CaFA Fair Barbados 2021 - PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Alexis Alleyne-Caputo – Bahamas/Barbados
Bahamian-American, anthropologist, researcher, and award-winning interdisciplinary artist Alexis Alleyne-Caputo lives and works in Miami, Florida, and New York. She received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Goddard College and holds a Master of Arts (MA) and Bachelor of Science (BS/MA dual studies) from New York University. She is engaged in research in the Caribbean region.
Her visual narratives include architecture, mixed media collage, painting, photography, sculpture, and film. The intersections of her artistic practice explore themes of black female identity, black feminisms, critical black studies, oceanic studies, familial and cultural kinship, social justice, and art education and reparations.
Selected solo exhibitions are Colonial Currents: Black Women, Water, Trauma, and Baptism (2020, 2021), Black Acoustic Narratives (2018), "Art Transforming Trauma" (2017). Selected group exhibitions are Bakanal De Afrique & Afro Urban Society (2020), "Latin American Art Pavilion Project (LAAP) - DOCUMENTA III” (2019), “Cri de Femmes – Outremer 2019 à’ Paris, A l’ Assemblée Nationale” Paris, France (2019).
She has received fellowships, residencies, and awards from Bakanal De Afrique & Afro Urban Society (2020), Foundation for Contemporary Arts (2020), Yarde Girl PHILANTHROPY-Barbados (2020), UNLIMITED BODIES: PERFORMA Biennial, NY (2019), CATALYST Miami (2019) and the Artist Certificate of Appreciation from the Miami-Dade County Office of The Mayor & County Commissioners (2016).
Carl F. Anderson - Guyana
Carl Anderson received his early art education at the Burrowes School of the Arts in Guyana. He later immersed himself in the Latin American art milieu by living for 13 years in Venezuela. Known internationally for his bold geometric “Ribbon Series” as well as striking photo realistic paintings, Carl’s work has been exhibited widely in Europe, North and South America, including the Malta Biennale, Italy’s Grolla D’Oro and the Guyana National Art Gallery. In 2010 Carl produced a sensational series of works tackling the controversial subject of domestic violence. His work was recently selected to represent the Americas at the 8th Beijing Art Biennale, 2019, China.
Carla Armour - Dominica
Carla Armour is a visual artist currently living in Brighton, England. After graduating from Parsons School of Design (NYC) in the 80’s she returned to her Caribbean Island, Dominica where she immersed herself in the island’s Art scene finding her message through abstract symbolism in mixed media paintings, fashion, Conceptual and Installation art, poetry and spoken word performances. Armour continues to work within her Lifelines series; employing tribal symbols and prehistoric glyph images and markings. Her current work, ‘Resonance’, explores the use of ritual elements and sacred spaces and objects to imbed messages into her pieces. She has participated in shows and exhibitions over the years in the Caribbean, US, Europe & Namibia, some of which included the International Art Project ‘Women of the World, a global collection of Art’, submissions and readings for Literary Festivals, an International Artist Exchange, ‘Carambolage’ with 8 artists from Austria and Dominica.
JD Baez – Jamaica/Puerto Rico
JD Baez is a Caribbean born, Brooklyn bred, multidisciplinary artist, that has relocated to Houston. JD strives to capture the beauty of his culture using vibrant colors, symbolic compositions and feel a sense of regality. He is well known in New York City and Philadelphia for his beautiful expressions of the black woman and being able to capture their very glow and essence with the various colors of their skin, to the reflections of light dancing off of their cheeks. His pallet also extends to his vibrant portraits and his literally showing stopping augmented art pieces. Recently his values have changed since starting a family, and because his art is a reflection of him, it has extended and grown just like his life. So he has portrayed life, children, marriage and the world’s views with beauty and grace, that a lot of us have forgotten during these times. Though it feels like we are unable to escape these negative circumstances that are happening in our society right now; JD’s art provides a certain level of peace away from the chaos, if even for a moment. Which is what he strives to do on a daily basis.
Diogenes Ballester – Puerto Rico
Diogenes Ballester, visual artist, educator, and writer holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BFA from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico. He has taught as Professor of Art at The Cooper Union in New York City, the State University of New York at New Paltz, the College of New Rochelle and The State University of New York at Albany. Mr. Ballester’s work explores oral history, memory, mythology, ritual, and cultural identity along a transnational spectrum. In recent exhibitions, he has appropriated cultural objects and historical artifacts together with painting, drawing, prints and new media as a way of accessing the past and re-interpreting the present in a trans-Caribbean dialogue. Ballester has received numerous honors for his artistic work and has exhibited widely in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. His work is in numerous private and public collections.
Patricia Brintle - Haiti
Self-taught artist Patricia Brintle was born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States in 1964. Although she has made the U.S. her residence, her colorful style reflects her native land. Her works on the Holocaust are on permanent display at the Holocaust Center of Temple Judea in New York and are used as teaching tools for visitors. One of her religious works, The First Mother, travelled with the Black Madonna Exhibit which made its debut at the famed National Museum of Catholic Art and History in New York and toured museums throughout the United States. One of her paintings hangs in the permanent collection of Albert Schweitzer Institute in Hamden, Connecticut, and her images have been published in both secular and religious periodicals.
