Fresh Milk is pleased to welcome Shea Rose and Sasha Link to the platform as visiting resident artists from Boston, USA during the month of June.

Shea is a recording artist, singer songwriter and music for social change activist, performing and writing in the genres of Soul/Rock/Hip-Hop/Jazz and Spoken word.  Her Fresh Milk residency project will see her investigating and exploring her identity and family lineage with the aim of creating a sound installation exploring home, identity and self-acceptance. Her goal is to create and perform three musical compositions around these themes using voice/guitar/percussion (singing/spoken word/rap), interactions, conversations and experiences that Shea encounters during her time in Barbados. The compositions will be accompanied by a visual component. Shea is hoping to collaborate with artists/musicians/spoken word artists/dancers from Barbados on this project.

Accompanying Shea is Sasha Link, a nonfiction creative writer and photographer. In addition to producing a photographic series on her residency, Sasha will be offering creative writing and spoken word workshops to students at Workmans Primary School, St. Gabriel’s School and St. George Secondary School.

They held their first working session yesterday, June 11th, with local artists Adrian Green (spoken word artist), Sky Larc (filmmaker),  Jomo Slusher (musician), Reyshad Selman (musician), Janelle Headley-Newton (singer and Director of Operation Triple Threat), and members of the band Nexcyx: André Clarke, Chadd Ifill, Kris Clarke, Mahalia Cummins and Russell Padmore. Shea and Sasha introduced their projects to the artists, and they will now move forward with possible ways to collaborate during the residency.

Take a look at some images from the session below, and look out for a video to come by Neil Marshall. Follow Shea’s blog My Angel Wears a Fro for her updates on her and Sasha’s time in Barbados.

FRESH MILK would like to thank the US Embassy for supporting this exciting collaborative project.

Photographs by Mark King