Fresh Milk and Groundation Grenada welcome Damali Abrams

September 30, 2013July 18, 2019Leave a comment

FRESH MILK and Groundation Grenada are pleased to have NYC-based, Guyanese performance artist Damali Abrams visit our platforms as artist in residence for the month of October, 2013.

Damali, who has been working with FRESH MILK on The Fresh Performance Project which features interviews with Caribbean-based and NYC-based performance artists, will spend three weeks in Barbados and one week in Grenada. In addition to editing a full length documentary around Fresh Performance and producing her own work, Damali will also be conducting workshops and community outreach projects in both islands.

This exciting residency not only marks the first official collaboration between FRESH MILK and Groundation, but will also expand the cultural arena for both NY based and Caribbean based creatives, contributing to critical discourse around performance art.

Fresh Milk and Groundation Grenada wish to engage with the Caribbean diasporic art community in the New York area as well as a wider U.S. audience, and projects of this nature are unique in that they reverse the trend of Caribbean based artists wanting to find relevance for their work in a North American context. In this instance, it is a U.S. based artist who is keen to see how her work resonates within the Caribbean environment.

Given that performance art in the Caribbean is practiced by a small number of artists, this project will contribute to expanding a critical and creative community by offering support to performance artists who often work in isolation. Finally, the project will build cultural bridges between the U.S. and the Caribbean and generate understanding and community through the arts.

Damali will share the outcome of her residency at a public event to be held at FRESH MILK on October 24th. More information on this to follow!

Special thanks to the US Embassy in Barbados for supporting this project.

Adrian Green and Sky LARC’s Residency: Week 2

September 25, 2013May 20, 20151 Comment

Spoken word artist and Adrian Green and filmmaker LARC are collaborating at Fresh Milk for the month of September and working on the production of a video short. See LARC’s photographs of the performing artists they are working with, and read Adrian’s blog entry about the challenges of filmmaking, and innovation necessary to adapt to the process.

Reviewing the performance

I instinctively understood it before. But I can appreciate more now. Film making in Barbados is H(art)D. I’ll come back to that.

This process of film making is entirely new and fascinating to me. This is my first time working in the medium and thus far it is very different.

This is my perception of the process thus far. We are in the pre-production stage and at this point there is not a lot of “art” going on. The “art” goes into the conceptualisation and production of a script and/or treatment, and the production of visuals in filming and editing. Aside from that it is planning and administrative work to be done, to ensure that the small window we have for shooting does not close on us prematurely.

The planning involves scheduling, corresponding with actors, securing props, equipment and finalising locations. In other words, looking around making calls and waiting. This is hard work for me who is not the most organised and usually depends on no one and nothing but himself to get his art done. This is definitely not a 9 to 5 type gig. Long periods of seeming inactivity are set to be followed by marathon sessions of filming and editing.

Now on the difficulty of island film making…

Time and budgetary constraints make it so the local film maker must be extra creative. I think I’ll call it “Jazz style film making” or “Mcgyver film making.” This is because the of the level of improvisation, ingenuity and innovation required. You may start with a vision but can expect that the flexibility of your creative muscle will be tested when lack of resources, responses, time and so on, require you to find new ways, approaches and ideas.

But then again, I guess this is not unique to film making. That is just art. Somehow though, it seems amplified when applied to screen. Movie Magic?

– Adrian Green

Megghan and friends

Art Appreciation Course: What is this thing called contemporary art?

September 24, 2013May 20, 2015Leave a comment

ART APPRECIATION: WHAT’S THIS THING CALLED CONTEMPORARY ART?

WHERE: Barbados Community College (BCC), Art Division of Fine Arts, Morningside Campus, Art History Room

WHEN: October 3^rd – December 19^th 2013 (Thursday nights)

TIME: 5.30PM – 8.30PM

COST: $400.00 to be paid before class starts on October 3rd

HOW TO REGISTER: Go to Student Affairs in the Administration block at BCC. The registration form can be downloaded here.

