Tag: Mural

Fresh Milk & the NCF launch three Digital Public Artworks

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The Fresh Milk Art Platform, with support from the Cultural Industries Development Fund of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados, has launched three Digital Public Arts Projects featuring works by local artists! Congratulations to Joshua Clarke, Mohita Shenoy and Chris Welch, whose artworks are now exhibited on the Fresh Milk ArtBoard, a mural at St. George’s Primary School and a Fresh Stops Bus Shelter respectively!

Now more than ever during the global limitations we are facing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to think about how we as a society value the work of artists. Fresh Milk and the NCF seek to empower creatives and stimulate the creative economy in the island, especially during this very challenging moment, and are thrilled to have engaged with a range of artists at different stages of their careers and working across a variety of media including illustration, graphic design, photography and artificial intelligence to name a few.

Work by Joshua Clarke on the Fresh Milk ArtBoard
Work by Joshua Clarke on the Fresh Milk ArtBoard

Joshua Clarke on his piece:

“…The two works [I incorporated are] the Nelson’s History piece that tracks his personal story from young sailor to figure of heroism and horror in duality in the English Caribbean, and the Statue Fallen piece that draws on space opera & science fiction imagery to see the scar of Nelson’s idolatry rent asunder from the figure representing the island of Barbados. My hope [is that the piece] arrests the viewer as something simultaneously otherworldly but relentlessly Caribbean, pulling the dynamic color from the painting and the complex linework from the illustrative piece for a pop poster mashup that takes my two artistic directions and combines them in a way that can be communicated on a large scale.”

Work by Mohita Shenoy on a mural at St. George Primary School
Work by Mohita Shenoy on a mural at St. George Primary School
Work by Mohita Shenoy on a mural at St. George Primary School

Mohita Shenoy on her piece:

“…Since lions are the mascots of [St. George Primary] school, I had the idea that the lions being portrayed are a sort of symbol, a spirit of the school that goes wherever the students go in life. The boy is shown to be reading (academics). The lion alongside him patiently allows him to lean against him, supporting him in his studies. The girl in the middle is playing soccer (sports), the lion cub at her side runs with her, again a symbol of moral support. The girl on the right is dancing (the arts). The lioness accompanying her winds around her, as if it wants to dance in support too.”

Work on the Fresh Stops bus shelter by Chris Welch
Work on the Fresh Stops bus shelter by Chris Welch
Work on the Fresh Stops bus shelter by Chris Welch

Chris Welch on his piece:

“…AI Chattel is a model that dreams of Bajan architecture, connecting the past, present and future of these unique structures. AI Chattel bridges the gaps between art, technology, culture and architecture. Machine Learning (ML) is the study of computer algorithms that improve automatically through experience … I used an image dataset of 2500 chattel house images from around the island to train a Style GAN 2 (Generative Adversarial Network) model. The objective of this project is to show an important and yet mostly forgotten characteristic about architecture; architecture is alive, lives among us and is capable of stimulating our senses.”

There is also a QR code embedded in Chris’ work on the bus shelter, and the public is invited to scan it to learn more and to see the video component of his AI Chattel series.

This project is made possible in part by the Cultural Industries Development Fund of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados. Special thanks to Colour XL for the printing and installation of the mural and ArtBoard, and to Adopt A Stop for the construction of the bus shelter.

Announcing Selected Artists for Digital Public Arts Projects!

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The Fresh Milk Art Platform, with support from the Cultural Industries Development Fund of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados, shares the results of our open call for Barbadian visual artists whose works will be on display for three exciting public art projects. Congratulations to Joshua Clarke, Mohita Shenoy and Chris Welch, whose artworks will be exhibited on the Fresh Milk ArtBoard, a mural at St. George’s Primary School and a Fresh Stops Bus Shelter respectively!

Their works will be installed during the month of May, so stay tuned for updates, messages from the artists and images of the completed works!

Learn more about the artists and their proposed artworks below.

Joshua Clarke
Concept Example: Nelson 1st Movement Second Stanza – Burn it Down

About Joshua Clarke:

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) and CATAPULT SHAR Awardee (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 for diasporic Afro Caribbean identity in the stories that shape our collective imagination.

Excerpt from ArtBoard Proposal:

“…In my work I try to create visuals that strike people on an entertaining level, but nevertheless resonate deeper as they take the time to look closer. The two works I’d seek to incorporate would be the Nelson’s History piece that tracks his personal story from young sailor to figure of heroism and horror in duality in the English Caribbean, and the Statue Fallen piece that draws on space opera & science fiction imagery to see the scar of Nelson’s idolatry rent asunder from the figure representing the island of Barbados. My hope would be to have a piece that arrests the viewer as something simultaneously otherworldly but relentlessly Caribbean, pulling the dynamic color from the painting and the complex linework from the illustrative piece for a pop poster mashup that takes my two artistic directions and combines them in a way that can be communicated on such a large scale.”

