A-dZiko Simba Gegele
A-dZiko is a writer, storyteller, spoken word artist and workshop facilitator.
Her writing covers diverse genres including prose, poetry and scriptwriting. Her work has been aired on radio and television in Jamaica, Montserrat, and Britain, performed on stage in Europe and regionally, and published in a number of regional and international anthologies.

Her debut novel, All Over Again, won the inaugural Burt Award for Caribbean Literature in April 2014.

In October 2019, A-dZiko was awarded a Bronze Musgrave medal for her contribution to the field of Jamaican literature.

A-dZiko is currently working on her latest novel Deep Water.

I use 'soft' materials to discuss 'hard' themes such as domestic violence and police corruption. I also work in Performance, particularly as I apply it to our Trinidad and Tobago J'ouvert. I focus on taking traditional j'ouvert characters and bringing them into the 21st century to explore present day challenges.

Adrian Young is an internationally-known stilt dancer and Moko Jumbie performer from Trinidad and Tobago who specialises in a style of Caribbean dance called jabbin’ — a freestyle-based dance rooted in various dance techniques from different cultures, including traditional ones from Trinidad and Tobago. He has over 24 years of experience in the Carnival and performing arts. His feature in CNN’s Great Big Story in 2018 has amassed over 8 million views. His work can also be found featured in NY Times and several award-winning publications. Adrian is the founder and director of Touch D Sky and Future Jumbies.

Akeem Chandler-Prescod also known as StonedwithCupid is a spoken word artist, songwriter, audio engineer, rapper, and creative director from the island of Barbados. He has amassed several impressive accolades such as the Earl Warner Trophy for Excellence in Theatre, 3 Silver Medals at the National Independence Festival for Creative Arts and has even performed in South Africa at the Vrystaat Festival. In addition, he has been nominated for Poet and Music Video of The Year at the GineOn People’s Choice Awards, with a spoken word video, making it the first poetry video to be nominated at those awards.

Amanda Trought Springer

Amanda a Mixed Media Artist uses a variety of materials – paint, clay, fabric, stitch, book making, natural and recycled fibers creating art telling stories using colour, texture and layers. She explores the use of art and creativity on health & mental well-being including its use with dementia & caring. She has spoken at various conferences and seminars on benefits of creative activities on health in London, Barbados and Montserrat.

She curates an Arts in Health Network, writes for her website and blogs and produces weekly episodes for her podcast and Art YouTube Channel sharing art tutorials, insights, interviews and reviews.

Educator, Development Worker, Award-winning Writer, Actress, Storyteller, dedicated to demonstrating the value of storytelling as a rehumanizing project.

Founder/Artistic Director, Ntukuma, The Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica, producers of the annual storytelling conference and festival Ananse SoundSplash.

Performer and workshop facilitator at storytelling festivals, confernces and a host of speaking engagements across the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and North America. Her stories cover a range of issues affecting gender, the environment, children and the direction of human development.

PhD, Cultural Studies. Thesis, The Oral Tradition: Displacement, Adjustment, Replacement – Storytelling as a Tool for Wholistic Development.

Awilda Sterling (Puerto Rico, 1947). Her career encompasses painting, drawing, mixed media, and installation. She studied at Pratt Institute in the late 70's, during the emergence of performance art. Her work arises from pain and exclusion as a Black Caribbean woman living in a colony of the US. Sterling keeps integrating other paths, with emphasis on the pictorial. She is a 2010 USA Artist Fellow and a recipient of numerous artist grants, awards, and residencies; such as Tree of Life Artist Grant (2019), El Serrucho (2017 and 2020), USA Artist Relief Grant (2020), and MAAS MoCA Artist Residency (2021).

Caryana Castillo (Dominican Republic, 1982), studied Fine Arts and Illustration at Altos de Chavón (2001), Graphic Design and Advertising at the Universidad Católica de Ávila, Spain (2013) and Performance Art workshops and experiences like Management of Cultural Events, Museography and Socio-cultural Animation.

She was part of Colectivo Chocolatero, Landings Project and Movimiento Amor al Arte. Caryana has participated in about 60 solo and group exhibitions.

She created the artistic-business project Casita del Alma (2017) and the itinerant exhibition project "La Ciudad del Yaque" (2019) with Ana Agelán (curator), researching architecture, Caribbean flora, culture and history of Dominican Republic.

Christopher graduated with a BSc in Physics from the UWI. Christopher’s love for writing led to his attainment of a BA in Film Production and established himself as a film and television Producer.

Christopher conceptualized/produced/directed several commercial projects for private and government agencies. He formed the Forward Ever Foundation in 2011 to tutor youth in story development and video production. He wrote and directed the Supernatural Thriller 3Line, the Thriller Sanskara and produced Queen of Soca.

