Announcing TENDER Grantees for 2025!

September 5, 2025Leave a comment

After a thorough evaluation process of the 116 eligible submissions from 20 countries, Fresh Milk is thrilled to announce the recipients of our second unrestricted grant programme – TENDER. As a gesture of generosity, faith and care, these grants represent an effort to support the artists working in the region’s contemporary visual arts sector.

We want to again extend a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to apply; as mentioned in the jury report, the quality of the profiles shared made for a difficult decision-making process once again. For their care and dedication in reviewing these submissions, we are very appreciative of the jury’s thoughtfulness, attention and collaboration.

Read the full jury report here!

Thank you to the National Cultural Foundation, The Clara Lionel Foundation and the Panta Rhea Foundation for their generous contributions in making the scope of this grant programme so wide ranging.

Join us in extending a big congratulations to the following grantees!

Barbadian recent graduates – USD $1,500.00 each

Caribbean recent graduates – USD $1,500.00 each

Barbadian Emerging Artists – USD $2,500.00 each

Caribbean Emerging Artists – USD $2,500.00 each

Caribbean Mid-Career Artists – USD $3,500.00 each

Established Artists – USD $7,500.00 each

Arts Organisations – USD $3,500.00 each

Fresh Milk participates in the inaugural FUZE Art Expo

October 23, 2023Leave a comment

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.

Fresh Milk’s 2020 Highlights

March 9, 2021March 9, 2021Leave a comment

Thank you for your continued support of Fresh Milk!

While it’s taken us a little while to share our reflections on the year 2020, we’re pleased to celebrate what we have been able to achieve in spite of the challenges that cultural workers everywhere have had to navigate.

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Still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus has made our already precarious cultural sectors here in Barbados and across the wider Caribbean even more fragile. We have been challenged to find new ways to nurture one another, and Fresh Milk has participated in collaborations that have been beneficial to many artists in the region.

To learn more about the work we have done including CONTESTED DESIRES – an ongoing partnership with artist initiatives in the UK, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Italy; working with Le Centre d’Art in Haiti on a residency exchange programme; the most recent Tilting Axis Fellowship in partnership with Het Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands; or the pan-Caribbean CATAPULT project in partnership with The American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) and Kingston Creative, see more below!

For 2021, Fresh Milk remains committed to delivering virtual editions of the programmes Caribbean Linked and Transoceanic Visual Exchange (TVE). These online platforms will unite artists across linguistic territories in the region, as well as expand our work with colleagues in Latin America.

If you would like to support artists participating in Caribbean Linked and TVE, or would like to lend support to the management of these various projects, go ahead and click on the donate button below! It’s very easy to support us and the artists we work with by making a donation through this PayPal link. Your contributions make our programmes possible, and gifts of any size are welcome.

While our artist residency programme is on pause now that we have honoured all previous commitments, we look forward to sharing an open call for a local project with three exciting components, which will take place right here in Barbados, in the parish of St. George.

Stay tuned for more details!

If you’d like to work with us to build your art collection by acquiring work by local and Caribbean artists, please get in touch.

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We would like to thank everyone who worked with us, supported us, and express gratitude to the many artists who we have had the privilege of working with across the Caribbean during this very demanding year.

We are pleased to be able to share our 2020 reflections with you all and hope you enjoy this newsletter.

Fresh Milk’s 2019 in Review

February 5, 2020Leave a comment

Thank you for your continued support of Fresh Milk!

At the Fresh Milk Art Platform, we believe in the visual arts and its capacity to empower young artists and bring the Caribbean closer together. Through our local, regional and international programming, we have witnessed the benefit of investing in the arts, a sector that is increasingly vital now more than ever before.

With your valuable support, we will continue to contribute to the professional development of visual artists in Barbados, the Caribbean and its diaspora through our streamlined programming in 2020. While hosting fewer artists on site at Fresh Milk, this year’s residency focus will be on Caribbean Linked – a regional residency uniting artists from all linguistic territories in the region. We’ll also be fostering new international residency opportunities for Caribbean-based professionals.

A special focus for Barbados is the We Gatherin’ project and Fresh Milk is keen to participate to this unique event. If you’d like to work with us to commission new work by local artists for the 2020 Fresh Stops project or support new work for the Fresh Milk Art Board,
click that donate button!

It’s very easy to support us by making a donation through this PayPal link. Your contributions make our programmes possible, and gifts of any size are welcome.

The Fresh Milk Team offers warm thanks and deep gratitude,
and invites you to reflect on 2019 with us in our annual
year in review newsletter!

TVE 2019 Online Exhibition

November 23, 2019May 11, 2021Leave a comment

Fresh Milk is excited to launch the Transoceanic Visual Exchange 2019 Online Exhibition, which will be available for viewing between November 23rd – December 21st.

Exhibiting artists include:

Wang Chen (China/Australia) – My Little Brother and Secret
Chen Dandizi (China) – Deep Relax
Luk Gama (Guadeloupe) – Tan boudé chiré…
Versia Harris (Barbados) – For Peace
Zhiliang Jin (UK/China) – Shareable Horizons
Kadiejra O’Neal (Barbados) – Gestation Period
Ada M. Patterson (Barbados) – Buchibushi and Rammelaar
Richard Mark Rawlins (Trinidad & Tobago) – SUGAR
Kia Redman (Barbados) – Roots | Routes and Surround Sounds
Sucheng (China) – 一千零一夜 (At This Moment)
Zhao Xu (China) – Stranded Dreams

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Have a Question about TVE?

If you have a question about the TVE programme, or want to engage directly with the Caribbean and Chinese artists about their work, the #askTVE form lets you submit your feedback and questions directly to our team, and we will share the artists’ responses with you in an open forum!