DATES: October 3, 10, 16, (Wednesday) 24, 31; November 14, 21, 28; December 12, 19.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This Art Appreciation Course is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of the contemporary visual arts produced in Barbados, the Caribbean and its diaspora, with a focus on emerging and contemporary practices. Through material covered in this course, you will become familiar with work being produced by select contemporary creatives working in Barbados, the Caribbean and further afield which may include looking at major Caribbean exhibitions. A selection of ART 21 videos will be screened showcasing interviews with contemporary artists from around the world, speaking about their practices. The introductory presentation will speak to ways of looking at art allowing you to develop a strategy to discuss and understand works of art. This course will also cover the increased presence and role of informal art spaces throughout the region and their impact on the contemporary art space. The elements that comprise a developed creative economy will be explored. Guest speakers will join some of the weekly sessions, exposing you to the richness of creatives working in Barbados. At least one off-site class will allow you to experience an event showcasing contemporary creatives sharing and speaking about their practices.

COURSE OBJECTIVE: The objective of this ten-session course is to develop an awareness of and appreciation for contemporary art practice. This framework will enable you to expand your understanding of the contemporary arts arena, stimulate critical thinking generally, and enhance your enjoyment of art. The course is suitable for enhancing your general knowledge about the arts and may stimulate confidence for the budding art collector.

ABOUT THE TUTOR: Annalee Davis is a part-time tutor in the BFA programme at the BCC. She is a practicing visual artist whose work exposes tensions within the larger context of a post-colonial Caribbean history and observes the nature of post-independent (failing) nation states. She explores notions of home, longing and belonging; questions the parameters that define who belong (and who doesn’t), and is concerned with issues surrounding the shifting landscapes of the archipelago. She has exhibited her work throughout the Caribbean and internationally since 1989. Annalee completed a BFA at the Maryland Institute, College of Art and an MFA at the Mason Gross School for the Arts, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She works from her studio, The Milking Parlour in St. George, Barbados. In August 2011 she founded The Fresh Milk Art Platform Inc., a platform for conversation about contemporary art and a space supporting emerging talent.

For more on Fresh Milk visit www.freshmilkbarbados.com and for more on her practice visit www.annaleedavis.com. For more information email annalee@annaleedavis.com

Adrian Green and Sky LARC’s Residency: Week 1

September 19, 2013May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Adrian Green and LARC are collaborating at Fresh Milk for the month of September and working on the production of a video short. See LARC’s shots from ‘working out the working out scene’ and moving through the bush on the location scout. Read Adrian’s blog entry which is in the form of poetry this week.

Dancer: Megghan Michael

working out the working out scene

We are starting to hear our own footsteps
In our heads
The sound of four soles slapping ground echos from the gut
Where anticipation builds
Percussive steps subtly synchronise
Evidence that we are moving
The motion
ever
so
Slight
Is perceived in rememberance
We look forward
Gaze pulled by the strings of reSolving image
Evolving image
Of what one is being built through many
Heads… Hearts… Hands…
Not necessarily in that order

– Adrian Green

our guide through the bush on our location scout

the face of H(art)d Work

looking for the right spot

Caribbean Linked II Artist Blogs: Veronica Dorsett

September 15, 2013May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Bahamian artist, Veronica Dorsett writes about her experience during the Caribbean Linked II residency programme at Ateliers ’89, Aruba. Dorsett reflects on moments of anticipation and how her hopes for moving forward in her work were propelled to a new level during the residency. Her intimate connection to the resident artists, the Aruban landscape and culture provoked an awakening in her that she didn’t foresee. Learn more about Caribbean Linked and Dorsett’s awakening here.

Veronica Dorsett in Aruba. Photographs courtesy of Shirley Rufin and Omar Kuwas.

Dear Aruba…
As we close our eyes at night, the conscious or subconscious hopes of a sweet dream are as defined as the hazy nothingness most of us conjure up. We dabble in thought before drifting off and most times with no real focus on any one thing we create a beautiful myriad of fragmented images. These images then cluster together delving us into a dreamlike state where, if you’re lucky, you’ll find Elvis Lopez, a couple of Arubans with a botched pick-up truck named ‘the Bronco’, 7 strangers, a couple of wine bottles – well, maybe more than a couple – and an empty art gallery begging to be filled. Yup, for me, being in Aruba simply felt like an extended dream that I quite honestly wish lasted just a little bit longer.

As my plane landed on this Happy Little Island, I quickly wrote down a few random thoughts and they were along the lines of the following:

Veronica’s notes.

I think it’s safe to say that by the end of that note, my dream had begun.

Arriving on the island from a ‘tourists’’ perspective was one thing, but experiencing “Aruba” for what it truly is with the local resident artists (Robin De Vogel, Germille Geerman and Kevin Schuit) was unforgettable. Seeing the raw beauty of the island allowed each of the visiting artists to find direct comparisons to “home”; and yet in the same breath, allowed us to uncover the distinct differences that exists between our islands.

