MAY Caribbean Contemporary Arts Newsletter

These are from Lara Dahlmann's catalogue "Crick Crack Monkey Break he Back For a Piece of Pomerac" in 2000. Contact Jaime at CCA and you can arrange to visit her studio and view her wall mural. For more pictures please see more on her open studio in this newsletter.
































May’s newsletter is finally here! Please direct your feedback to Jaime Lee Loy (new address) at jleeloy@cca7.org. CCA supports contemporary art practice and one of its aims is to promote and develop this in Trinidad and the wider Caribbean. Artists are therefore welcomed to submit news or reviews to us for this posting. Soon the big River blog will be posted with pictures and text from the artists who participated. And the energy from that Workshop will be shared with you. Just a reminder that Eddie Bowen will be hosting his 3-day workshop soon and if you would like more information/ contact on CCA please see the left margin of the newsletter.

CCA News
* Tin and Tar : Open Studio for Lara Dahlmann
* Stary Mwaba arrives on residency
* Kids Create re-launches
* Unesco bursary publication still available at CCA – see Opportunities

CCA Programmes
* Residency Programme
* Education Programme

Exhibitions, Events and Openings

International
* ISCP open weekend
* 15th Sydney Biennale
* 1st Singapore Biennial

Opportunities
Local/Regional
* 3 Day Workshop in painting with Edward Bowen
* Jamaica Flux; Workspaces and Windows 2007

International
* UNESCO-Aschberg residencies 2006/2007
* Milano Film Festival Italy: call for applications
*Positive 2006
* Artist’s residence at les Récollets Paris
* Bangalore Artists Center/ Artists -In-Residency Programme
* Theertha, Sri lanka, International Artists’ Residencies
* Khoj Workshop, India
* MaHKU: Utrecht Graduate School of Visual Art and Design

Network News
* big River 3 International Artist Workshop
* Theertha International Artists’ Workshop, Sri Lanka
* Colombia – Performance Festival of Kali
* Kuona Trust’s landscape Workshop Kenya

Also on in Trinidad
* Earl Lovelace at Songshine
* A Day of Mask Making Workspaces and Windows 2007
* Andrew Fitt – 4thought at Art Creators Gallery

CCA Links


CCA News

‘Tin and Tar’: Open Studio for Lara Dahlmann
On Thursday 4th of May between 6 30pm and 8 30pm, Lara Dahlmann, German artist-in-residence will show work produced during her second visit to Trinidad. Her first ties with CCA were formed in 2000 during a two week workshop and group exhibition called
‘Ways of Working’ lead by artist Chris Cozier, which also led to a solo show at Studio 66. While on a 4 month scholarship to complete her diploma project “Crick Crack Monkey Break He Back” she had intended to illustrate one of Trinidad’s local ghost stories. However, as she learned more about our local culture, the project took another direction.

Lara wanted to include the whole spectrum of her experiences in this new space. She worked and experimented with the idea of hybridity, and found a way to incorporate her day-to-day experiences in Trinidad into a story of her own. Almost constructing her own folk tale. She produced 25 large-scale drawings that developed hybrid figures such as mosquitoes, insects and the English cat. It was more than the illustrating of a given story, it was about evoking certain myths of everyday life and spinning a long tale with a certain set of protagonists. The Trinidadian culture with its blend of ethnicities, religious and cultural expressions were re-created, and the artist was constantly intrigued by that very blend, by the very hybrid nature of the environment around her, saying that “Trinidad is really quite a unique and stunning place.” Apart from her interest in folk tales, she is examining their narrative aspect and dealing with their subtext of a scene.

Her recent work has begun a process which will continue further when she returns to Germany. She has been working with cut-out paper silhouettes and paintings with tableau-like arrangements. Her visual images say plenty, but Lara does not impose set themes, nor does she predict the end result and message. This is an interactive venture. The audience is invited to re-interpret the mixture of local and international images, helping the plot to grow. The depicted figures are recognizable but their context has changed.

Although Lara Dahlmann has been working as a graphic designer at Szene- a monthly magazine publication for Hamburg- since 2004, she considers herself a contemporary artist who is not confined to her work as an illustrator. She has participated in group exhibitions in Berlin and created illustrations for various publications in Germany. She has also used her experience as a production assistant and screenwriter, having had an internship at ‘ECO MEDIA TV’ in 2003, to produce animation in 2005 for a documentary shown on NDR German television.



