Tag: Barbadian artists

Open Call: TENDER 2025 – A Caribbean Arts Regranting Initiative

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OPEN CALL 2025 – IMPORTANT DATES:

  • May 5th – June 6th, 2025 – Open call submission window
  • June 16th – July 25th, 2025 – Review of applications by jury
  • July 31st, 2025 – Contacting of successful applicants 
  • August 9th, 2025 – Announcement of results 
  • August 18th, 2025 – Commence disbursal of funds
[ ten-der ] definition: 
1. gentle, loving, or kind;
2. something offered especially money, as in payment.

The Fresh Milk Art Platform, partnering once again with the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) and the additional support of the Panta Rhea Foundation and the Clara Lionel Foundation, is excited to launch the second edition of TENDER: A Caribbean Arts Regranting Initiative.

The ethos of this programme is centred on generosity, faith, and care; Fresh Milk has always had an unwavering belief in the talent and potential of artists from this region, and as an artist-led space, we are intimately familiar with the range of challenges involved in maintaining a practice. These nineteen (19) unrestricted grants will be awarded to eligible creatives, who can use the funds as they see fit. Whether it is towards creating new work, acquiring materials, research and development, designing new or continuing existing programmes, pursuing further studies, exhibition preparation or production, participating in artist residencies, or any general living expenses; this tender gesture signifies an appreciation for the recipients’ commitment to the arts and culture in the Caribbean.

Along with financial support, the work of each successful grantee will be promoted widely through Fresh Milk and the NCF’s local and regional networks in the form of a featured page on our website, extensive social media coverage, and an interview with the recipient discussing their practice. In this way, we also hope to strengthen artists’ networks, further contributing to a sense of community and the public archiving of Caribbean creativity.

Fresh Milk is interested in supporting experimental contemporary visual art, and curatorial and research-based practices that explore structure, content, and expanded exhibition approaches in new ways. The grants will fall into the following categories:

SIX (6) grants valued at USD $1,500.00 each, which will be awarded to:
  • THREE (3) Barbados-based recent visual arts graduates;
  • THREE (3) Caribbean-based recent visual arts graduates.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
  • Artists must have completed a BFA or equivalent degree within the last 6 years (2020-2025);
  • Artists must be currently living and practising in the Caribbean; 
  • Artists’ work can span any discipline/media of contemporary visual arts practice (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, sculpture, installation, video, new media, experimental audiovisual art, performance art, interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary);
  • Artists must demonstrate a high standard of work in keeping with their level of experience, and a commitment to the continued development of their practice;
  • Artists must not be previous recipients of a TENDER Grant.

FIVE (5) grants valued at USD $2,500.00 each, which will be awarded to:
  • TWO (2) Barbados-based emerging visual artists;
  • THREE (3) Caribbean-based emerging visual artists.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
  • Artists must have been living and practising in the Caribbean between 7 – 12 years;
  • Artists’ work can span any discipline/media of contemporary visual arts practice (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, sculpture, installation, video, new media, experimental audiovisual art, performance art, interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary);
  • Artists must demonstrate a high standard of work and professional endeavours (participation in exhibitions, residencies, workshops, programming etc.) in keeping with their level of experience;
  • Artists must not be previous recipients of a TENDER Grant.

FOUR (4) grants valued at USD $3,500.00 each, which will be awarded to:
  • TWO (2) Barbados-based mid-career visual artists;
  • TWO (2) Caribbean-based mid-career visual artists.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
  • Artists must have been living and practising in the Caribbean between 13 – 19 years;
  • Artists’ work can span any discipline/media of contemporary visual arts practice (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, sculpture, installation, video, new media, experimental audiovisual art, performance art, interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary);
  • Artists must demonstrate a high standard of work and professional endeavours (participation in exhibitions, residencies, workshops, programming etc.) in keeping with their level of experience;
  • Artists must not be previous recipients of a TENDER Grant.

TWO (2) grants valued at USD $3,500.00 each, which will be awarded to:
  • ONE (1) Barbados-based visual arts organisation/curator/art historian/writer/researcher;
  • ONE (1) Caribbean-based visual arts organisation/curator/art historian/writer/researcher.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
ARTS ORGANISATIONS
  • Organisations must have been operating within the Caribbean for a minimum of 3 years;
  • Organisations must be independent/non-governmental;
  • Organisations need not be registered charities/non-profits but must be able to demonstrate best practices in terms of governance and operations management;
  • Organisations must demonstrate a clear commitment to their mission and vision as it relates to contemporary Caribbean art and give examples of their work in alignment with this;
  • Organisation must not have previously received a TENDER Grant.
CURATORS & ART HISTORIANS/WRITERS/RESEARCHERS
  • Practitioners must have been living and working in the Caribbean for a minimum of 7 years;
  • Practitioners must give examples of their work (whether through exhibitions, published written work, or research) demonstrating their commitment to exploring and showcasing contemporary Caribbean art practices;
  • Practitioners must not be previous recipients of a TENDER Grant.

