Katherine Kennedy begins her Fellowship at Akademie Schloss Solitude

September 5, 2014May 21, 2015Leave a comment

Earlier this year, Assistant to Director at The Fresh Milk Art Platform, Katherine Kennedy, was selected to travel to Stuttgart, Germany as part of the ResSupport Fellowship programme offered by ResArtis. We are excited to announce that Katherine has just begun her fellowship at Akademie Schloss Solitude, which runs for three months from September 1 – December 1, 2014.

Katherine began her relationship with Fresh Milk as one of the first resident artists on the platform. Since working here, Katherine has represented the organisation at the Instituto Buena Bista (IBB) in Curaçao, received a scholarship for the Vermont Studio Center, and taken part in a collaborative project with Casa Tomada in Brazil. While Katherine is having this amazing new experience abroad, Barbadian artist and member of our Fresh Milk Books Team, Versia Harris, will be interning here at Fresh Milk as Assistant to Director in training. Versia graduated from the Barbados Community College with a BFA in the Studio Art programme in 2012, with an award from The Leslie’s Legacy Foundation. She has since participated in four residencies, regionally and internationally. In 2014, she was one of 83 artists selected to show in the IV Moscow International Young Art Biennial.

Katherine Kennedy (left) assisting at FRESH MILK XVI – Photo by Dondré Trotman.

Versia Harris presenting at FRESH MILK XIV – Photo by Dondré Trotman.

This internship exemplifies Fresh Milk’s commitment to investing in the development of emerging artists, demonstrating the importance of knowledge transfer and equipping them with the necessary skills to confidently enter professional environments while encouraging them to maintain artistic production.

During Katherine’s time in Germany, she will be introduced to the different working areas of Akademie Schloss Solitude and gain insight into how this prestigious residency programme is run, as well as fostering relationships with the resident artists and sharing information about Fresh Milk and the Caribbean contemporary art scene. In the spirit of this exchange, we would also like to share that Akademie Schloss Solitude is currently inviting applications from artists worldwide for their next residency cycle. See more below:

Image courtesy Akademie Schloss Solitude.

Call for Applications:

For the fifteenth time, Akademie Schloss Solitude is granting approx. 70 residency fellowships of three to twelve months in duration. More than 1.200 artists from more than 100 countries have developed and advanced projects at the Akademie since its opening in 1990, creating a close-knit, global network of Solitude alumni that expands from year to year. The Akademie pursues an intense exchange between artistic and scientific disciplines. With the art, science & business program the transfer of knowledge and experience between these fields can be deepened to create new synergies of creativity, inventiveness and management.

International artists are invited to apply from the following disciplines: Architecture (design, landscape architecture, urban planning), Visual Arts (including performance art), Performing Arts (stage design, dramatic texts, dramaturgy, musical theater, performance, direction, drama, dance), Design (fashion, costume, product and furniture design, visual communication), Literature (essay, criticism, poetry, prose, translation), Music/Sound (interpretation, sound installation, sound performance, composition) andVideo/Film/New Media (including video installation, fiction and documentary).

Furthermore, scholars, scientists and professionals from the disciplines of the Humanities, Social Sciences (with a focus on culture and the politics of space), Economy/Economics (with a focus on urban policy), and Culture & Law (with a focus on authorship) are invited to apply.

Persons up to 35 or if older who have completed a university or college degree within the past five years are welcome to apply. Currently enrolled university or college students (at the time of application) will not be considered for selection. Each fellowship recipient is granted Euro 1,100 per month, in addition to free lodging.

For additional information on the residency programme, application process and selection jury members, see the Akademie Schloss Solitude website here, or visit our Opportunities page.

Application deadline is Friday, October 31, 2014 (Postmark/End of Online Application).

As of July 1, applicants will find all information, be able to register and download the application form or apply online on the Application website.

Fresh Milk receives a 2014 ResSupport Fellowship

June 13, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Katherine Kennedy announced as 2014 ResSupport Fellow. Photograph credit: Mark King.

