

The Fellow will be invited to:

Make a series of presentations in Rotterdam & Amsterdam at host and partner institutions on their research/practice;
Produce a monthly text/sound/video/photo essay as potential options to be discussed with the fellow. The series of monthly texts will be posted on the websites of Tilting Axis and Het Nieuwe Instituut, with links to the partner institutions;
Research could lead to an installation, exhibition, or further events at partner institutions during or after the Fellowship;
A final report on the Fellowship experience is required.

Format and Submission Requirements

Selection Process

Aric Chen, Artistic and General Director, Het Nieuwe Instituut
Setareh Noorani, Researcher, Het Nieuwe Instituut
Iyawó (Holly Bynoe Young), ARC Magazine, Sour Grass and Tilting Axis co-founder
Annalee Davis, Visual Artist, Founding Director of Fresh Milk, Sour Grass and Tilting Axis co-founder
Jessy Koeiman, Curator Collective Learning, Kunstinstituut Melly
Mark Raymond, Director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa and the current Plym Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Spring 2021).
Huib Haye van der Werf, Interim Director, Director at De Appel
Imara Limon, Curator of modern and contemporary art, Amsterdam Museum
Charl Landvreugd, Head of Research and Curatorial Practice, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Shortlisted candidates are invited to an online interview with members of the selection committee.

The Fellowship is organised by Tilting Axis in collaboration with a group of five Dutch partners led by Het Nieuwe Instituut, who will co-host the Fellow in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. This Fellowship includes access to and collaborations with these partners. See more information below about their offerings.

Amsterdam Museum

The Amsterdam Museum tells the story of the city of Amsterdam; about its past, present and future. The museum considers it its social mission to make the story of Amsterdam accessible and to present it to as broad an audience as possible. We develop exhibitions, events, publications, and other public products, in our museums as well as online. Innovation, hospitality, diversity, (international) cooperation and knowledge exchange are some of our most important values. The museum receives more than 500.0000 visitors each year in its four permanent locations in the heart of the historic city.

What is offered: The fellow has access to the facilities at the locations of the Amsterdam Museum, including the library, archives, exhibitions, workspaces, and presentation spaces. The team is willing to have in-depth conversations with the fellow and encourage proposals by the fellow for a (public) event such as a talk, screening, or a different form of presenting their work and research.

De Appel

De Appel is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art institute that brings together people, objects, and ideas to explore the unknown. With an experimental, open-minded, and inclusive focus, the programs of De Appel serve the intellectually and emotionally curious, (non-) specialised art enthusiasts as well as seasoned art professionals.
De Appel organises exhibitions, performances, film screenings, lectures, and gatherings that cross boundaries between the arts and other disciplines. These programs facilitate artistic and socially relevant dialogues with various cultural and societal organisations, both in Amsterdam and beyond. In addition, De Appel is home to a world-renowned curatorial programme and houses an extensive archive and library. De Appel is continuously developing its programs and goals in order to remain critical towards its changing societal and cultural contexts.

What is offered: The fellow will have daily access to the facilities of De Appel, including the library, archive, exhibition, workspaces, and presentation spaces. The archive is specialised in performance arts and contains books, magazines, drawings, letters, and ephemera. The team and Curatorial Programme participants are also ready to welcome the fellow and provide contacts, feedback and are happy for the fellow to learn from new voices coming from De Appel.

Het Nieuwe Instituut

Het Nieuwe Instituut is the Dutch Institute for Architecture, Design and Digital Culture. The institute combines a research-driven museum, the State Archive for Architecture, the Agency for international programmes, and for 2019 an unofficial Academy under the title Neuhaus. In an era characterised by radical technological, economic, cultural, and social shifts, Het Nieuwe Instituut aims to illuminate and map the quickly changing world and foster discussion of it, in a networked fashion, with architects, designers, artists, knowledge institutes, cultural organisations, and other agents. The institute organises exhibitions, lectures, and fellowships, carries out and publishes research projects, and develops international programmes at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the Istanbul Design Biennale, and the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture in Shenzhen, among other forums. All Het Nieuwe Instituut’s activities are grounded in the principles of design and innovation – two concepts bound up with changing value systems and conflict.