TWO (2) grants valued at USD $7,500.00 each, which will be awarded to:
  • ONE (1) established Barbados-based visual artist;
  • ONE (1) established Caribbean-based visual artists.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
  • Artists must have been living and practising in the Caribbean for a minimum of 20 years;
  • Artists’ work can span any discipline/media of contemporary visual arts practice (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, sculpture, installation, video, new media, experimental audiovisual art, performance art, interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary);
  • Artists must demonstrate a high standard of work and professional endeavours (participation in exhibitions, residencies, workshops, programming etc.) in keeping with their long and influential careers;
  • Artists must not be previous recipients of a TENDER Grant.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

ALL applications must be submitted through the official Google Form provided (any submissions sent by email or in hard copy will not be eligible for review).

The APPLICATION FORM includes the following:

FOR VISUAL ARTISTS:
  • Submission of a brief bio (250 words maximum); 
  • Submission of an artist statement, providing an overview of your practice to help contextualise the artworks shared for review (250 words maximum);
  • Submission of an up-to-date CV (2 pages maximum);
  • 5-8 clearly labelled samples of work that best showcase your practice (accepted file formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MP3, DOC, DOCX and PDF. In the case of video works, YouTube or Vimeo links may be provided, along with passwords if applicable). Document files should not exceed 10 MB. Image/audio/video files should not exceed 100MB.
FOR ARTS ORGANISATIONS:
  • Submission of an overview of the organisation, including its mission, vision, key personnel, and a brief history of the work it has done in the Caribbean (500 words maximum); 
  • Submission of a list of the organisation’s projects/programming and any notable accolades achieved (2 pages maximum);
  • 5-8 clearly labelled samples of work that best showcase the organisation’s output (accepted file formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MP3, DOC, DOCX, and PDF. In the case of video works, YouTube or Vimeo links may be provided, along with passwords if applicable). Document files should not exceed 10 MB. Image/audio/video files should not exceed 100MB.
FOR CURATORS:
  • Submission of a brief bio (250 words maximum); 
  • Submission of a statement outlining main curatorial interests and concerns (250 words maximum);
  • Submission of an up-to-date CV (2 pages maximum);
  • 5-8 clearly labelled samples of work that best showcase your curatorial output (accepted file formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MP3, DOC, DOCX, and PDF. In the case of video works, YouTube or Vimeo links may be provided, along with passwords if applicable). Document files should not exceed 10 MB. Image/audio/video files should not exceed 100MB.
FOR ART HISTORIANS/WRITERS/RESEARCHERS:
  • Submission of a brief bio (250 words maximum); 
  • Submission of a statement outlining main areas of writing/research (250 words maximum);
  • Submission of an up-to-date CV (2 pages maximum);
  • 3-5 clearly labelled samples of written work, no more than 2500 words each (accepted file formats include DOC, DOCX, and PDF). Document files should not exceed 10 MB.

All applicants will also be asked for a brief statement on why the receipt of this grant would be timely for their practice. Those fitting the above criteria and based in the following countries may apply:

Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, 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. Barthelemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands. 

Have another question about TENDER 2025?
Check out our FAQ Guide to see if it gives you clarity, and email us at freshmilkbarbados@gmail.com for any additional queries.

SELECTION PROCESS:

Applications will be independently reviewed by a 3-member jury comprising one Barbadian, one Caribbean, and one international jury member, each of whom will be an expert in their field and familiar with contemporary art practice in the Caribbean. Only applications that meet all eligibility requirements will go forward to the jury. The jurors will assign scores to each segment of the applicants’ submissions, and a jury meeting will be held once scores have been collated. The jury’s decision will be final, and a jury report will be released publicly when successful applicants are announced. Neither the jury members nor the Fresh Milk Team will be able to offer feedback on individual applications.