Stary Mwaba
Stary Mwaba is an artist from Zambia, who received a Commonwealth grant to pursue a residency at CCA for three months. Stary will be scheduling his stay from May to July. He is a self-taught artist who used to be a counsellor for Aids patients. His paintings reflect daily life in Lusaka’s streets and suffering he would have witnessed in compounds he visited. His work extends to painting, printmaking, and installation art. Despite some of the horror Stary would have witnessed, he uses his process as a necessary means of describing sad situations in a positive way

“When I create, I would like to be in a position where I can transform things positively, from one end to the other, as if I were in a chain where I can interfere with what is happening around me."

Stary also works with orphans and he is dedicated to working with children and schools.
Link to his work


'Freedom'
'ichilito'

‘KIDS CREATE’ : Art classes for Children
CCA re-launches its children’s art educational programme, KIDS CREATE on Saturday, May 6, 2006, with an additional class for children ages 10-13. The classes, which are held in the new Art Education Facility at CCA7, are designed for young children, ages 6 to 12 to develop creative expression while exploring a range of materials. The children will be exposed to the elements of art (including line, shape, colour and texture), and the design principles and techniques, while being introduced to works of art and craft from around the world.

KIDS CREATE classes will be held on Saturdays from 10am to 11:45am for children 6-9 years old and 12:15pm to 2:00pm for children 10-13 years old. The classes will be for a period of 10 weeks. The KIDS CREATE classes will also focus on artists or art movements, local and foreign, past or present so that the kids can evaluate the work through open discussion. Children will then explore the techniques and style of the artist, which will provide the stimulus for the creation of their own work.

These classes form part of CCA’s Art Education Programme, which offers comprehensive courses in Visual Arts, Cultural Education and Research. The children attending these classes will also have the opportunity to be exposed to the local and international artists in residence and CCA exhibitions.

For more information please call Tessa Alexander Sloane Seale at 745 6816 or CCA's office at 625 1889 or 625 6805

CCA Programmes

Residency Programme
CCA hopes to re-implement the local Residency Programme later this year. For more information on the International Residency Programme please contact Jaime via email.

Alex and Sophia (April newsletter link)
Lara Dahlmann - see CCA News
Stary Mwaba - see CCA News

Education Programme
Kids Create - click on link for more information

Exhibitions, Openings, Talks

International
International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) Open Weekend
Open weekend May 2006 Saturday 6th to Monday 8th.

323 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018, Floors 6, 7 & 8
info@iscp-nyc.org · www.iscp-nyc.org

Unrivalled among visual arts residencies in its global outreach, ISCP is a portal to new art from five continents. For most of the 27 artists and curators currently in residence, the three-day Open Weekend is the first exposure of their work in the United States. In an informal ambience, visitors can experience a broad range of aesthetic positions in diverse media: painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, performance, video, film and new technology, with artists and curators on-site.

15th Biennale of Sydney
8 June - 27 August 2006

The 2006 Biennale of Sydney is organised around the conceptual framework Zones of Contact. It will include 85 artists and collaborations from 57 cities in 44 countries making it one of the most ambitious, daring and challenging Biennales ever. In 2006 the Biennale of Sydney will collaborate with arts organisations across Sydney, extending to more than 16 venues and sites.

Exciting new projects will be created for specific public sites and outdoor locations. A program of performances, public talks, symposia and workshops that will be held over the duration of the Biennale of Sydney. There is also an Australia-wide program involving galleries, art schools and organisations in a number of cities across Australia. Most events are free!
More information

1st Singapore Biennale
Date: 4 September - 12 November 2006
Vernissage: 1 - 3 September 2006

Singapore Biennale 2006
http://universes-in-universe.de/car/singapore/2006/english.htm

List of artists
85 artists and groups, with brief biographies

http://universes-in-universe.de/car/singapore/2006/eng/art/artists-list.htm

16 exhibition venues
Spectacular sites, including churches, temples, a mosque, a military camp
from colonial times. Photos and descriptions of all venues:

http://universes-in-universe.de/car/singapore/2006/eng/ort/index.htm

Encounters 12 to 15
Press conference; Discussion on Biennials; Briefing for volunteer helpers
and art teachers. Summaries and photos:

http://universes-in-universe.de/car/singapore/2006/eng/encounters/index.htm>


Opportunities
Local / Regional

3 Day Workshop in Painting at Sans Souci
Thursday May 11th to Sunday afternoon, May 14th 2006.
Maximum number of participant/students, 14.
Workshop host and tutor: Edward Bowen
Workshop orientation and assembly at the Estate House: Thursday 11th at 5 p.m.
Further information: Edward Bowen at 621 3970, 0r 735 3750 or email: ed@wow.net

Participant/students are required to bring their own materials and recommended surfaces for painting are paper, canvas paper or stretched canvasses. Participants are encouraged to explore the possibilities of scale, landscape, seascape, structure(s), flora and fauna - the workshop site has ample covered studio spaces as well as outdoor areas, including direct private access to the beach and into the surrounding estate. where and when all registered participants/students will be briefed on the environment and expectations of the workshop.