Gharan Burton - Dominica
Gharan Burton is an academically trained artist who resides in the US most of the year but spends winter months in the Caribbean. Born and raised in Dominica, Gharan attended college in the US where his studies focused mostly on painting and sculpture. He enjoys painting the figure, still lives, landscapes and abstract experimental works. Vibrant colors inspired by his island upbringing, dominate Gharan's paintings. He also employs various techniques of pigment application and layering in order to create texture in his work. A true renaissance man at heart, Gharan is also currently a landscaper, in the upstate NY region of Plattsburgh. A strong connection to the land has also inspired Gharan to embark on a cocoa project, to grow cocoa on family land in order to someday start a chocolate business. Gharan's sculptures range from very small table-top pieces and wall hangings to large scale outdoor works. Whether landscaping, or planting fields of cocoa in Dominica, the artist’s eye and hand are ever present in Gharan's work.
Shadrach Burton - Dominica
Born October 1986, Shadrach Burton is a visual artist from Wotten Waven, Dominica. His older brother Gharan, along with his father David, are artists also, and this was a key factor in his art collection currently dating back to 1994. After being introduced to Earl Etienne and Ellingsworth Moses in the year 2000, he was participating in exhibitions at the age of 13 and has since stacked up over 50 exhibitions including 6 solo art shows. He recently graduated with a master’s degree in fine art after studying for 7 years in Hangzhou, China. Before going to pursue studies in China, in 2007, Shadrach majored in Biology and Physics and even taught high school biology for 3 years. He currently produces art using a style that is influenced by nature, music, pop culture, social commentary and his odd sense of humor.
Cher Antoinette Corbin – Barbados
This Barbadian daughter is a mother of two, a forensic scientist and is a multiple silver and bronze award winner at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA). An Honors Graduate in Chemistry from UWI Cave Hill Campus, in 1989 Cher gained the position of being the first Forensic Scientist in Barbados having achieved her Master of Forensic Science from Kings College, University of London. She has since had a long and rewarding career in the field and is presently the Director of the Forensic Sciences Centre, Office of the Attorney General. An accomplished visual artist and author, Cher’s works have been published in St. Somewhere Online Literary Journal, Blackberry: The Magazine, and in four anthologies – Bamboo Press – ‘She Sex’, The National Cultural Foundation’s – ‘Winning Words’, “She Speaks – Woman’s Journal” and ‘Senseisha’ – An Anthology on the sensuality of the Barbadian Woman. In December 2013, Cher self-published an anthology of poetry called MY SOUL CRIES and in 2014 VIRTUALIS – The Love Story and VIRTUALIS – The Anthology. Her primary media for visual art is Watercolor and she has been exploring Pen/Ink & WC Wash. Her latest self-published anthology “Architects of Destiny” was launched at CaFA Fair Barbados 2015. Cher has since been the subject of 2 solo exhibitions; at the UWI Cave Hill, Barbados and the OAS Marcus Garvey Hall of Culture, Washington DC.
Deisha Dare – Trinidad & Tobago
Deisha Baxam of Sangre Grande, Trinidad, has always been inspired by art and fashion. In 2010, the same year she founded her own fashion company, Deisha Dare Designs, Deisha dared to launch a fashion show entitled “The Serengeti”, inspired by the theme from the Serengeti plains of Africa. This young star went even further in 2013 to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies International Festival at Canoe Bay Beach Resort, Tobago, where on the runway she displayed her costume designs which were also featured on the road for Trinidad Carnival Celebrations 2014 in the band Petlemas. No stranger to high-end fashion, Deisha has worked closely with top designers such as Fashion Dandy, Deson Ayinde Sealey, Sheldon Warner, and Richard Noel, among many others. She was able to create remarkable pieces for clients she never thought she would be able to interact with. Some of these are Gage Amighty (Jamaica Dancehall Artiste), Skinny Banton (Grenada), Wave Element (Barbados), Whiteflag Entertainment, HS Productions, Fantasy Faces, Orlando Octive, Super Star Ray (Synergy), Code 202 Productions, Patrice Roberts, Dkrewe mas band, ekon Sta (Soca Artist), and SYO, just to name a few.
Ebony Art
Representing 3 artists:
Minna Dunn – Barbados
Minna Dunn was born and raised on Long Island in a household with Barbadian roots. Dunn’s affair with art started as a collector and after meeting master artist Frank Frazier in 1992, she started a career as an art dealer. Over the last eight years with extensive exposure to artists from across the globe and with the mentoring of noted Brazilian painter Ernani Silva, Dunn has been inspired to explore her creative side. The outcome has been a body of art using acrylic paint and mixed media collage on paper. Women’s clothing, sisterhood and unity have been the themes often seen in her artwork.