JURY MEMBERS:
  • Versia Harris, Visual artist and Tutor in the BFA Studio Art programme at Barbados Community College;
  • Monique Nouh-Chaia Sookdewsing, Managing Director of Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname;
  • Tatiana Flores, Curator and Professor in Art History at the University of Virginia’s College of Arts and Sciences, USA.

About 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.

About the NCF:

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament in 1983. Its mandate is to oversee the cultural landscape of Barbados. The NCF’s role revolves around the preservation of our cultural heritage and promotion of all forms of art and culture, both tangible and intangible through developmental and commercial programmes and products. The functional spectrum ranges from, generating cultural awareness at the grassroots level to promoting cultural exchanges at an international level. In its developmental role, the Foundation uses culture as a tool for national development, fostering and supporting the various art forms and new cultural products. In its commercial role, the Foundation is responsible for the promotion, production and hosting of cultural festivals and associated events.

About the Panta Rhea Foundation:

Mission: To catalyze a just and sustainable world through food sovereignty, community power building, and grassroots liberation around the globe.

The Panta Rhea Foundation (PRF) was established in 2001 as a private foundation devoted to researching issues and analyzing the operations, goals and potential of organizations committed to building a more just and sustainable world. The Foundation advises individual donors and other charitable entities on grantmaking strategies and specific grants.

We believe that lasting, authentic change must come from the grassroots; from the organized efforts of people and organizations to enliven the social imagination and envision a better future, to experiment with new ideas, and to hold elected leaders and corporations accountable to the communities they serve.

Our foundation name, Panta Rhea, is inspired by Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. It roughly translates to “You never step into the same river twice” or “All things change, all things flow”—suggesting both inherent constancy and change as a fundamental of life itself.

About the Clara Lionel Foundation:

The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) was founded in 2012 by Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. CLF supports and funds climate resilience and climate justice projects in the U.S. and Caribbean. The foundation’s five key pillars are: Climate Solutions; Women’s Entrepreneurship; Health Access and Equity; Future Generations; and Arts and Culture.

The CLF actively supports arts initiatives that preserve cultural heritage and foster community engagement in the regions we fund. We invest in community-led organizations that promote asset creation, long-term sustainability, and innovative climate solutions through arts practices.

Open Call – TENDER: A Caribbean Arts Regranting Initiative

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IMPORTANT DATES:

  • July 29th – September 6th, 2024 – Open call submission window
  • September – October, 2024 – Review of applications by jury
  • October 21st – 25th, 2024 – Contacting of successful applicants 
  • October 28th, 2024 – Announcement of results 
  • November, 2024 – Disbursal of funds

 

[ ten-der ] definition: 
1. gentle, loving, or kind;
2. something offered especially money, as in payment.

 

The Fresh Milk Art Platform, with the generous support of the US-based Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), is excited to launch the inaugural edition of TENDER: A Caribbean Arts Regranting Initiative.

In 2024, Fresh Milk was awarded a major grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Arts and Culture programme supporting its operating and programming expenses. This unprecedented level of funding to the platform has inspired the organisation to pay it forward, designing a programme where unrestricted grants can be accessed by Caribbean contemporary visual artists, arts-focused organisations, curators, and art historians/writers/researchers who are living and working in the Caribbean. The NCF, as one of the main entities supporting cultural activities that benefit the citizens of Barbados while also promoting cultural exchanges on an international level, has graciously joined us in this effort, extending our support even further for eligible applicants in Barbados and throughout the English, Spanish, French or Dutch-speaking Caribbean territories. 

The ethos of this programme is centred on generosity, faith, and care; Fresh Milk has always had an unwavering belief in the talent and potential of artists from this region, and as an artist-led space, we are intimately familiar with the range of challenges involved in maintaining a practice. These twenty-one (21) unrestricted grants will be awarded to eligible creatives, who can use the funds as they see fit. Whether it is towards creating new work, acquiring materials, research and development, designing new or continuing existing programmes, pursuing further studies, exhibition preparation or production, participating in artist residencies, or any general living expenses; a tender gesture of appreciation to the recipients for their commitment to working in the arts.

Along with financial support, the work of each successful grantee will be promoted widely through Fresh Milk and the NCF’s local and regional networks in the form of a featured page on our website, extensive social media coverage, and a recorded interview with the recipient discussing their practice. In this way, we also hope to strengthen artists’ networks, further contributing to a sense of community and the public archiving of Caribbean creativity.