We are very excited to announce that this year, as part of the ResSupport Fellowship programme, ResArtis member Akademie Schloss Solitude (Germany) will be generously hosting Katherine Kennedy, from The Fresh Milk Art Platform (Barbados). This will be Akademie Schloss Solitude’s second time participating in the ResSupport Fellowships.

During her three-month stay from September 1 – December 1, 2014, Katherine will be introduced to the different working areas of Akademie Schloss Solitude and gain insight into how this prestigious residency programme is run. With this opportunity, she will learn about Akademie Schloss Solitude’s management, increasing visibility on a global level, and discuss the ongoing challenges of sustainability within artist residencies. She will also interact with other fellows and artists in residence in order to learn about new practices. Additionally, she will attend fellow and staff presentations, as well as make presentations of her own pertaining to Fresh Milk and the Caribbean creative arena to create a cross-cultural dialogue, which will allow all parties to better understand the contexts that Fresh Milk functions within.

Akademie Schloss Solitude. Photo courtesy of Akademie's press department.

Akademie Schloss Solitude. Photo courtesy of the Akademie’s press department.

We are sure that this fellowship will further initiate exchanges and build relationships within the residency field between the Caribbean and Europe, while also contributing to a more dynamic and sustainable cultural environment throughout the Caribbean.

These fellowship experiences enable participants to observe, reflect and utilize various organizational factors, while assuming an active role and a behind the scenes look at the daily work of an experienced member organisation.

This experience provides an opportunity to further organisational awareness, strengthen bonds, and facilitate knowledge and cross-cultural sharing among members of the ResArtis Network.

See this announcement on ResArtis News.

About Katherine Kennedy:

Katherine Kennedy (Born April 4, 1990, Barbados) is an artist and writer. She graduated from Lancaster University, UK in 2011 with a BA in Creative Arts (First Class Hons.) after winning a Barbados Government Scholarship for tertiary education. Her combined major of Fine Art and Creative Writing developed her keen interests in visual and literary pursuits. She has won awards for her artwork and writing in her home country, and exhibited locally and internationally.

Her visual practice is heavily tied to a sense of place, and often uses interplay between found organic and inorganic objects to assert cultural identity in different environments. Alongside her work as an artist, she is also dedicated to contributing to the support and cultivation of the wider regional creative space, and currently works as the Assistant to Director with both The Fresh Milk Art Platform, an artist-led initiative and residency programme, and ARC Magazine for contemporary Caribbean art.

Katherine travelled to the Instituto Buena Bista (IBB), Curaçao in November 2012 to conduct ‘Creatives in Conversation’, a collaborative project between the IBB and Fresh Milk. She received a full fellowship from the Reed Foundation for a residency at The Vermont Studio Center in May 2013. In September 2013, she took part in ‘fresh casa’, a short, intensive mentorship programme at Casa Tomada, São Paulo, Brazil.

About Akademie Schloss Solitude:

The Akademie Schloss Solitude is a public-law foundation that offers an interdisciplinary and international fellowship program for artists and scientists. Since 1990, the Akademie has supported artists in the disciplines of architecture, visual arts, performing arts, design, literature, music/sound and video/film/new media with residency and work fellowships. Since 2002, young people from the science and business sectors are also eligible for fellowships with the art, science & business program. The Akademie Schloss Solitude is financially supported by the German province of Baden-Württemberg.

About ResArtis:

ResArtis is an association of over 490 centers, organisations, and individuals in over 70 countries. Each of member is dedicated to offering artists, curators, and all manner of creative people the essential time and place away from the pressures and habits of every-day life, an experience framed within a unique geographic and cultural context.

Through Res Artis, organisations will become part of a global community of colleagues engaged in dialogue through face-to-face meetings and virtually through its website. Those interested in attending a residency can use the information and resources on its website, gaining insights into the profiles of members and staying informed about their events and application deadlines.

Since 1993, through the volunteer efforts of the Board of Directors and countless partners and friends, Res Artis has grown to become the largest network of its kind, promoting the role of residential art programs as a vital part of the contemporary arts world, stimulating the creative development and mobility of artists, and furthering intercultural understanding.

