TVE 2024 – Caribbean Virtual Community Roundtable

August 8, 2024Leave a comment

The Fresh Milk Art Platform (Barbados) and the Centre for Culture in Lublin (Poland) as part of Lublin’s bid for the European Capital of Culture 2029 title are thrilled to invite our creative communities to the curatorial roundtables for the fifth edition of Transoceanic Visual Exchange (TVE)!

We’re showcasing an exciting selection of film and video works – video art, new media, and expanded cinema – from contemporary artists in the Caribbean, Poland, and Ukraine, made within the last 5 years. This year’s TVE will have screenings in Barbados and Lublin, with an accompanying digital exhibition.

The heart of TVE lies in the collection of recent artists’ film and video works, and employs a community of curatorial practice shaped by an open conversation process to engage and promote discussion within our creative communities.

Join us for an online roundtable facilitated by Fresh Milk via Zoom on Saturday, August 17th at 11:00 AM (AST) to discuss contemporary film and new media art in the Caribbean. This forum is open to the public, and we invite those based in the Caribbean and its diaspora with an interest in regional video-based works to participate.

Save the date and join the discussion on Zoom here!

Ahead of the roundtable, we’re sharing a public survey about film and video art in the region. Your input will add valuable insight to our community session.

Click here to fill out the #askTVE form and share your thoughts!

The Caribbean roundtable will be hosted in English, however you are welcome to fill in the #askTVE form in whichever language you are most comfortable writing in.

For more on the programme and the first four editions, visit the TVE website here.

Open Call: Tilting Axis Fellowship 2025

June 3, 2024Leave a comment

Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis are launching the fifth iteration of the Fellowship program for applicants based in the Caribbean. The initiative aims to foster and support research based practices and stimulate mutual exchange between the Caribbean region and the Dutch cultural field. Together with the leading partners – Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis – other cultural institutions including The Amsterdam Museum, De Appel, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and Kunstinstituut Melly will engage with the selected applicant during the Fellowship.

About the Fellowship

This Fellowship focuses on applicants living and working within the Caribbean region offering the space to think through research and practice. The selected applicant will be based in Rotterdam at Nieuwe Instituut and will have access to other partner cultural institutions in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

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

Applicants are invited to submit a proposal that addresses their current investigations and research interests through the lens of architecture, design and digital culture.

Read more about the past editions of the Tilting Axis Fellowship with Fellow Sean Leonard in 2020-2021, Fernando Martirena and Anadis Gonzálezin 2021-2022, Israel Mapp in 2023, and Klieon John in 2024.

For whom?

A researcher, designer, writer, curator, or cultural producer based in the Caribbean region who is interested in building new links with cultural institutions in the Netherlands, and developing the research practice around themes related to architecture, spatial practice, design or digital culture.

Neither a curriculum vitae nor letters of recommendation are requested. The Fellowship is open to all degree-levels in design, architecture, and digital culture. Equal priority will be given to those without a degree or institutional affiliation who can also demonstrate a high levels of creativity, critical thought, and other potential in their respective fields. There is no age limit for applicants.

Artists who are residents of and based in the following countries can apply: Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, St. Barthélemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Saint Martin, Sint Martin, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands.

Resources offered by the Fellowship

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;
Offer practical support for travel to the Netherlands;
Engage with hosting and collaborating institutions to interrogate and challenge their institutional structures and methodologies;
Utilise the existing Tilting Axis network.

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 fellow’s research could lead to an installation, exhibition, or further events at partner institutions during or after the Fellowship;
Write a final reflective report on the Fellowship experience is required and will be posted on the websites of Tilting Axis and Nieuwe Instituut, with links to the partner institutions.

The Fellow is not expected to produce an outcome or finished artwork or product but will be encouraged to present their ongoing research interests to the public whilst in the Netherlands. The research will also be published via the Nieuwe Instituut and partner institutions’ websites, newsletters, or other publications.