Fresh Milk is interested in supporting experimental contemporary visual art, and curatorial and research-based practices that explore structure, content, and expanded exhibition approaches in new ways. The grants will fall into three levels of funding:

 

1. TEN (10) grants valued at USD $1,500.00 (BBD $3,000.00) each, which will be awarded to:

      • FIVE (5) Barbados-based recent visual arts graduates;
      • FIVE (5) Caribbean-based recent visual arts graduates.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

      • Artists must have graduated with a BFA or equivalent degree within the last 6 years (2019-2024);
      • Artists must be currently living and practising in the Caribbean; 
      • Artists’ work can span any discipline/media of contemporary visual arts practice (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, sculpture, installation, video, new media, experimental audiovisual art, performance art, interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary);
      • Artists must demonstrate a high standard of work in keeping with their level of experience, and a commitment to the continued development of their practice.

—

2. EIGHT (8) grants valued at USD $3,500.00 (BBD $7,000.00) each, which will be awarded to:

      • TWO (2) Barbados-based emerging/mid-career visual artists;
      • ONE (1) Barbados-based independent/non-profit arts-focused organisation;
      • ONE (1) Barbados-based curator or art historian/writer/researcher.
      • TWO (2) Caribbean-based emerging/mid-career visual artists;
      • ONE (1) Caribbean-based independent/non-profit arts-focused organisation;
      • ONE (1) Caribbean-based curator or art historian/writer/researcher.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

VISUAL ARTISTS:

      • Artists must have been living and practising in the Caribbean for a minimum of 7 years;
      • Artists’ work can span any discipline/media of contemporary visual arts practice (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, sculpture, installation, video, new media, experimental audiovisual art, performance art, interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary);
      • Artists must demonstrate a high standard of work and professional endeavours (participation in exhibitions, residencies, workshops, programming etc.) in keeping with their level of experience.

ARTS ORGANISATIONS:

      • Organisations must have been operating within the Caribbean for a minimum of 3 years;
      • Organisations must be independent/non-governmental;
      • Organisations need not be registered charities/non-profits but must be able to demonstrate best practices in terms of governance and operations management.
      • Organisations must demonstrate a clear commitment to their mission and vision as it relates to contemporary Caribbean art and give examples of their work in alignment with this.

CURATORS & ART HISTORIANS/WRITERS/RESEARCHERS:

      • Practitioners must have been living and working in the Caribbean for a minimum of 7 years;
      • Practitioners must give examples of their work (whether through exhibitions, published written work, or research) demonstrating their commitment to exploring and showcasing contemporary Caribbean art practices.

—

3. THREE (3) grants valued at USD $7,500.00 (BBD $15,000.00) each, which will be awarded to:

      • ONE (1) established Barbados-based visual artist
      • TWO (2) established Caribbean-based visual artists

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

      • Artists must have been living and practising in the Caribbean for a minimum of 20 years;
      • Artists’ work can span any discipline/media of contemporary visual arts practice (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, sculpture, installation, video, new media, experimental audiovisual art, performance art, interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary);
      • Artists must demonstrate a high standard of work and professional endeavours (participation in exhibitions, residencies, workshops, programming etc.) in keeping with their long and influential careers.

—

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

ALL applications must be submitted through the official Google Form provided (any submissions sent by email or in hard copy will not be eligible for review).

The APPLICATION FORM includes the following:

FOR VISUAL ARTISTS:

      • Submission of a brief bio (250 words maximum); 
      • Submission of an artist statement, providing an overview of your practice to help contextualise the artworks shared for review (250 words maximum);
      • Submission of an up-to-date CV (2 pages maximum);
      • 5-8 clearly labelled samples of work that best showcase your practice (accepted file formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MP3, DOC, DOCX and PDF. In the case of video works, YouTube or Vimeo links may be provided, along with passwords if applicable). Document files should not exceed 10 MB. Image/audio/video files should not exceed 100MB.

FOR ARTS ORGANISATIONS:

      • Submission of an overview of the organisation, including its mission, vision, key personnel, and a brief history of the work it has done in the Caribbean (500 words maximum); 
      • Submission of a list of the organisation’s projects/programming and any notable accolades achieved (2 pages maximum);
      • 5-8 clearly labelled samples of work that best showcase the organisation’s output (accepted file formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MP3, DOC, DOCX, and PDF. In the case of video works, YouTube or Vimeo links may be provided, along with passwords if applicable). Document files should not exceed 10 MB. Image/audio/video files should not exceed 100MB.