What is offered: The fellow has daily access to the facilities of Het Nieuwe Instituut, including the library, archives, exhibitions, workspaces, and presentation spaces. Other resources may be available in concert with other departments of Het Nieuwe Instituut as well as its ongoing institutional partnerships.

Kunstinstituut Melly

Kunstinstituut Melly was originally conceived as an art-house with a mission to present and discuss the ideas and work created today by visual artists and cultural makers. To fulfill the core mission of presenting contemporary art and theory, we organise exhibitions, commission art, publish and develop educational and collaborative initiatives. In doing so, we apply a practice of collective learning. This means we spatialize and socialise different forms of knowledge. Public engagement is intrinsic to our creative processes and artistic outcomes. We believe that experiencing art and theory this way is vital to enjoy our present and learn with and about culture. We have especially worked with artists and engaged audiences who pose challenging inquiries and articulations of our present. We are interested in catalysing thought and have been known for inspiring public debates. And while Kunstinstituut Melly’s program considers the contemporary, it also regards how art has been created and experienced in the past, and it imagines the many futures art can come to shape. Here, art is a motion; learning is porous.

What is offered: The fellow may choose to participate in a dedicated public programme at Kunstinstituut Melly to present existing or ongoing research on contemporary visual arts or cultural developments in the present. Alternatively, the programme could be organised as a private session, in the form of a think tank, professional networking event, or similar, with the goal of discussing the fellow’s research topic or sharing information collected to date. Whatever format is chosen, this programme would be organised within the frame of the institution’s collective learning initiative.

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

The aim of the Stedelijk is to enrich people’s lives with art. Our collection, exhibitions, publications, research, and educational programs offer unique and compelling insights into today’s world and highlight topics that impact our societies and individual lives. Our interactions between audiences and art are driven by dialogues with artists. We explore complex topics of yesterday, today and tomorrow – as defined by artists and signaled by ourselves – in an adventurous program. This vision is guided by a fresh, energetic approach to displaying, caring for and renewing our world-famous collection. Our museum builds memories for the future.

What is offered: The fellow will have access to the research facilities, library, and archives at the Stedelijk Museum; will engage in a meeting with the Research Programme team; will be provided a platform to give a public lecture at the Stedelijk Museum and in so doing, contribute to the artistic life of the museum; will be supported to meet other cultural workers with similar research interests, and will receive critical feedback during the course of their fellowship.

Tilting Axis

Tilting Axis is an arts platform for, from, across, and through the Caribbean. It is a call to action to rethink the position and conditions of contemporary art practices in the region. Its perspective, informed by artist-led initiatives within the archipelago, recognises this space as central rather than peripheral and is fed by multi-generational voices. It aims to build support systems that sustain contemporary art practitioners in the region and serve as a catalyst for creative projects and collaborations.

Tilting Axis is an arts platform for, from, across, and through the Caribbean. It is a call to action to rethink the position and conditions of contemporary art practises in the region. Its perspective, informed by artist-led initiatives within the archipelago, recognises this space as central rather than peripheral and is fed by multi-generational voices. Tilting Axis was co-founded in 2014 by Annalee Davis of The Fresh Milk Art Platform and Iyawó (Holly Bynoe Young) of ARC Magazine. From its inception, Tilting Axis has grounded its concerns in the Caribbean as a part of a wider creative ecology, and the health, evolution, and advancement, a primary objective of its annual meetings held inside and outside of the region. Bringing together artist-led initiatives, private and state sector arts institutions and artists, writers, researchers, and curators, Tilting Axis offers an intimate discursive space to reflect on how we might contribute to more inclusive and equitable art worlds. At each meeting, several themes have been identified including the following but not limited to Development; Curating strategies for the Caribbean; the archive, cultural ecologies; and Decolonisation and Art Criticism.

Tilting Axis is the organisational platform that manages the annual meetings and coordinates the Fellowships in partnership with host institutions.