Research Stipend and Travelling to the Netherlands

Nieuwe Instituut will grant a total stipend of €12,000 to cover living expenses and, in addition to the stipend, will cover one round-trip airfare from any country within the Caribbean to the Netherlands. Accommodation costs will be reimbursed to the fellow in the Netherlands for a maximum of €800 per month. Stipends may be subject to a withholding tax.

Government policies regarding visa restrictions will be adhered to. This means that Fellows who can only reside in the Netherlands for 90 days, will undertake their fellowship partly remotely.

Crossovers Programme

This Fellowship is part of the 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.

Apply

The Open Call for 2025 is available from May 30, 2024, with a deadline for submission on June 30, 2024. Proposals should be submitted to ta-fellowship@nieuweinstituut.nl with the subject Tilting Axis Fellowship 2024<name>.

To be considered, proposals should include the following information:

An introductory video, max 3 minutes, in which applicants introduce themselves, their initial project idea, and what inspired them to apply.
A written proposal of max 1000 words in which applicants detail: a statement of intent which should explain the applicant’s research focus and its methodology, highlighting its connection to architecture, design, or digital culture; the relation between their interests and at least two of the hosting partners and institutions; the proposal should be content-driven and can be based on already existing research or offer new projects; a proposed working calendar with availability to take up the fellowship from February – July 2025; Relevant documentation of previous work (maximum 10 works), and/or links to audio or video files (maximum 5 minutes) in PDF format with an accompanying caption list.

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 unable to offer translation support at this time. Applicants with specific questions are encouraged to contact ta-fellowship@nieuweinstituut.nlabout the availability of any support service.

Selection process

Proposals will be considered by an international committee including the Tilting Axis and the Nieuwe Instituut teams and representatives from the partner institutions including curators, academics, and museum professionals.

The review committee includes:

Tijn van de Wijdeven, Nieuwe Instituut
Holly Bynoe, 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 of Collective Learning, Kunstinstituut Melly
Mark Raymond, Director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa
Lara Khaldi, Direct at De Appel
Imara Limon, Curator, Amsterdam Museum & Silke Kamp, Curator-in-Training, Amsterdam Museum
Charl Landvreugd, Head of Research and Curatorial Practice, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview with members of the selection committee. Candidates must hold the dates July 10th and July 11th, 2024 for the interview.

Read more about the Tilting Axis Fellowship and the call for applications on the website of the Nieuwe Instituut.

Open Call: TVE 5 2024

May 14, 2024Leave a comment

Imporant dates:

Start of application period: Tuesday May 14th, 2024
End of application period: Sunday June 30th, 2024
Community of curatorial practice workshops: July/August, 2024
Public announcement of results: September, 2024
Polish Screenings: September, 2024
Caribbean Screenings: November, 2024
Online Exhibition: December, 2024

Call for Works:

The Fresh Milk Art Platform (Barbados) and the Centre for Culture in Lublin (Poland) as part of Lublin’s bid for the European Capital of Culture 2029 title are pleased to welcome submissions of recent film and video works – screenings, installations, new media, time-based media and expanded cinema – by contemporary artists, to be included in the fifth edition of Transoceanic Visual Exchange (TVE), a series of programmes taking place this year between Barbados and Poland, with an accompanying online exhibition.

Submitted works must have been completed in the last five years and must be made by artists practicing in the Caribbean, Poland, Ukraine and their diasporas.

TVE 5 will be a collection of recent artists’ films and videos from each region. However, the final shape and content of the programme will be informed by a community curatorial process, which aims to involve and promote discussion within the wider creative communities of each participating initiative.

Working between the Caribbean, Poland and Ukraine, TVE 5 aims to negotiate the in-between space of our cultural communities outside of traditional geo-political zones of encounter and trade. TVE intends to build relations and open up greater pathways of visibility, discourse and knowledge production between the regional art spaces and their publics.

