Tag: Ronald Williams

Re: Controversy around Bench in the ‘Fresh Stops’ Project

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There has been some recent controversy in the local  Barbados media surrounding one of the benches commissioned by Fresh Milk and Adopt A Stop as part of our collaborative Fresh Stops Project.

'Alpha' by Ronald Williams.

‘Alpha’ by Ronald Williams, featured on a bench currently located in Independence Square, Barbados

Fresh Milk and Adopt A Stop have been involved in a dynamic partnership since 2014, creating opportunities for young Barbadian contemporary visual artists to produce new artworks in public spaces. To date we have commissioned five artists to produce images for benches which have been popping up around the island, including sites at River Bay, Bathsheba, Hunte’s Gardens, the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI) and Independence Square. The final bench in this current series is set to be released soon, and will be placed at the Barbados Community College (BCC). You can see more about the innovative project here.

The article published in the Nation Newspaper on Friday, 18th September, 2015.

The article published in the Nation Newspaper on Friday, 18th September, 2015.*

In the Friday, September 18th edition of the Nation Newspaper, there was an article referring to one of the benches featuring artwork by BCC Graduate, Ronald Williams, expressing concern about the nature of the images in the piece. Since being a student of the BFA programme at BCC, Ronald has been producing a body of work looking at stereotypical representations of black culture. Here is his statement for Alpha, the piece on the back of the bench in question:

Alpha attempts to question traditionally dominant Western beauty standards. It injects a black consciousness alongside, and at times instead of, the established images found in Classical Greek, Renaissance and Baroque eras.

Fresh Milk is also currently showing Ronald’s work in our public gallery space called the Fresh Milk ArtBoard.

full bench alpha

Ronald Williams, Alpha, 2015.

We have been in touch with the Nation in order to clear up this matter. The artist and representatives from Fresh Milk and Adopt A Stop are happy to discuss the work and the project further to generate a healthy discourse around contemporary art in Barbados.

*Please note that the bench was not, as stated in the newspaper article, donated by Massy United Insurance, and that they are not affiliated with the project.

‘Alpha’ in Independence Square

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Fresh Milk  and Adopt A Stop continue the Fresh Stops collaborative project this month with Ronald Williams’ piece titled ‘Alpha’. In an attempt to bring art into the public space, six artists were commissioned to produce original artwork for benches that will appear at varied locations around the island. ‘Alpha’ by Ronald Williams has been installed in Independence Square, Bridgetown, St. Michael*. Thank you to Adopt A Stop for partnering with us to produce yet another fantastic bench!

The other participating artists include Evan Avery, Matthew Clarke, Versia Harris, Mark King and  Simone Padmore. This project creates visibility for the work of emerging creatives, allowing the public to encounter and interact with their pieces in everyday life, generating interest and inviting dialogue  about their practices.

*This bench was formerly located in Jubilee Gardens, Bridgetown.

Ronald Williams with his bench titled ‘Alpha’

Alpha:

Alpha attempts to question traditionally dominant Western beauty standards. It injects a black consciousness alongside, and at times instead of, the established images found in Classical Greek, Renaissance and Baroque eras.

About Ronald Williams:

Photograph by Rachelle Gray

Photograph by Rachelle Gray

Ronald Williams is a multimedia artist and graduate of the Barbados Community College Fine Arts program. His work currently focuses on race and sociology, most recently investigating the role that sports and the black athlete play in society. He manipulates popular based imagery to compose computer-generated images that explore sports, perceptions, stereotypes and fantasies about the black athlete or figure. This collage series was shown in Scotland at the International Artist Initiated (IAI) project, presented by the David Dale Gallery & Studios as part of The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme which took place alongside this year’s Commonwealth Games.

About Adopt A Stop:

The Adopt A Stop project provides socially beneficial advertising in the form of bus shelters, benches and outdoor fitness stations at prime sites around Barbados. They embrace solar lighting, local materials and tropical design in keeping with their goal of environmental sustainability.

Fresh Stops: Ronald Williams Up Next!

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Fresh Stops poster 2 l(ow res)

Fresh Milk  and Adopt A Stop continue the Fresh Stops collaborative project this month with Ronald Williams’ piece titled ‘Alpha’. In an attempt to bring art into the public space, six artists were commissioned to produce original artwork for benches that will appear at varied locations around the island. ‘Alpha’ by Ronald Williams will soon be revealed at a location near you.

The other participating artists include Evan Avery, Matthew Clarke, Versia Harris, Mark  King and Simone Padmore. This project creates visibility for the work of emerging creatives, allowing the public to encounter and interact with their pieces in everyday life, generating interest and inviting dialogue about their practices.

Alpha:

Alpha attempts to question traditionally dominant Western beauty standards. It injects a black consciousness alongside, and at times instead of, the established images found in Classical Greek, Renaissance and Baroque eras.

About Ronald Williams:

Photograph by Rachelle Gray

Photograph by Rachelle Gray

Ronald Williams is a multimedia artist and graduate of the Barbados Community College Fine Arts program. His work currently focuses on race and sociology, most recently investigating the role that sports and the black athlete play in society. He manipulates popular based imagery to compose computer-generated images that explore sports, perceptions, stereotypes and fantasies about the black athlete or figure. This collage series was shown in Scotland at the International Artist Initiated (IAI) project, presented by the David Dale Gallery & Studios as part of The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme which took place alongside this year’s Commonwealth Games.

Fresh Milk featured in BimROCK

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Photograph by Bim ROCK Magazine

Photograph by Bim ROCK Magazine

The premiere issue of BimROCK Magazine is out. Thank you to Kishmar Shepherd, Publisher of BimROCK and Rachelle Grey, Editor-in-Chief for featuring the Fresh Milk  Art Platform Inc. in this, their inaugural issue. Thanks also to Versia Harris, Ronald Williams and Lauren Craig for lending their voices to the feature. See the full feature and magazine here: BimROCK Issue 1.

Click here to read the feature.

Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice #CCF

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To be honest, the book felt personal. I could relate to my grandmother’s and mother’s continued self-sacrifice, but it also didn’t challenge the statement I’m about to share at the start of this essay.
After making the misguided statement that “Men are better leaders than women,” and having to defend myself in a series of debates that followed, I was pressured into reading a book on feminism so I could ‘get my mind right’. So I selected the one that caught my attention—Stephanie Golden’s Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice…

It may have been the wrong choice.

The above excerpt is from Ronald Williams’ review of Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice by Stephanie Golden, this week’s addition to the Fresh Milk Books Tumblr – the online space inviting interaction with our collection in the Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

For new Critical. Creative. Fresh reviews every week, look out for our #CCF Weekly posts and see the great material we have available at Fresh Milk!