FOR CURATORS:

      • Submission of a brief bio (250 words maximum); 
      • Submission of a statement outlining main curatorial interests and concerns (250 words maximum);
      • Submission of an up-to-date CV (2 pages maximum);
      • 5-8 clearly labelled samples of work that best showcase your curatorial output (accepted file formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MP3, DOC, DOCX, and PDF. In the case of video works, YouTube or Vimeo links may be provided, along with passwords if applicable). Document files should not exceed 10 MB. Image/audio/video files should not exceed 100MB.

FOR ART HISTORIANS/WRITERS/RESEARCHERS:

      • Submission of a brief bio (250 words maximum); 
      • Submission of a statement outlining main areas of writing/research (250 words maximum);
      • Submission of an up-to-date CV (2 pages maximum);
      • 3-5 clearly labelled samples of written work, no more than 2500 words each (accepted file formats include DOC, DOCX, and PDF). Document files should not exceed 10 MB. 

All applicants will also be asked for a brief statement on why the receipt of this grant would be timely for their practice. Those fitting the above criteria and based in the following countries may apply:

Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, 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. Barthelemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands. 

—

SELECTION PROCESS:

Applications will be independently reviewed by a 3-member jury comprising one Barbadian, one Caribbean, and one international jury member, each of whom will be an expert in their field and familiar with contemporary art practice in the Caribbean. Jurors will assign scores to each segment of the applicants’ submissions, and a jury meeting will be held once scores have been collated. The jury’s decision will be final, and a jury report will be released publicly when successful applicants are announced. Neither the jury members nor the Fresh Milk Team will be able to offer feedback on individual applications.

—

JURY MEMBERS:

      • Dr. Therese Hadchity, Art historian and professor in Cultural Studies at The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Barbados;
      • Tirzo Martha, Visual artist and co-founder of the Instituto Buena Bista, Curaçao;
      • Maria Elena Ortiz, Curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

 

 

About 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.

 

About the NCF:

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament in 1983. Its mandate is to oversee the cultural landscape of Barbados. The NCF’s role revolves around the preservation of our cultural heritage and promotion of all forms of art and culture, both tangible and intangible through developmental and commercial programmes and products. The functional spectrum ranges from, generating cultural awareness at the grassroots level to promoting cultural exchanges at an international level. In its developmental role, the Foundation uses culture as a tool for national development, fostering and supporting the various art forms and new cultural products. In its commercial role, the Foundation is responsible for the promotion, production and hosting of cultural festivals and associated events.

 

About the 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.

Fresh Milk participates in the inaugural FUZE Art Expo

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Fresh Milk is thrilled to share our participation in the inaugural FUZE Art Expo, hosted by The Current Gallery and Art Center at Baha Mar, Nassau, as part of the 2023 Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival. The art fair will take place October 28th and 29th.

 

FUZE is a first-of-its-kind regional art fair, offering an opportunity to gather art-minded individuals as they explore the rich culture that the Caribbean visual art communities have to offer.  FUZE aims to generate an efficient art ecosystem to guide the development of artwork in the region to intersect with new philosophies, new audiences, and new platforms both locally and abroad.

For the last twelve years, The Fresh Milk Art Platform has supported excellence in the visual arts through residencies and programmes that provide Barbadian and Caribbean artists with opportunities for development and foster a thriving art community. Over this time, we have built ongoing and meaningful relationships with the creative practitioners we have engaged with, continuing to support their artistic growth in tangible and intangible ways. For our participation in FUZE, Fresh Milk wishes to showcase the work of two local multidisciplinary artists who have not only taken part in our residency programme, but also been involved with several of our other regional and international initiatives over the years – Versia Harris and Kia Redman.

Versia Harris
Versia Harris, From the ‘Thousands of Thousands’ series, Ink, bleach and gouache on illustration vellum / 100% cotton paper, 4″ x 4″ each, 2023
Kia Redman
Kia Redman, Still from video work ‘Buried Treasures’, Mixed 2D animation, mixed media drawings, video and photography, 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 px, 2 mins, 2022

In collaboration with the two artists, Communications & Operations manager at Fresh Milk Katherine Kennedy, will curate a selection of their work to exhibit in the booth. Both Versia and Kia are exceptional, forward thinking artists whose practices display layered interpretations of what “Caribbean art” can be, challenging limitations and stereotypes by interrogating themes such as identity, fantasy and the physical and social landscape of Barbados and the region.

FUZE Art Expo will be open at Baha Mar on Saturday October 28th and Sunday October 29th, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM each day. Book tickets here.

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

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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

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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
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:

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.