Mohita Shenoy
Concept Sketch: St. George’s Primary School Mural

About Mohita Shenoy:

My name is Mohita Shenoy, born and raised in Barbados. I’ve loved drawing for literally as
long as I can remember. This love is what drove me to study art up to CAPE level in
secondary school. However, my experience in digital art is almost entirely self-taught. I
ended up pursuing digital art since then, selling my artwork (as posters, t-shirts, keychains,
stickers) at AnimeKon Expo from 2016 – 2018, and then doing commission work as a
graphic designer from then onwards. In 2020, I decided to upgrade my skills by taking online
classes in Photoshop.

Excerpt from Mural Proposal:

“…St George Primary School takes pride in its students, whether it be in their feats on the athletics field or on the dance floor. Being a school, of course, academics play a role as well. Therefore, I chose these three fields to portray my idea.

In the first concept sketch, I drew three students, a boy, and two girls, alongside a lion, lion cub and lioness, respectively. Since lions are the mascots of the school, I had the idea that the lions being portrayed are a sort of symbol, a spirit of the school that goes wherever the students go in life. The boy is shown to be reading (academics). The lion alongside him patiently allows him to lean against him, supporting him in his studies. The girl in the middle is playing soccer (sports), the lion cub at her side runs with her, again a symbol of moral support. The girl on the right is dancing (the arts). The lioness accompanying her winds around her, as if it wants to dance in support too.”

Chris Welch
Concept Example: AI Chattel

About Chris Welch:

Chris Welch is a photographer and new media artist, his style is characterized by vibrant and energetic imagery. Working with code he creates generative art and interactive installations, which explore the intersection of art and technology, artificial intelligence and the aesthetic potential of computational systems.

His work has been shown at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art (LACDA), LightboxNYC, Village Gallery at the Crane, Grove Gallery Limegrove and the Gallery of Caribbean Art. His clients and credits include US Soccer, Brian “de Action Man” Talma, Caribbean Development Bank, Sandals Barbados, Innovate Barbados and the National Transformation Initiative.

Excerpt from Bus Shelter Proposal:

“…AI Chattel is a model that dreams of Bajan architecture, connecting the past, present and future of these unique structures. AI Chattel bridges the gaps between art, technology, culture and architecture. Machine Learning (ML) is the study of computer algorithms that improve automatically through experience. It is seen as a subset of artificial intelligence. ML algorithms build a mathematical model based on sample data, known as “training data”, in order to make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed to do so.

I used an image dataset of 2500 chattel house images from around the island to train a Style GAN 2 (Generative Adversarial Network) model. The objective of this project is to show an important and yet mostly forgotten characteristic about architecture; architecture is alive, lives among us and is capable of stimulating our senses.”

This project is made possible in part by the Cultural Industries Development Fund of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados

Open Call: Digital Public Art Projects

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The Fresh Milk Art Platform, with support from the Cultural Industries Development Fund of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados, shares an open call for Barbadian visual artists to submit digital pieces* for consideration for three exciting public art projects:

(i) the Fresh Milk ArtBoard;
(ii) a Fresh Stops bus stop bench and shelter at St. George’s Primary school and;
(iii) a mural at St. George’s Primary school.

One artist will be selected for each project, and each successful applicant will receive a fee of $1,100.00 BBD!

* For the purposes of this call, “digital” work can also include drawing, painting and other two dimensional media, once the artworks can be photographed or scanned at a high enough resolution to be printed at good quality at the sizes outlined for each project.

Submissions for all three projects will be reviewed by the Fresh Milk Team and an independent jury member. The application requirements are as follows:

 

(i) The Fresh Milk ArtBoard

  • Artists must be Barbadian and Barbados-based;
  • 2-3 concept sketches/work samples must be sent as digital files (JPG, PNG, PDF, TIF or PSD);
  • The concept sketches/work samples and a Word document/PDF containing a statement about the proposed work (no more than 350 words), a bio (no more than 250 words) and contact information (full name, preferred artist name, phone number, WhatsApp contact, address, social media handles and website if applicable) should be sent to freshmilkbarbados@gmail.com. This can also be done via WeTransfer;
  • If chosen, the final digital artwork must be very high resolution, and able to be printed clearly at the size 90” w x 90” h.