Submission requirements:

Must be work from artists practicing in the Caribbean, Ukraine, Poland or their diasporas;
Must be work that has been completed/made in the last five years;
Can be films of any length (shorts, experimental, features and video artworks);
Can be in any language (films originally produced in regional languages are welcome);
Up to 3 submissions per applicant are welcome;
Must be accompanied by a description of the work (500 words max), a bio (200 words max) and details of any technical requirements i.e. audio, installation, equipment required, preferred setting etc.;
Works must be mp4 files no larger than 100MB, or Vimeo/Youtube links with passwords if applicable;
Works must not have been submitted to the previous edition of TVE;
Please specify whether your submitted works have permission to be exhibited on an online space.

Selection Process:

One of the core values of TVE is the model of community curatorial practice as opposed to one of solely contracting curators or hiring a jury to review submissions in isolation. This has taken the shape of open roundtable conversations with interested members of the community in each partner’s country/region, where current trends, concerns and interests in the areas of video art, film and new media are discussed. After these conversations, the partners will convene to select works which align with and reflect the research gathered, including the community’s input in the design of the final programme.

What TVE 5 Offers:

Each selected artist will receive a stipend of $250.00 USD for their participation in the programme;
Artists’ work will be showcased in a series of events in Barbados and Poland and a virtual exhibition on the TVE website, facilitated and promoted by the TVE partners;
The artists’ profiles will be permanently housed on the TVE website, and their work will be widely promoted throughout Fresh Milk’s and the Centre for Culture in Lublin’s networks in the Caribbean and Eastern Europe;
The artists will have the opportunity to grow their own networks and knowledge regarding video arts and filmmaking practices across the Caribbean, Poland and Ukraine, deepening understanding between the regions and opening up greater possibilities of collaboration.

Deadline for submissions: June 30th 2024

Click here for the online form for Caribbean submissions
Click here for the online form for Polish submissions
Click here for the online form for Ukrainian submissions

For more information on TVE and its first four iterations, visit the website transoceanicvisualexchange.com

This edition of TVE is also supported in part by TEOR/éTica, our partner organisation for TVE 4, from whom we received a 2023 Catalyst Grant with the generous support of Arts Collaboratory, and by a grant received from the Mellon Foundation.

About the Partners:

Fresh Milk

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 Centre for Culture in Lublin

At the Centre for Culture, our “home of imagination” we want to manage human talents wisely and create favourable conditions for artistic work, education and presentation of art and artistic activities. We want to be open to new people, new projects and phenomena. We believe that we will have the courage to take creative risks.

Lublin 2029 – European Capital of Culture Candidate City

The project is part of Lublin’s bid for the European Capital of Culture 2029 title. Re:Union, the bid’s motto refers to the historic concept of the Union of Lublin (1569), a commonwealth treaty signed by the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is understood as reintegration, reconnection of broken ties, cross-generational, cross-cultural and intersectional dialogue.

Open Studios: Tilting Axis Fellowship 2024, Klieon John

May 9, 2024Leave a comment

On Thursday, May 16th 2024 in a hybrid online and offline meeting, Tilting Axis and the Nieuwe Instituut will discuss the research project of this year’s fellow, Klieon John. Researcher Federica Notari and Tilting Axis co-founder Annalee Davis will discuss his project Nieuwe Bohío, in which he ultimately seeks to translate indigenous Caribbean history, culture and mythology into a cinematic augmented reality experience.

RSVP to the session here

A New Mapp of the Island of St. Christophers being an Actual Survey taken by Andrew Norwood Surveyr. Genll. / A New Map of the Island Guardalupa / A New Mapp of the Island Martineca London. 1698 circa (1750 ca)

Writer, filmmaker and creative director Klieon John from the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is the fourth participant in the fellowship that Tilting Axis and the institute have been offering to selected candidates from the Caribbean since 2019. The Nieuwe Instituut is once again the main partner and host, collaborating with the Amsterdam Museum, De Appel, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Kunstinstituut Melly.