Essud (Cappy) Fungcap - Haiti
Fungcap studied at the Soho Art Center in New York in the 70’s then moved on to Florida where he took courses at the Coral Gables Museum of Art. Later he decided to study Visual Communications and Graphic design at the Art Institute of Houston, Texas. In addition to showing his work in the United States and abroad, he maintains his strength through teaching and personalized study (Art Students League of New York). His images have been published in magazines worldwide. In 1993 He was invited at the Chicago Cultural Center during the “Meeting of the Two Worlds” event. He has also received numerous national awards including the Manhattan Arts International Magazine’s and the Chicago Museum Honorable Mention for creativity. In July 1998, He was invited to appear on the ABC channel 11 “In Depth Program” with Wess Sarginssen to talk about his works and impressions. In February 1999, He was invited to exhibit at the Atlanta State Capitol where he met with Governor Georges Barnes and Mayor Bill Campbell. In March 2000, he was invited to appear on the FOX/TV program “Good Day Atlanta” “Francophonie 2000”. In March 2001, NBC/TV Atlanta featured him as “Artist of the Month” on their official website”, followed by a feature during Howard University’s artist awareness week. His works are included in many prestigious private and public collections; and are very highly demanded among Art Lovers.
Gina Samson - Haiti
Gina Samson’s work has been influenced by the rich cultural heritage and vibrant colors of the Caribbean, as well as the New York City urban environment. After showing interest in the arts at a young age, she enrolled in her high school’s art program, took classes and workshops at the Art Students League and NYU’s School of Continuing Education, and participated in shows and competitions. She regularly exhibits in the New York metropolitan area and her work is featured in several corporate and private collections. In her view, artwork reflects the importance of creation and imagination in everyone’s life. Working primarily in painting, collage and drawing, she aims to create works that incite reflection; while bringing to the viewer an appreciation of the pride, resilience and cultural achievements of the African Diaspora. Currently her work explores in two series the immigrant experience and the interplay of music and the visual arts: “This series focuses on the relationship between the 2 art forms and is linked to fact that I most often listen to jazz while I’m working”. Jazz has been the “soundtrack” of this production.
Earl Darius Etienne – Dominica
Born in Massacre, on the west coast of the island of Dominica and currently living in Mahaut, Earl Etienne received his formal training at the Jamaica School of Art, now the Edna Manley School of Visual Arts. Etienne is known for his trademark technique called bouzaille or flambeau, a method of using a carbon flame to apply forms to canvas. A brilliant painter and conceptual artist; he is equally adept at capturing his culture as it manifests itself around him. Now retired to life as a full time creative, he has managed to extend himself into many areas in service to his fledgling nation as senior cultural officer, painter / coordinator of events / curator/ carnival costume designer / art graphic consultant/ set designer / founding member of associations related to preservation and cultural awareness of historical and architectural heritage. His works are collected throughout the Caribbean and in many nations across the world.
Francelle Tappin - Dominica
Born in Dominica, Francelle was raised in New York but also has roots in Barbados. She believes her portrait photography challenges her to tell stories with neither sound nor words. The stories are always captured in the eyes. She is a self-taught photographer whose work has been displayed frequently in art shows throughout New York City and beyond.
Ras Ilix Heartman – Barbados
Ras Ilix Heartman, wood sculptor and farmer, was born in Barbados. His first international exposure was at the Third Havana Biennial in Cuba which was followed by the “In The Spirit Festival" at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Since then his work has been exhibited at numerous exhibitions in Barbados and in the U.S. His sculpture Melchizedek was awarded "Best In Show" at the 1997 Black History Month Exhibition held at New York’s Hintersteiner Gallery in Washington Heights. Ras Ilix’ 2012 solo show received critical acclaim at the Queen’s Park Gallery in Barbados. His sculptures are a part on many private and public collections including the Barbados National Collection.
Bernard Stanley Hoyes - Jamaica
Bernard Hoyes lives and works in Palm Springs, California. However, his career in art began at an early age in Kingston, Jamaica when he enrolled at The Institute of Jamaica, Junior Art Center. At fifteen years old he moved to New York City to continue his academic and artistic endeavors. Classes at the Art Students League introduced him to the art scene in N.Y.C. He continued his studies at Vermont Academy, in Saxton River, VT and in 1974, he received a B.F.A. in Painting from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. Hoyes is particularly known for a body of work that recalls his Afro-Caribbean roots, specifically the rituals of African Spirituality and Christianity. This body of work has earned him multiple awards of excellence internationally. Hoyes has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the globe. He has created murals in the inner city of Los Angeles, CA, has curated exhibitions and served on the board of the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles. His works have been featured in numerous television and film productions, as well as collected internationally.
Lorraine Klaiber – Suriname
Loraine is a Surinamese multi-talented lady based in The Netherlands with St. Lucian roots and a great love for Barbados. She has her own movement in Creative Arts to inspire people called Water of Words-WOW, with pillars such as dance, poetry, coaching and calligraphy. After being introduced to calligraphy in elementary school she developed an affinity for this ancient fine art and has become proficient at it. Her poetry can be admired in calligraphy, combined with spiritual and decorative drawings. Her artwork was featured in the videoclip Black Lotus released in 2020 where she also expressed elements as a featured artist being the inspiration for the song. Besides performances, she has been part of numerous exhibitions and projects in The Netherlands and Barbados, and recently won the People’s Choice Award during the USA-based Ikouii virtual exhibition 2020.