Time is scheduled for group criticism and dialogue, individual assessment as well as time for r&r to enjoy the benefits of the rural, seaside location. The studio/working time is anytime during that weekend period until Sunday noon/lunchtime, when the collective work and experience are presented for dialogue and assessment.

Other specially invited guest artists will be present.
The cost of the workshop is $TT 1200.00 inclusive, per student.
Student/participants will be expected to organize their own travel arrangements to and from Sans Souci.

Prospective students are advised to book early, as spaces are limited.

The purpose and intention of these rural intensive workshops at Sans Souci are to develop upon ideas invested by many artists who have visited the site as guests, appreciating the ambience and environment as a suitable venue for artistic reflection, dialogue and action. Many workshops have been hosted successfully at this location, including, drawing, painting, yoga and youth groups. The usual function of the site is a private guesthouse/retreat and studio environment; the house is intricately linked to the larger concern of Sans Souci village and its environs.

Up to twenty persons can be accommodated in five large bedrooms; all meals provided for vegetarian and omnivorous palettes, and the menu is set daily for the workshop to include breakfast, lunch and dinner for all participants.

Jamaica Flux: Workspaces & Windows 2007
The Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning seeks creative proposals from visual artists for Jamaica Flux: Workspaces & Windows 2007. This multi-disciplinary and co-curatorial project, encourages artists to engage in a dialogue with the community, residences, and businesses of Jamaica, NY through their creative activities. The project focuses on site-specific, experimental and/or participatory art practices for both indoor and outdoor spaces, exploring the specific cultural geography of Jamaica, NY within the broad scope of the relationship between art, economy, and globalization. Works that are not site-inspired will not be considered. It is strongly recommended that you visit JCAL and Jamaica Avenue (148th Street – 168th Street) prior to your proposal.
Deadline for applications: June 15th 2006

Please contact Jaime at CCA if you wish for further details to be e-mailed to you.

International

UNESCO-Aschberg residencies 2006/2007
The UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists programme supports international fellowships in arts disciplines, and has just published the programme of available fellowships for 2006/2007. In the field of the visual arts, residencies can last between 1 and 24 months and are offered in 18 countries worldwide. Deadline for applications: variable
**CCA has a copy of the publication. Please contact us

Milano Film Festival, Milan, Italy
The 11th edition of this festival will be held at the Piccolo Teatro and Castello Sforzesco on September 2006. The two International Competitions will be open to feature and short films of any genre, language, running time and format, provided that they are produced after January 1st 2005. Deadline for application: May 31st, 2006.
http://www.milanofilmfestival.it/eng/2006/concorsi.php

Positive 2006
POSITIVE 2006 is appealing to artists to submit work that follow the theme of 'hope, healing and compassion' that can be exhibited in Sun City from the 9-11 June, 2006.

Work that is subsequently sold will help raise funds for HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment. Artists are not obligated to donate their work. An agreed percentage of the sales will however go to Tapologo Aids Hospice, a non-profit organization offering anti-retrovirals and preventative care to many people living in impoverished conditions. POSITIVE aims to acquire 100 art pieces to aid in this project.

Please contact Fran Cox : (021) 689 7085 or +27 82 556 0275
For more information see:
https://www.suninternational.com/positive


Artist’s residence at les Récollets Paris
Call for applications for a 3 to 6 months. Applications can be made online till 21st June. This residence is sponsored by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mairie de Paris.

For more information
http://www.international-recollets-paris.org/index-en.htm
or

http://www.international-recollets-paris.org/inscription/accueil.php?lng=en


Bangalore Artists Center/ Artists -In-Residency Programme

Bangalore Artists Center is a new art center in Bangalore /India and they are calling for applications to International artists as well as artists from India. The applications are currently ongoing.
Please see the website: www.bangaloreartistscentre.com or email:
bangaloreartistscenter@gmail.com for more information.