This presentation focuses on the Nieuwe Bohío project. In this, Klieon John is researching the indigenous Taíno and Kalinago cultures of the Caribbean, which he hopes to translate into an immersive AR experience that will have a transformative effect on the viewer. Based on the results of the research, John aims to develop practical applications that can be used in architectural research and social work. Past and present, European and Indigenous Caribbean culture, traditional and contemporary storytelling, building and play techniques come together in a whole that combines innovative design practice with a respectful way of dealing with (Indigenous) heritage and the communities that inhabit it. Read more in the jury report.

A joint programme

Nieuwe Instituut and the art platform Tilting Axis teamed up for a joint programme in the autumn of 2019, offering a fellowship each year to a candidate – a researcher, designer, curator, artist, writer or other cultural practitioner – from the Caribbean. The Tilting Axis Fellowship is open to candidates living and working in the Caribbean and offers the opportunity to combine research and practice.

The Fresh Milk Art Platform awarded a $350,000 USD grant by the Mellon Foundation

February 26, 2024Leave a comment

Barbados-based Fresh Milk, an artist-led initiative founded in 2011, has been successfully awarded a grant for the 2024-2026 time-period by the US-based Mellon Foundation’s Arts and Culture programme in support of operating and programming expenses.

The visual art platform initially worked to counter the then high attrition rate of BFA students at Barbados Community College, the only institution on the island offering a BFA programme. With the aim of supporting excellence in the visual arts, Fresh Milk has been offering artist residencies, lectures, screenings, workshops, conferences, exhibitions, projects, etc to provide Barbadian and Caribbean artists with opportunities for development while fostering a healthier contemporary visual art community and cultural ecosystem for over a decade.

L-R: Barbadian artists Versia Harris, Amelia Rouse, Anna Gibson and Dion Gibson. Artwork by Anna Gibson as part of the Fresh Milk / Healing Arts Initiative Public Art Project. Photo by Dondré Trotman.

Barbadian artist Taisha Carrington with her work in the exhibition ‘TRANS-SISTORS’ – a collaboration between the BIAC-Réseaux and Fresh Milk co-managed project Caribbean Linked – at the La Véranda Gallery of the Tropiques Atrium, Scène Nationale in Fort de France, Martinique. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Dominican artist Franz Caba with his work in the exhibition ‘TRANS-SISTORS’ – a collaboration between the BIAC-Réseaux and Fresh Milk co-managed project Caribbean Linked – at the La Véranda Gallery of the Tropiques Atrium, Scène Nationale in Fort de France, Martinique. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Barbadian artist Kia Redman speaking about her work in the Fresh Milk booth at the inaugural FUZE Art Expo, Baha Mar, The Bahamas. Photo courtesy of Fresh Milk.

Founding Director, Annalee Davis is honoured that Fresh Milk’s work has been recognised by Mellon. “After twelve years of working on a shoestring budget alongside my colleague Katherine Kennedy, it is both a relief and an immense privilege to have the endorsement of Mellon which recognises the need to support organisations of this nature. We hope that this vote of confidence by an esteemed international foundation will endear potential partners in the local and regional landscape to feel confident in coming on board as financial investors in support of Fresh Milk’s ongoing programming.”

Katherine Kennedy, Communications and Operations Manager adds, “This generous gift allows us to develop a re-granting programme that will put unrestricted funds directly into the hands of artists over the next three years.”

In addition to this re-granting programme, and in alignment with the Mellon Foundation’s belief that “Art and artists are essential to human connection,” Fresh Milk will continue to contribute to the local contemporary visual art community and the region’s creative network, while seeking new allies, partners and collaborators. Furthermore, the organisation plans to augment its archive, and expand the resources it has amassed over the years, such as the Colleen Lewis Reading Room and an upgraded virtual map of Caribbean art spaces.

Fresh Milk continues to nurture, empower and connect Caribbean artists, raise regional awareness about contemporary arts and provide international opportunities for growth, excellence, and success. Its work in the cultural sector has spanned creative disciplines, generations, and linguistic territories in the Caribbean by functioning as a “cultural lab” – a dynamic space for artists locally, regionally, and internationally.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the USA’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.

For more information please contact Katherine Kennedy at freshmilkbarbados@gmail.com