Christopher is presently producing, writing and directing several television, web, film and theatrical productions including Bois, Lynch and Carnival of the Dead.

I am a Jamaican teacher, and a writer who resides in the Bahamas Some of my accomplishments include being National Winner in the Bahamas National Arts Festival on three occasions, being named Best Writer in the Veteran's Division of the Bahamas Poetry Competition and placing 3rd. overall. I chaperoned the first cohort of Bahamian Youth Ambassadors (Bold Leaders) who traveled to the USA to participate in a month long leadership training program sponsored by the US State Department. As a lifetime member of the Bahamas Red Cross, I am involved in HIV/ AIDS education. I believe that to whom much is given, much is required.

Hi, my name is Daniel Edwards. I am the C.E.O. of One Eighty Events and creator of "Long Story Short...". I have an insatiable desire to share the stories of our RICH culture and to contribute to youth development. Life is one big road with ALOT of signs. All my signs say "GO".

Danielle Elizabeth Gennard is a freelance visual artist and graphic designer from St. Andrew, Jamaica. She completed her secondary studies at the Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls and is currently a first-year student at the University of the West Indies, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at the Faculty of Medical Sciences. She was also the recipient of the CXC/CSEC award for the Most Outstanding Performance in Visual Arts (2-Dimensional) in 2018. Apart from her divine passion for visual arts, she loves to engage in makeup artistry, fashion and creative writing.

I started my adventure into fashion and styling at a young age, and then later explored other skills such as creative directing/assisting and photography. My passion comes from developing my technical skills and using my work to help people discover their unique approach and creative edge. Today, I am a certified photographer and fashion stylist who explores the Queer scene of Kingston and expand my network with other Queer Creatives. I currently use my work as a protest, with the focus of advocacy and Activism, which includes models and clients of marginalized and vulnerable groups - the majority from the Trans-Community.

Whether you know her as “Miss Rica” or “Rica G.”, you know her definitively as an educator, lyricist, and youth advocate. On a mission to serve as a catalyst for liberation throughout the diaspora using fellowship, technology, and the arts, Rica strives to ensure that our stories are told and preserved with integrity.

“Everything that I am intersects with everything that I do,” proclaims the American-born Jamaican child of her “Motherland’s Motherland.” Rica comes alive in the moments when the audience or group of students connect with her work. That is the oneness of her craft.

ERIK ALFREDO MARTÍNEZ was born in Santiago De Los Caballeros in 1996. He graduated from the first class of The Altos De Chavón School Of Design Film Program, where he collaborated in the post-production of many short films and worked on a screenwriting thesis project. He has also attended workshops at Parsons School Of Design in 2018, and a creative residency at Fabrica Research Centre in 2019. In 2020 he started collaborating for the film magazine Revista Simulacro. His animated shorts have been featured in online platforms such as VOTD.tv, and his fiction short film “Brasil” (2018) participated in renowned film festivals such as the Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Festival (2018), the 4th Independent Film Festival Of Santiago (2018), and the Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival (2019).

Fabian Barracks is a writer, director and founder of Barracks Entertainment, a theatre company established ten years ago that empowers youth through the arts. He has done 10 commercial productions, some of the most recent being: Wah Sweet Nanny Goat, Black Sheep and Ananda Alert. Fabian is extremely passionate about youth development and focuses on producing plays that explores some critical themes affecting young people. Barracks has established The Barracks Theatre, earlier this year which serves as a youth hub for theatre arts. His recent achievements include: winning Actor Boy Award 2018 for Best Comedy for Black Sheep and Youth View Awards for Favourite Local Theatre Play in 2017 for Wah Sweet Nanny Goat. Alum of the University of the West Indies - ECEM Programme, Barracks continues to stay through to his vision of bringing out the best in youth through the arts and nurturing young talents through quality theatre.

Fabian M Thomas is a writer, poet, spoken word performer, Artistic Director, Performing Arts Specialist and Calabash Writers Workshop Fellow. He has been published in several anthologies and collections including So Much Things To Say, 100 Calabash Poets, The Caribbean Writer and Jubilation!. In 2018, he self-published a collection of gratitude verses, affirmations, spoken word and prose entitled New Thought, New Words. In addition to being awarded gold and bronze medals for Poetry in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s 2010 National Creative Writing Competition, fabian has also won the 2011 Charlotte & Isidor Paiewonsky Prize from The Caribbean Writer for first time publication, of his poem No One Helped Him, in Volume 24.

Gherdai Hassell graduated from the university of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2013. Her mixed media artwork celebrates the black female figure. Exploring ideas about representation, perception, identity creation, her vibrant collages capture and collect the gaze. The eyes of her figures are an access for viewers and also a veil or protection, a safe space for the women to exist.