Call for applications, Theertha, Srilanka, International Artists’ Residencies. International Artists’ Residency June 2nd – 30th June and a 3 week Women Artists’ Residency Starting 6th August.

Write to: anoli@slt.lk, theerthaiace@yahoo.com

http://www.theertha.org/programs/international-workshops/2006/theertha-international-artists-workshop-2006

Khoj Workshop, India
International Artists’ Workshop is scheduled to take place sometime in the next half of the year in Kolkatta. Khoj encourages international contacts for artists and facilitates experimental practice in their workshops. http://www.khojworkshop.org/database/workshopatkhoj/nextworkshop

MaHKU: Utrecht Graduate School of Visual Art and Design
MA in Fine Art / Ma in Design

MaHKU, Graduate School for Visual Art and Design in Utrecht, The Netherlands, offers one-year interdisciplinary Masters programs designed for an international body of students. MaHKU students are from various backgrounds such as Editorial Design, Interior Design, Fashion Design, Urban Design, and Fine Art. Students seek to deepen their proficiency and to expand their knowledge both in visual and theoretical work.
For more information and application:
http://www.mahku.nl

Network News:
big River International Artists’ Workshop Blog
The Workshop is over and the archiving has begun. But it does not stop here. As more information is collected - including reviews – the big River Blog will be updated. Keep checking on it! It will be posted on the left margin of the newsletter soon.

Theertha International Artists' Workshop, Sri Lanka
The third Theertha International Artists‚ Workshop 2006 was held at the Ratnasiri Wickramanayake Training Centre in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Eighteen artists from Nigeria, India, Hong Kong, Iran, Argentina, Nepal, Kuwait, Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka participated. Those interested in art from this region should visit the Theertha blog http://theertha.blogspot.com to view images from the workshop and a text by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai.

Colombia - Performance Festival of Cali
The Cali Colombia Performance Festival has been held since 1998, a project of the independent artists collective Helena Producciones (Wilson Díaz, Ana Maria Millán, Claudia Patricia Sarria, Andrés Sandoval and Juan David Medina). Wilson and Ana Maria http://www.gasworks.org.uk/varts/wil_dia/index.htm were involved in the residency project Locombia http://www.locombiaweekend.com at Gasworks in 2004.

This year's Festival, between 26-29 April, brought together artists from Venezuela, France, Spain, England, USA, and included talks, workshops, performance, and a video exhibition at Lugar A Dudas, organised by the Live Arts Development Agency. More information on this year's Festival can be found at (English) http://www.turbulence.org/blog/archives/002355.html#more and at (Spanish) http://www.helenaproducciones.org

Kuona Trust's landscape workshop, Kenya
Kuona Trust has been organising the international artists' workshop Wasanii since 1997, but now they have also launched a new workshop model which encouraged locally-based artists to move out of the studio and create work from found natural materials only. The challenge was a huge success - taking place in the Ngong Forest Sanctuary, the open day on 25th March saw over 1,000 visitors. More information on the workshop and its participants can be found at http://www.kuonatrust.org/readMore.aspx?#3

Also on in Trinidad

Earl Lovelace at Songshine
Songshine will feature renowned local writer Earl Lovelace on Sunday May 7 at 7 pm. Lovelace, is the artistic director of Carifesta IX, taking place later this year. His stated focus for the festival is the recognition of resistance as the central theme of Caribbean culture. He will read from his works, while other performers, including poets and musicians will also present. Songshine is a monthly open-mic concert at Trevor's Edge, opposite Scotia Bank in St Augustine. For further information, call 760-4655.

A Day of Mask Making
Trinidad & Tobago Expressive Arts Association presents a one-day workshop at Trinity East College on Saturday May 6th from 9am to 2pm. Pre-registration is necessary. Call 662 5366, 674 2504 To make reservations contact 662 9380 or send mail to tteaa4u2@yahoo.com

Andrew Fitt: 4thought at Art Creators
Andrew Fitt launched an exhibition on Thursday 4th May and asks that anyone who enjoys art and thinking outside the box should view his wok.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday to Friday 10am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.
Phone: 624 4369 and email: agallery@cablenet.net

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an email to mail@cca7.org and you will be removed from, or added to the mailing list.

© Copyright Caribbean Contemporary Arts 2005 - 2006
The information in this newsletter including all pictures shall in no way be copied or facilitated for use without the permission of Caribbean Contemporary Arts.
Newsletter edited by Jaime Lee Loy