Hedy Klineman – Barbados/USA
Born in Hamburg, Germany and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Hedy Klineman graduated from Cooper Union, NYC, where she encountered the maximalist, full canvas Abstract Expressionism that has shaped her style. Hedy’s works have been exhibited at the Whitney, Rubin, Hood, Tibet House and Vizcaya Museums, among others, and she has enjoyed solos exhibitions at the Bridgewater Lustberg Gallery, Benrimon Contemporary, Dorothy Blau and Vered Modern, as well as internationally. Her work has been inspired in recent years by the ethereal figure of the Buddha further infused by the creative nourishment provided by her winter sojourns in Barbados. When the USA elected its first African American President in 2007-08, Hedy became fascinated with the spirituality of another place, Africa, and the masks of Gabon and the Ivory Coast. These common threads of spirituality combine the sublime and every-day, the personal and political, as well as bear a strong influence on the many enchanting phases of Hedy’s career.
Glen Martin – Trinidad & Tobago
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and currently living in New York City, Glen Martin is a multitalented artist that works in a variety of media, including figurative painting, illustration and crafts. Early recognition of his talent won him a full scholarship to the prestigious Pratt Institute where he earned his degree in painting and illustration. His paintings continue to be exhibited and collected in North America, Trinidad & Tobago, and beyond.
Mark Maynard - Barbados
Barbadian Mark Maynard (Marc Menard) produces a wide variety of premium art and marketing aids of the finest order at GENESIS STUDIO for print, radio, stage, and TV, within the philosophy of sound and excellent business ethics and practices. He received his artistic training at New York’s Pratt Institute and has exhibited his fine art frequently in New York, Barbados, and the Caribbean. His designs for a range of artists at the annual Barbados Crop Over Festival’s Pic of the Crop competition, as well as a myriad of award-winning stage set designs have won critical acclaim over a career spanning over 40 years of accomplishment. His creations can be found in collections from Boston, New York, Boca Raton, Florida, New Jersey, London, Toronto & Nova Scotia, Canada, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Portugal & Caribbean.
Katrina Mereigh - Barbados
Katrina Mereigh has a reverence and passion for all that is art; from theatre to architecture or paintings- she has spent many years traveling to various countries and discovering their cultures, art forms and artistic communities. She is enthusiastic about the potential of art to transform the business, environment, and enrich our own lives. This love for the arts has fueled her to study design, business and fashion. She presently runs her own company, utilising creativity to empower and transform businesses through strategic planning and execution. A self-taught artist, she channels emotion and energy into her conceptual pieces.
Cheryl D. Miller – US Virgin Islands
Cheryl D. Miller is a designer, author, and theologian who is best known for her diversity, equity, and inclusion advocacy for Black graphic designers in the industry and marketplace. Miller holds a Master of Science degree in visual communications from Pratt Institute and received her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, with Foundation Studies completed at the Rhode Island School of Design. She also holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. An accomplished, award winning designer and businesswoman, Miller established one of the first black women-owned design firms in New York City in 1984. Cheryl D. Miller Design Inc. serviced corporate communications to a Fortune 500 clientele, including BET, Chase, American Express, and Time Inc., Sports Illustrated; social impact corporate communications defining the Civil Rights Era. Miller’s influential article, “Black Designers Missing in Action,” was published in 1987, followed by “Embracing Cultural Diversity in Design” in 1990 and “Black Designers: Still Missing In Action?” In 2016. Her current PRINT 2020 article, “Black Designers Forward In Action,” is currently trending. Miller also wrote a memoir, Black Coral: A Daughter’s Apology to her Asian Island Mother (2013). She captures the story of her legacy US Virgin Island, maternal Danish West Indian, family. Her personal work and archives were acquired by Stanford University Libraries, The Cheryl D. Miller Collection at Stanford University. She is further curating with Stanford Libraries and design colleagues, The History of Black Graphic Design in North America-an open source database. She lives both stateside and in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islanders. Her island scenes are authentic local perspectives to the lifestyle, culture and beauty of the US Virgin Islands!
Lisa Mona - Barbados
Coming from a diverse cultural background including the West Indies and South America, Lisa Mona’s artwork is eclectic. She finds inspiration while interacting with different cultures from all around the world. Through photography, painting and drawing her creations are influenced by nature’s simplicity, its colors and organic shapes. Lisa Mona is a believer in being an Eco-friendly artist and does her part by using recycled items as much as possible in her artwork. Her professional training was acquired at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida and Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York. Her photography has been showcased in numerous publications, exhibits and galleries both in North America and Barbados. Lisa Mona’s philosophy is that there is beauty in simplicity, and it can be found when looked at with non-critical eyes and a different perspective.
Ademola Olugebefola – US Virgin Islands
Dr. Ademola Olugebefola began his professional career as a bassist, playing with several small ensembles throughout the New York metropolitan area during the late 50s and early 60s. In the late 60’s he turned his creative energies to the visual arts and frequently incorporates musical ideas and theories in his extensive body of work. Over the past four decades, Olugebefola’s works have been included in hundreds of exhibitions at major American museums, universities and cultural institutions internationally. Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, he has lectured and participated in forums at universities, museums and cultural institutions in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. He is a highly respected cultural activist and renowned Harlem artist whose art and career papers are in the permanent collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Hatch Billops Archives, Howard University, and scores of other well-respected American institutions.