Throughout the residency, as the baby of the group, I found myself very aware of my own personal search for my ‘style’ or my ‘tool’ as a budding artist. This residency became a major stepping stone in my career as I battled through uncertainty and sheer confusion for seven days straight. My lack of focus and frustration with my inability to even ‘create’ a focal point from everything Aruba had to offer brought me to a low where I simply felt defeated. Fortunately, I was able to talk to the other artists around me and draw from them their perspectives and words of advice to help me find my way. The short talks I had with each of them allowed me to accept my “lack of focus” as my “focal point” by taking all these ideas and experiences and combining them into a simple form that I could engage with – a black hole with a few ‘strings attached’. This form allowed me to create an answer to all my questions and combining it with random objects I had found as I walked through Aruba along with magazine cutouts pushed me into a realm of ‘organized clutter’.

Veronica’s work – Focus for Caribbean Linked.

The studio visits to local artists Ciro Abath, Osaira Muyale and Glenda Heyliger were crucial to my process during as well as after this residency at Atelier89. I keenly remember the sketches and models from Ciro’s studio along with the “all blue everything” sculpture’s at Osaira’s studio; both of which tapped into a sculptural craving I had somehow I forgotten I had. Seeing their work once again forced me to question whether I was using the right ‘tool’ or medium to create my work. And ‘Oh, Glenda’, who could forget Glenda? She definitely impacted me on an emotional level and boosted my confidence as she urged me to not be afraid of releasing my fears and most honest opinions within my work.

Veronica’s Collages from Focus for Caribbean Linked.

The dreamlike state that I continually found myself in was only encouraged by the drama free environment we all shared. It all came together in a magical way where we enjoyed one another’s company and made the most out of each day. Much of the nightlife was quite similar to home for me with one of my favorites being our night at ‘Don Pincho’ where we had either chicken, shrimp or mixed ‘pincho’s’ or what we like to call in the Bahamas “shish kabobs”. After that bellyful, we then danced the night away or at least everyone else danced while Mark King (Barbados) and I were attempting to master the ‘Bachata’ with the help of Omar Kuwas and Shirley Rufin who was our dancing queen of the night!

Veronica installing work for Caribbean Linked II

Another ‘exciting’ memory was made when a random dog charged at me as we were heading to a restaurant for dinner and I ever so “gracefully” (as Rodell Warner from Trinidad put it) leapt into Omar Kuwas’ (Curacao) arms out of complete and utter fear. Thankfully, the dog retreated and no one (except for Omar’s back) was hurt. In light of the moment we were given the nicknames “Shaggy and Scooby” and it became one of those classic moments that were unfortunately not caught on camera!

Resident artists at Don Pincho

I can honestly say that this residency in Aruba has not only catapulted my thinking in a new direction but it has inspired me to share my practice more openly within my own community. For me, the concept alone of linking a group of people who all share a commonality through the Caribbean region and diaspora is an amazing opportunity that should be seized time and time again. The connections we have made will not only insure growth but it will also help create a stronger definitive of that which is ‘Caribbean’.

Boundaries have been broken, spirits have been lifted, a few wine bottles have been popped open and this dream has finally become reality.
To all my follow resident artists, the curators and most affectionately to Elvis Lopez, until next time!

Sincerely,

Your Bahamian Sister.
Veronica Vo Dorsett

Ateliers ’89 director, the extraordinary Elvis Lopez.

About Veronica Dorsett:

Veronica Dorsett was born in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on November 20th, 1992. Currently living in Nassau, Bahamas as a student of the College of the Bahamas, Dorsett received an associate’s degree in art in the fall of 2012. She is primarily an installation artist but also shares a great interest in sculptural, ceramic and mixed media works. As a recent recipient of the 2012 Popopstudios ICVA Junior Residency Prize, she hopes the opportunity will push her work in a whole new direction as she aims to pursue a BFA in Sculpture in 2013.

CARIBBEAN LINKED II is a residency programme and exhibition organized by Ateliers ’89 Foundation in collaboration with ARC Inc. and The Fresh Milk Art Platform Inc. and funded by the Mondriaan Foundation. The programme took place from August 25th through September 6th, 2013 in Oranjestad, Aruba.