“Encounter the world in residencies”

Cherise Ward ‘My Time’ Residency – Puppet Building Workshop

May 26, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

For my community outreach for the residency, I decided to do a 3 hour Puppet Building Workshop with students from Workmans Primary. The students were from both Class 3 and Class 4.

As part of my preparation, I made a test puppet. I wanted it to be a simple hand puppet that I thought the students would be able to make themselves. I used fabric, felt and construction paper.

On the day of the workshop, I had the assistance of Fresh Milk volunteers Versia and Ronald, and they were a great help.

I started by teaching the students about 3 different types of puppets, and doing a brief demonstration of how they worked using puppets I have made. They took notes, and were interested in trying to operate the puppets themselves. Then we got started making their hand puppets.

Puppets made by Cherise, demonstrating different techniques.

Annalee Davis introducing Cherise to the Workmans Primary students.

Cherise demonstrating one of her puppets.

Cherise showing one of her completed puppets.

Cherise assisting with the puppet construction.

The students cut out their templates for the glove part of the puppet, and traced them onto the fabric, and we helped them cut and glue the fabric. They drew the designs for their puppets, and then cut the shapes for the heads and hands, and decorated them using felt, paper, and crayons.

The workshop was really well received. The students were enthusiastic, and excited about the puppets, and we had a great time. Thanks to Versia and Ronald for their help as well as Annalee and the teachers at Workmans Primary.

Follow Cherise on Tumblr for updates on her residency & practice.

Colleen Lewis Open Archive Residency

May 21, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

FRESH MILK is pleased to announce the Colleen Lewis Open Archive Residency between September and November 2014. Applications from artists worldwide are welcomed. This residency aims to support visual artists, writers and creatives by offering a peaceful working space for a minimum of 4 weeks, and the opportunity to interface with the Colleen Lewis Reading Room (CLRR) as an archive with which to engage, respond and activate. For more on the archive, view our online bibliography.

The CLRR is continually expanding its collection and has a special focus on the visual arts, with particular interest in archiving material on visual arts in the Caribbean. Resident artists will also be able to meet with the Fresh Milk Books team of young creatives on a weekly basis to converse and collaborate.

Spaces are available between September 1^st and November 28^th, 2014. For more information on the residency and associated costs please visit our International Residency Opportunity page.

Artists wishing to apply for residencies with projects outside of this targeted call are also welcome to submit proposals.

The deadline for applications is July 4th, 2014.

Cherise Ward’s Residency – Week 4 Report

May 13, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Final Week

Week 4, the final week of the residency, was spent experimenting with mold making and casting, and working on the puppet.

While making the molds, I was anxious to see how they would turn out. I poured the molds, and let them stay overnight. The next day they were turned from liquid to rubber, and I was happy with how they came out.

I was excited to pour the first cast. This did not turn out as well as I would have liked, so I tried again. I was able to make 3 casts of the girl and rooster, plus one made with the very last of the liquid plastic. These are to be wall hangings, and I’m looking forward to painting them.

I also made 5 bunny casts. The shape for the bunny was a simple design, keeping in mind that I wanted to make a simple mold. These can be painted in any way, and I gave one to Annalee, and one to Katherine, to see what ideas they come up with.

I painted one using acrylic paint, and started a second one.

I enjoyed the time spent at Fresh Milk during the 4 weeks of the residency. I would like to thank Annalee and Katherine for their support during these 4 weeks. The residency allowed me to work on ideas that I had not had time to explore in the past. It gave me the opportunity to try new things, and watch initial ideas develop into concepts I had not considered before. Through the residency I was able to meet Juliana, and through her feedback, I have new ideas that I’m looking forward to exploring. I’m happy I made the decision to do a local residency, and I’m pleased with what I have taken away from my experience at Fresh Milk.

I will be doing a Puppet Building Workshop on May 20th as the community outreach portion of the residency. I will be teaching primary school students about puppets, and puppet building, so I will update the blog with images from the workshop.

Follow Cherise on Tumblr for more updates on her residency & practice.