This past week has been filled with discoveries and interviews of incredibly talented and gifted Caribbean artists living in the Diaspora. Artists such as Herb Bennett (Trinidad), Roy Lawaetz (St. Croix), Willard Wigan (English of Jamaican heritage), Glory Charles (Antigua), Lawrence Graham-Brown (Jamaica), and Zak Ové (English of Trinidadian and Irish heritage). Tens of thousands more will follow. You will read about many of them here.
We have just begun to peel the layers that conceal the rich artistic traditions of the Caribbean that touch or enrich other cultures. Caribbean artists are making huge contributions to societies around the world, yet they are silent or we only hear their small whispers from time to time. The time is ripe now to take advantage of recent years' momentum gained by major U.S. museums' showings that promoted Caribbean art. In 2011, Caribbean Crossroads, a multi-year and multi-venue project led by El Museo del Barrio in collaboration with The Queens Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in Harlem, will be further testament to the outgrowth that Caribbean Art is having on the art world.
It is very exciting to take this wonderful journey that will enrich all who is connected with Caribbean art and its creators. I have no doubt that Caribbean Art will make an impact on the larger art world, and that our artists will take their rightful place and be recognized for the marks that they are leaving on societies across the globe. The challenges in front of us, however, are great and can at times feel overwhelming as you ponder the Haitian proverb that says, "Beyond the mountain, there are more mountains."
This reality reveals itself in almost the complete void of a Caribbean art market, and a coordinated or collaborated effort of public and private institutions to support the arts. The Caribbean islands can no longer operate in a vacuum of each other. We must come as one and recognize the arts as a gold mine for the region, one that does not need the huge investments of mining.
We will have many dialogues on the Caribbean art market. It affects all who are in the business of buying and selling art. If you take a look at the recent Christie's or Sotheby's auction results of Latin American Art, you may realize how far behind we are with the rest of the art world. While everyone else is reaping the profits, and the economies of countries who invest in the arts are getting stronger and experiencing viable art markets, the Caribbean stakeholders must exercise similar strategies.
One last note to make the point of what we are up against. I recently purchased a book titled, 30 Thousand Years of Art, because I thought for sure I would find valuable information about Caribbean Art. To my surprise and dismay, there were only three listings (from Panama and Dominican Republic) out of this more than 1,000 page book.
Is your reaction, "WHAT? I can't believe this...!" You can finish the sentence as you see fit.
Past Letters
Caribbean Art in Conversation with the World
J.E. Gourgue
Courtesy: K. Halsted
Join the dialogue. Regular updates will address today's issues in the art world through a Caribbean lens.
At Caribbean Art World Magazine, you will find interviews with artists, collectors, curators, gallery owners, and appraisers, as well as critical reviews of art shows.
We will examine important questions such as: What is Caribbean Art? How is it changing the Art World? Why are so many people drawn to it?
Contributors
To submit an article for inclusion in our online or print version of our magazine, please review our submission guidelines.