Steve Reid - Barbados
Steve Reid is a University of the West Indies trained agriculturist who has worked within the agricultural and financial services sectors for over two decades. Pottery making, however, has always appealed to his creative spirit and was brought to light in the early ’90s with displays at the Bridgetown Market and at the Barbados Crop Over Festival. His work often shows plant life and natural features of his environment, and embodies an ancient spirit in a unique, contemporary style.
Arlette St. Hill - Barbados
Arlette St. Hill was born in Barbados and is a graduate of the Barbados Community College, Erdiston Teacher’s College, The Jamaica School of Art, and the Teachers’ Technical Training Institute, Madras - India. Arlette has a degree in Art education, diploma in Curriculum Design and the Development of Instructional Materials and certificates in Multimedia Production and Educational Text Book Publishing. Her artwork explores a variety of mediums and techniques which include acrylics, oil pastel, markers, pen and ink, print making and collage. Arlette exhibits frequently in Barbados, and has also exhibited in Kingston, Jamaica; Boston, Washington, New York, North Carolina and Miami, USA; London, England and Paris, France.
Malique Shorey - Barbados
Malique Shorey was born Barbados on February 6th, 2000. He was not always an artist initially. He was more of an aspirant to greater things or a dreamer, but always to something vague and unsure, always fleeting. His path as an artist started on a whim after his CSEC exams. With no clear route at the time he chose to go to the Barbados Community College and obtain an Associate Degree in Fine Art. Now his body of works consist mainly of small and medium sized paintings, but seek to extend outside of traditional bounds of art by using sculpture, painting, storytelling and designing to create not only a set of art works but also a space for them to exist and belong. Malique’s work has been displayed at The Barbados Community College Gallery and at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society. Not one to be confined to just the galleries, he has also created logos and tattoo designs for companies and individuals alike.
Patricia Stuart - Barbados
“My art is inspired by the environment I grew up in. I was raised by Barbadian grandparents who nurtured and tended a colorful garden in the front yard, and backyard of our house in Washington Heights, New York City. My grandmother’s appreciation for color was seen in the pink and blue floral linoleum in the living room. The pink slip covers on the sofa really stood out. The beautiful, colorful flowers in the garden was such a delight to see. I loved to just stare at them. Morning Glories, pink and white Carnations, Chrysanthemums and Roses were among some of the flowers she grew. I was surrounded by color growing up. I didn’t know it back then, but my love for art grew out of that colorful environment. I spent a lot of my free time drawing and coloring as a child. Eventually, all of that culminated into a passion for Arts and Crafts. I went from painting in art journals to painting on canvas. My paintings reflect anything that I have found to be beautiful in life. Being able to express that artistically, is a privilege and a blessing! Painting aspects of my heritage is of utmost importance because it allows me to make profound statements as I shed light on a much-needed subject. My work has been exhibited multiple times in libraries, and galleries. I am compelled to paint and create art because art tells the stories that need to be told!”
Alfred Weekes – Barbados
Alfred Weekes has been creating wire sculptures since the 1970s and his work has been exhibited widely throughout the Caribbean and North America. In 1993 Mr. Weekes was judged BEST IN SHOW at the 1993 Manchester Art Association show in Manchester, Connecticut. In August 1998, Mr. Weekes' first one-man exhibition, “In Person", consisting entirely of colorful relief sculptures, received critical acclaim at Brooklyn Moon Café in New York City. His technique has continued to evolve, and his sculpture has become almost painterly in rendition. Mr. Weekes’ work is held in private collections throughout the Caribbean, Europe, and the U.S.
“Non Traditional” - Contemporary art by 7 emerging Barbadian artists:
John Alleyne
John Alleyne was born on the island of Barbados. At age sixteen, he migrated to Brooklyn, N.Y., and became influenced by Hip-Hop culture, specifically Street and Graffiti art. As a point of departure, he looks to hairstyle-guide posters commonly found in Black barbershops and salons. His intention is to challenge representations of Blackness, notions of masculinity, and spaces of healing by presenting allegorical narratives through the use of spray paint, and silkscreen-collage. In 2014, Alleyne received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio art, with concentrations in Graphic and Digital design from SUNY Potsdam. Quickly after graduating, he was hired as a membership assistant by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, to assist with the new Henri Matisse Exhibition. As a result, Alleyne became fascinated with Matisse’s process and his “Cut-Outs,” and the act of “cutting out” would later become a significant part of his art practice. In 2015, Alleyne moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to pursue his Master of Fine Arts degree in Studio art at Louisiana State University. In 2018, he graduated with concentrations in painting, drawing, and printmaking. Since his graduation, he has been Artist-in-Residence at the Ox-Bow in Saugatuck, Michigan, and ACRE in Steuben, WI. Alleyne will also be artist-in-residence at Anderson Ranch Art Center in the fall of 2021. He has exhibited work throughout various museums in Louisiana, such as the Masur Museum in Monroe, LSU Museum in Baton Rouge, and most recently, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. He has also exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, and Ireland. His work is featured in Issue #23 of The Hand Magazine, in addition to volumes of Studio Visit Magazine, and New American Paintings (South Issue). Alleyne currently lives and works between Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Brooklyn, NY, and is Assistant Professor of Art at Southern University and A &M College.