Her artwork is on permanent display in the Government Administration Building, Hamilton, Bermuda. She has consecutively showcased and auctioned her work in Tina Lawson’s Annual Wearable Art Gala, Los Angeles, CA. She has presented her work in solo and group exhibitions in Bermuda, USA and China. Her work is in private collections across the world. She is the host of The Art Affects Podcast, which celebrates and amplifies the voices of artists of the African Diaspora and Caribbean. Hassell is currently based in Manchester, UK, and is an MFA candidate at the China Academy of Art.

Glenda—Rose is a professional Story teller, actress, writer, director. Over the years she performed regionally and internationally. Having awarded a Government Scholarship to study Theatre in Education / Drama In Education; her final project was done at the Golden Grove Male Prisons where she used the performing Arts as a medium to teach ethical values. Some of her more acclaimed productions are :

• From Revolution to Revolution
• To Young to die
• Please don't let me be sorry
• The Unbroken Links of the past
• Voices of Africa
• Reflections of the Past
• Recognition
• Island vibes

She is the holder of three Gold Medals, one Bronze, one Industry award for Acting & Spokes model at the World Championship of the Performing Arts Hollywood California. She is presently pursuing a PhD in Cultural studies at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

Helen Ceballos es artista multidisciplinaria del performance.

Además es productora de eventos artísticos y gestora cultural.

Estudió teatro y literatura en la Universidad de Puerto Rico Recinto de Río Piedras (2010). Realizó estudios graduados en la Universidad Nacional del Arte en Buenos Aires, Argentina con una especialización en Teatro de Objetos y Nuevos Medios (2015).

En su investigación y práctica ha trabajado con nociones y conceptos sobre la descolonización del cuerpo, la migración y el artivismo. Lo infraleve, las redes, el yo virtual y el yo real, el archivo, su linaje, la auto-ficción, las mudanzas, lo liminal, lo político, lo cuir, lo virginal, lo esotérico, las ruinas y la frontera son algunas de las líneas temáticas que aparecen en sus piezas. Ceballos parte de su cuerpo afrodescendiente, cuir, migrante para extender signos a través de piezas sonoras, videoarte e instalaciones.

En el año 2013, en Argentina, creó la plataforma artística Mezcolanza con el fin de mover su obra y la de otros artistas-creadores a través de eventos, festivales y residencias investigativas en diversos espacios en Latinoamérica, Estados Unidos, Europa y el Caribe.

Su obra ha sido mostrada en varios países, entre ellos: República Dominicana, Argentina, Estados Unidos de Norteamérica, México, España, Cataluña, Alemania y Puerto Rico.

Jherane is the founder and head cook and bottle washer of Rebel Women Lit, a literary community based in Jamaica with members across the world. Rebel Women Lit has grown from a book club into a community library, bookstore, podcast, and creator of the most fearsome literary art events that centers underrepresented voices.

Jodi Minnis, born 1995 in The Bahamas, holds an Associates of Arts: Fine Arts from the College of The Bahamas. Minnis investigates the intersection of gender, race and culture through an interdisciplinary practice. Her curatorial work centers contemporary Bahamian art practices that explore industry, class and culture.

Minnis was awarded the Popop Junior Residency Prize (2014) and participated in the Caribbean Linked III residency programme (2015). She also received the prestigious Prime Minister’s Cup award from the Bahamian Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. Minnis recently concluded a three month residency at The Current at Baha Mar.

Kaleb D'Aguilar is a Jamaican writer and filmmaker, currently completing his MA in Filmmaking, specialising in Directing, at Goldsmiths University in London. His interest in the arts started on stage as an actor, but after completing his BSc. in Anthropology at the University of the West Indies, where he graduated Valedictorian in 2017, Kaleb transitioned to writing and directing for film. He has currently completed three short films, all of which have participated in regional and international film festivals. His interest in 'world building' and 'storytelling' also presents itself in literary text, most prominently poetry. He is the 2019 recipient of Michael Cooke Prize for Poetry.

As an artist, Kenneth enjoys creating traditional masks with diverse materials, such as: burlap, coconut, wood, royal palm, paper Mache, gourd, foam, plastic, and wire mesh. He has exhibited his artworks in the following venues: McDonough Museum of Art in Youngstown, Ohio; Esqueleto Gallery in Oberlin, Ohio; Lorain County Community College Gallery, Lorain, Ohio; Jazz Gallery, San Francisco, California; American History Museum, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Puerto Rican Culture, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Museum of Art, Ponce, Puerto Rico; etc. While maintaining a heavy performing schedule, Kenneth teaches and strenuously promotes knowledge of art, and Latin music, sharing his talents and experiences with schools, organizations, universities, and community programs.

B.F.A.