(ii) A Fresh Stops Bus Shelter

  • Artists must be Barbadian and Barbados-based;
  • 2-3 concept sketches/work samples for three pieces of work (one for the back of the bench and the other 2 for the two sides of shelter’s side panel) must be sent as digital files (JPG, PNG, PDF, TIF or PSD);
  • The concept sketches/work samples and a Word document/PDF containing a statement about the proposed work (no more than 350 words), a bio (no more than 250 words) and contact information (full name, preferred artist name, phone number, WhatsApp contact, address, social media handles and website if applicable) should be sent to
  • freshmilkbarbados@gmail.com. This can also be done via WeTransfer;
  • If chosen, the final digital artworks must be very high resolution, and able to be printed clearly at 82” w x 24” h (back of bench) and 24” w x 48” h (shelter side panel). Wherever possible, supply the original Illustrator or Photoshop file. Please view the dimensions guide for the shelter here for clarity.

(iii) Digital Mural at St. George Primary School

Mural on the water tower at St. George Primary School by Evan Avery
  • Artists must be Barbadian and Barbados-based;
  • 2-3 concept sketches/work samples must be sent as digital files (JPG, PNG, PDF, TIF or PSD);
  • The setting of the artwork at a public primary school should be considered in the design of the work. The St. George Primary School students referred to themselves as “lions”, reflecting their enviable position as national athletic champions as well as their excellence in Latin and ballroom dancing. Proposals reflecting the school’s continual striving for excellence will be welcomed;
  • The concept sketches/work samples and a Word document/PDF containing a statement about the proposed work (no more than 350 words), a bio (no more than 250 words) and contact information (full name, preferred artist name, phone number, WhatsApp contact, address, social media handles and website if applicable) should be sent to
  • freshmilkbarbados@gmail.com. This can also be done via WeTransfer;
  • If chosen, the final digital artwork must be very high resolution, and able to be printed clearly at the size 96” w x 30” h.

Selected artists will receive their $1,100.00 BBD fee in two instalments, a 40% deposit on selection and 60% on installation of the work. Once selected, all three artists will be asked to submit supporting images of their work and process, as well as a brief video message (no more than 90 seconds) which will be included in promotional material to be shared on the Fresh Milk and NCF website and social media platforms. 

Deadline for all submissions: April 16th, 2021

Successful applicants will be notified by April 26th, 2021, and the completed artwork must be submitted by May 15th, 2021 for printing and installation.

This project is made possible in part by the Cultural Industries Development Fund of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados

Philipp Pieroth’s Residency – Week 2 Blog Post

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German-born, Johannesburg-based visual artist Philipp Pieroth shares his second blog post about his Fresh Milk residency. This week, Philipp has tried not pressure himself in terms of having fully reconciled work at the end of his residency; rather, he is trying to trust his process and know that clarity will come over time. He also had the opportunity to present his work to students at Barbados Community College, and has started a mural workshop with them on a wall at the school. Read more below:

In my last blog, I wrote about my process. I still haven’t finished any work – I won’t be finishing the works before I Ieave, which was my original plan. Nobody pushed me to do so, but I that’s the pressure I put on myself. I’ve learned that I don’t work that way; there is a certain organic nature of the process I just can’t deny or can’t force. It needs time, no matter how much work I put in. At times I feel like I am not working enough, even though I am working every day up to 12, 14 hours, even often on weekends. A painting needs to be worked on, sometimes it needs to sit for a while and barely be looked at for weeks, before doing any work on it again. Though I was aware of these facts, the residency has acted as a good reminder.

My paintings look very different from each other. Like they have been made in different periods of my life almost. That was confusing and also unsatisfying, but I have accepted it now. I always try to take a failure as a chance to change my angle on things and turn it into a lesson. So it might turn out not to be a bad thing. I actually prefer – let’s say at a solo show – to see diversity in a body of work. If I see 20 works and the shapes and the colours only change a little bit, I feel bored.

Chelsea and I had the chance to speak to a class at the Barbados Community College. I showed my work and started a workshop with some of the students working on a mural at the school. The work that I saw from them was impressive, and I feel the talk was well received. For the mural, the group came up with an interesting concept, which we need to execute now, after the sketching is done.

Fresh Milk Mural Project at St. George Primary School by Evan Avery

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Fresh Milk was very excited to have the opportunity to carry out this community mural project on the water tower at St. George Primary School in Barbados! Barbadian artist Evan Avery has beautified the school with his original characters, which were co-designed with input from some of the Class 4 students.

Thanks so much to Shell Western Supply & Trading Ltd. for their sponsorship, and to Infra Equipment Rentals Ltd. for generously donating the scaffolding for the project!