Brandon K Best
Growing up I was always fascinated by the creative work of television, and especially animation. It being so easy to pick up a pencil and draw, that’s where it all started for me, as early as 8 years old. By the time I reached my teens I was at least curious about painting, but I was surrounded by extraordinarily talented painters from around the world in my class, and this deterred my confidence to paint, so i continued to draw instead; up until 2016. 2017 was the year I discovered my love for oil pastels, which brough my love for drawing to be with vibrant color & versatile texture; this was the prerequisite to what lead to my painting style. 2 years later into November of 2019 did I take up painting, and just doing what I felt was right and true to me. I knew from the beginning that I had to stand out, be different and push the limits of the local norm. Playing my most favorite tracks from Mf Doom, Kanye, Earl Sweatshirt, John Coltrane; experimental hop-hop and jazz allowed me to work in a trance, in a rhythm that carried my acrylic paint across wood (in the beginning I didn’t have many for canvases, so I used any wooden surfaces my neighbor could spare me). The drive to paint came from me trying to find something in my personal life that actually worked, and I had control of. Overtime as I was coming out of a bad place, my artwork began to be less rigid & chaotic, more balanced, harmonic and personal; making references to my experiences as a waiter, a bartender, and observations as a young man in Barbados.
Alex Gibson
Alex Gibson (b. 1994) is a Barbadian visual artist based in Vancouver, BC, as a guest on the unceded territories of the Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, and Skwxwu7mesh First Nations. They are interested in investigating queer themes and sentiments in relation to their Caribbean background, primarily working in animation and drawing. Through the exploration of gender and identity, Gibson’s practice seeks to reveal new/ alternate realities of queer Caribbean potentials, while simultaneously using escapism as a means of self-preservation. Through the creation of new potentials, they are interested in investigating means to decolonize heteronormative Caribbean sexuality to make space for queerness. Most recently their works have been exhibited at Tomato Mouse, New York; CBC Arts, Canada; Wil Aballe Art Projects, Vancouver.
Housing Area
My work is based on the lifestyle and sub-culture that is in the housing area of Barbados. My inspiration also comes from Sesame Street and The Muppets. Colorful houses, Colorful people, Colorful language.
Sydney McConney
Sydney McConney is a Barbadian artist that explores identity and personal expression in a colourful and humorous way. Her aim is to tell a story or make a statement that alludes to serious situations by producing cartoony and satirical creations. She mainly works with digital media, acrylic on canvas and pen and ink. Sydney has exhibited works at the Barbados Community College, for her portfolio exhibition, and Firefly, organized by the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries (BCSI). She has also sold works at Animekon. Her art education is ongoing; first attending the Barbados Community College in 2017 for two years, receiving her Associate Degree in Visual Arts. She then went on to her first year of her Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. She then withdrew from the program after a year to pursue an education in 3D Animation and Visual FX at the Vancouver Film School, where she is currently enrolled.
Chris Rocket
Chris Rocket is a Caribbean American artist from Earth (around the Brooklyn, NY region) he has been producing monumental works since the tender age of 6. Chris Rocket tells stories of humanity and explores themes of the contrasting themes of the world as it exists today vs how it could be. Rocket is currently living in Los Angeles, producing sculptures, furniture and full sensory art installations. Learn more about him through conversation. Tap in through his direct message @chris_rocket_ He prefers to be referred to as Rocket.
Akilah Watts
Akilah works with a number of media including drawing, painting, mixed media, sculpture as well as high and low relief paintings. Akilah has exhibited locally (Barbados) in a number of group exhibitions at The Punch Creative Arena, the Frame & Art Co., Grande Salle Central Bank of Barbados), The Crane Gallery and in a few other spaces. She has also been featured in a few local publications such as the Easy magazine and the Exporter magazine. Some of her works deal with pop culture and cultural exchange as well as Barbadian folklore and traditions through ideas of play and souvenirs. Watts’ new works touch on issues such as race, culture as well as ideas of belonging and beauty. Akilah has started pursuing her dream of showing around the world, starting with showing in Prizm Art Fair 2017 in Miami and participating in a mail art exhibition in Romania in 2018. In March of 2019, Akilah exhibited in her first solo show entitled ‘Barbadiana Nostalgia’.
Curator: Mahogany Culture is a Caribbean History and Culture Collective focused on Culture retention in metropolitan cities. It was founded by Barbadian Zoe Osborne in 2016 to create what she was missing while living away from home in Toronto, Canada. In 2017 Zoe received a micro grant from the Sprouts Taking it Global program in Toronto which allowed for her to start up this initiative. The goal is to provide a place where the diverse culture of the Caribbean is acknowledged and people who identify with the culture have a space to feel at home.
“Diaspora Dialogue VIII” – special exhibition of Global Diaspora Artists
Khuumba Ama - USA
Khuumba Ama hails from the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor of Savannah, Georgia. She now resides in Harlem, USA. She is a full time multi-dimensional Visual Artist, Storyteller and Reiki Therapist. Khuumba uses various textures to tell the stories of her art, such as, images printed on canvas, a technique Ms. Ama developed while experimenting with various materials to create her collages; sand and felting. Khuumba is currently the President of National Conference of Artists (NCA), New York Chapter. As a Teaching Artist, her classes are designed for elevating “Life Skills Through Art”. In September 2019, Khuumba received a Citation from the City Council of New York, for Outstanding Work in Community Service.
Akira Bennett – USA
Akira Bennett is a self-published author and spoken word artist from New York, where she began her life-long writing journey. She has been writing since childhood and professionally active in publishing and writing for over a decade. Akira is the author of two published inspirational books: a poetic collection and children’s book, with new literary works to be released in the new season. Some of her other works include numerous plays and magazine articles. Akira believes that the usage of words is her superpower, as words have the power to enact transformation for a better world---her work and efforts seek to utilize words just for that cause. She also enjoys helping other inspirational authors who may be struggling to release their work, to find the confidence and clarity to take their projects from pending to published. Faith, family, books, and business are Akira’s life priorities, informing her work and role as a writer.
- Ross Browne – USA
- Ross Browne studied Communication Art and Design at Virginia Commonwealth University
and Photography at The Corcoran School of the Arts. He is also an alumnus of The Miller
School of Albemarle, Charlottesville, Virginia. He has taught art and design for inner city
and at-risk youth for the Fresh Air Fund of N.Y.C, Weed and Seed, Project Ready and Art 180
of Richmond, VA. He was also an instructor for the Resident Associate Program at The
Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. During his tenure as the Art Specialist for the VCU
Health System, Ross practiced art therapy for and taught art to his various patients with an
emphasis on pediatric hematology/oncology, infectious disease and brain injury patients. He is
also an illustrator and graphic designer with a long and varied list of clientele. Ross continues to
paint and write out of his studio in Richmond, Virginia. In a review of the exhibition Art Fusion in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Special Correspondent, CeCe Bullard wrote; "Browne, always
intense and direct, explores the many faces of the American experience in a variety of media,
each of which he uses effectively." S. Ross Browne is the recipient of numerous awards and
honors, and has been featured in various local and national media. His work has been acquired
by the internationally recognized Virginia Museum of Fine Art and is in the collection of
international, national and local institutions.
Brian Cannady – USA
Brian Cannady II is a multimedia artist and avid fan of mythology, superheroes, and manga. He earned his BFA and MFA in Computer Graphics from New York Institute of Technology.
Brian's studies led him to develop the promotional mascot for SIGGRAPH Asia 2009. Though he studied digital sculpture, Brian's love of clay, watercolor, and digital painting inspire him the most. Currently, Brian exhibits his paintings, sculptures, and illustrations across galleries and conventions along the Northeast United States. His passion for the Arts led to earning the Marvin Horowitz Sculpture award. Brian has curated two exhibitions, Character Among Us and Our Muses Do Ninety. When he's not creating Brian enjoys relaxing by walking in nature, observing the world around him to take in inspiration, or reading a new comic/manga.
Ron Jackson – USA
Ron Jackson is a practicing artist as well as a retired art instructor for the past fifty years. He now occupies most of his time producing artwork. Ron’s style is abstract cubism. His medium is pen, ink and watercolor. His subject matter is suggestively erotic, with intricate details that tends to draw the viewer closer to the artwork for a better understanding of what the artist is trying to convey. He was the owner of Rongio Gallery where professional artists like Otto Neils, Glen Martin, Carlton Murrell, Donovan Nelson, Robert Reid have exhibited, to name a few; as well as budding young artists. The gallery is now closed, and is replaced by The Red Carpet Studio Gallery, joint owner with artist Glen Martin. The gallery is open to anyone who seeks inspiration or guidance in pursuing the activity of art, also patrons seeking original African American artwork.
David Emmanuel Noel - UK
David Emmanuel Noel is an interdisciplinary artist and curator with a wealth of experience collaborating with acclaimed visual artists, musicians and performing acts. He has exhibited widely, across the US, UK, and mainland Europe, and has been heavily involved in a number of community art initiatives; working with the New York Mayors Office, the UK Department of Health, the Royal Institute of British Architects, National Network for Art in Health and the NSPPC, with an aim to promote the social and therapeutic benefits of presenting the arts in public spaces. For a short period, he was a Director and Chair of The Brixton Artists Collective (BAC) in the early 1990s. He is currently a Director and Trustee of Open Ealing, a west London NGO enabling public access to arts education and career support for artists, and a Director of
Occhi Arts & Entertainment, a New York based PR and arts consultancy with a particular focus on supporting up and coming visual artist, musicians, actors, and performing acts.
Anthony Romain – USA
Anthony Romain was born in Chicago and later moved to Harlem, New York. From an early age he demonstrated a knack for drawing amazing pieces and his father encouraged him to develop this extraordinary gift, buying him his first paint set and camera. His high school art teacher Mr. Thomas Laidman, also encouraged and influenced him; under his guidance, Romain was subsequently awarded a scholarship to New York University. Later on, he transferred to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. He graduated with a B.A degree in design in 1971, with a concentration in photography, graphic arts and package design. Returning to New York, he furthered his education by attending the Fashion Institute of Technology where he studied graphics, and Manhattan Community College where he studied corporate and cable communication. His art is greatly influenced by his formative years and world travels. He is able to create joy, pain and despair with his use of brilliant acrylic and pastels, and eye-catching details, allowing his artwork to be viewed in a more realistic and impressive manner. His art has been exhibition in New York and New Jersey.
Danny Simmons – USA
Danny Simmons, Jr., is an American abstract painter from Queens, NY, who coined his particular style of painting as “neo-African Abstract Expressionism.” His talent and passion for the arts reaches beyond the canvas; he is a published author, poet, painter and art philanthropist. The New York Times, in reviewing one of his art exhibitions, stated that Simmons “injects freshness” into his abstracts, and that they are “meticulously rendered and decoratively impressive.” Today, his works appear in prominent locales around the globe, including: Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Museum, Chase Manhattan Bank, Deutsche Bank, Schomburg Center for Black Culture, The Smithsonian, United Nations, and, on an international scope has shown work in France, Amsterdam and Ghana. In 2015, he served as a scholarly consultant for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC.
TAFA – Ghana
TAFA is an award-winning painter whose work is exhibited and collected internationally. His style is characterized by a richly vivid palette and heavily textured surface. He obtained a BFA degree from the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. He currently lives in Harlem, New York. TAFA was named 2010 Sport Artist of the Year by the American Sport Art Museum and Archives. TAFA’s paintings have been celebrated and exhibited in galleries, educational and cultural institutions in the US, Japan, Europe, and Africa. His work may be found in numerous permanent public and private collections, including the Superior Court, Washington, D.C, Barclays Bank, Sparrow Hospital, Michigan, Shell Co, Ghana’s National Museum, Carver Federal Bank and former New York City Mayor, David N. Dinkins, Bryant Gumbel and former US President Bill Clinton. “Myth, worship and ritual is what attracts me, the arena as a landscape or the athlete or player as portraiture is not what inspires me. Sport as a metaphor for life and faith fascinates me - our collective allegiance and dedication to the gods and deities of the game, the mass psychology and identification, almost prehistoric and primal. It is the mythic power of the stadium, the arena, which has become the new basilica and pyramid, synagogue and temple.” says TAFA. This myth and almost religious relevance is also captured in his paintings of marches and protestors.
Calabar Gallery, New York – representing 8 artists:
Sonia E. Barrett, Jamaica/Germany; Maria Joyce Belyusar, USA; Elan Cadiz, USA; Donchellee Fulwood, USA; Mulenga J Mulenga, Zambia; Danielle Scott, USA;
Alexandre Kyungu Mwilambwe, DR Congo; B. Musah Swallah, Ghana
Ebony Art, New York – representing 3 artists:
Jennifer Ivey - USA
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, Jennifer Ivey has experienced NYC form very different urban settings. Jennifer was educated in NYC’s finest public schools and graduated from Pratt Institute with a BS in art education. Through a fellowship she received her MFA in special education from New York University. She began teaching art in the NY public school system as art teacher and later as a teacher consultant. As a visual artist she has exhibited with, “Black Women of Brooklyn and other Environs”, and “Contemporary Black Artists in America”. Her paintings have been showcased at the Lever House in Manhattan, the African American Museum in Nassau County, Harlem School of the Arts, and numerous other venues in and outside the city. Jennifer is a member of the NAACP and Long Island Black Artists Association.
Rod Ivey - USA
Born in Manhattan in 1950 and raised in the Bronx, Rod Ivey has in New York City all his life. His early artistic influence was his father, Dwellie Ivey, who studied and the Arts Students League while Rod was a toddler. He started using watercolors while at Howard University with Lois Mailou Jones as his professor, and oils and acrylics at City College of New York under Charles Alston, while attaining his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The urban landscapes of Edward Hopper have been an influence on his style to this date. In 1980 he married teacher and visual artist Jennifer Ivey. Today, they paint together on the same canvases and exhibit together as member of the Long Island Black Artists and Blacker than Thou/Cross Culture. His work has appeared in groups shows in New York at Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, African American Museum of Nassau County, Taller Boricua Gallery, Harlem School of the Arts, Leroy Nieman Arts Horizons, Howard University, University of Texas, and numerous other locations across the US.
Ernani Silva – Brazil
Ernani Silva, artist, curator, educator, and mentor was born in the hills outside of Rio de Janeiro. At four years of age he picked up the pencil, pen and natural fruit juices and applied them to paper, he has not stopped painting since. He had his first gallery showing in 1969. He also introduced painting as an alternative to violence for youth in the hills of Rio. Ernani is known for his freedom of expression and use of strong vibrant colors that move across the paper as if the figures were dancing or playing a musical instrument. He speaks several different languages and is passionate about art and art history. The language he speaks best is with his brush or with the paint applied directly from the tube to the canvas. In keeping with his commitment to his collectors, Ernani’s works are all originals on paper, wood or canvas. In 2014 he celebrated forty-five years of exhibiting his original work in the United States.
2nd BRIDGETOWN INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
Featuring musical, spoken word and theatrical performances
Friday and Saturday, March 19th and 20th, 2021