Founder

Philanthropic Visual Poetry Performance Artist
Healer and Visionaire

Sustainable Vacation Art for Social Enterprising

___
Art is Healing
Art is a universal language that helps bring people together and I use art to find solutions to our social, environmental, and economic issues. This is my life and dream which I have been pursuing in various ways over the years. I was born knowing my path in this word, thanks to divinity for lighting the way through out my childhood dreams. I have been giving back to the community since I was 14 via various charity organizations and today as I write to you I am celebrating 13 years of service. Some times I think to myself, OMG I can’t believe it. One thing I can say is that we must be very conscious of the life we expose our children to and the things we practice because it becomes very hard to drop old habits. Hahaha!

I was always a very sensitive child growing up with extremely high sensitivity to the world around me including the emotions of others. I think sometimes that I feel their emotions more intensely then they actually do (if that makes sense). I am only happy if the person next to me is happy and of course I do experience the opposite if they are experiencing it.

Let’s share happiness!

Empathy gives us insights into other’s lives enabling us to understand what they are going through in order to help them and I must say, boy-o- boy, do have quite a lot and I believe that this is the drive behind my work.

I am not the person to sit and talk about the same problem over and over forever because doing that hurts like needles poking me in the eye ball. I am one who will shut up and act towards developing a solution, even if I fail one hundred times, I will make it my destiny to succeed in creating the change that is necessary for a brighter tomorrow.

My dream is to see my country become sustainable and improve dramatically (in her society, ecology and economy) to the point where we can help other Caribbean and or developing countries, which is a responsibility for every country based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Life is not a destination it is a journey.

Selah!

Lisa Lej

2020

Contact info:
IG. @ecoartlifestyle & @lejart
fb.com/lejarts
ecoartmag@gmail.com
greengoddessspace.wordpress.com

Louvenson Saint Juste is an artist filmmaker, he lives and works in Haiti where he collaborates with institutions such as the Center d'Art, Production Fanal, FOKAL, the MWEM Foundation, etc. Louvenson is sensitive to themes related to violence, exploitation, nature and childhood. Graduated in drama from the National School of Arts in Port-au-Prince where he learned theater, drawing and modeling. In 2011, he was accepted into the multimedia training program of Haiti Reporters to study journalism and get a bit closer to documentary. In 2012, during an exchange at the Higher School of Image (Le Septentecinq) in Belgium, he discovered the basics of animation cinema and remained a lover. Louvenson made his entry into animation with his experimental film "Touky à la rivère" and since then he has mainly focused on making animated film frame by frame and directed the short film "Ti Foli" and this year “Zone Safe”, "Zuli" and "Wa Anri".

“Art, is who I am, it is what I am and it is all I have ever dreamt of being. It is the rhythm of my soul the essence of me.” Born December 7th, 1984 this local artist has been busy making her mark on St. Maarten from a very young age. From art exhibitions to poetry recitals now creative productions La’Rich became a very familiar name. The artist is the creative director of her own company, Dream Chasers ltd where she manages her brands La Rich arts, M.A.D.E. Promotions and Funtopia Sint Maarten, which caters to promoting artists and creative productions in the community.

Maya Wilkinson is a Writer, Director and Multimedia Artist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media & Communication from the University of the West Indies, Mona and is a founding member and the Director of Multimedia at QUILT, the Caribbean's leading devised theatre company - a dynamic group of young creative artists who use transformative theatre as a means of tackling and curing social issues. Maya shares the vision of the company as she aims to develop young, talented individuals through various art forms. She is driven by her belief in the importance of storytelling and art as therapy. Maya has won several awards for playwriting and theatre production in Jamaica.

Artist and contemporary portrait, travel and lifestyle photographer Meredith Andrews has shot for editorial, advertising and private clients all over the world. Based on the sub-tropical island of Bermuda, Meredith exhibits regularly with dozens of international exhibitions to her name, including the National Portrait Gallery in London, UK and the Bermuda National Gallery, her work can be seen in almost every media. See more on Instagram @meredithphoto

Modeling, fostering, and reinforcing healthy choices and lifestyles through innovative public education, facilitating positive behaviour change, utilising the creative arts and mass media platforms. Several young persons with interest in audio visual trained and eager to showcase what they learned through education and entertainment and videography.

My name is Minori Izumi Russell, I am a song writer, vocalist and performer who resides presently in Washington Gardens Kingston. I am originally from the community of Water House, this is where my early musical influences came from as my uncles were and still are hardcore lovers of music and avid sound players. I've lost both parent my dad when I was 2yrs of age to violence and my mom recently to diabetes I have worked with the likes of Mike Bennent, Wayne Marshall, Tessane Chin and Ding Dong to name a few I have written for adds, political campaigns and i have also written for musicals as well. My most recent release is Red Pill which was published in May of this year. this was released under the label which I presently work Rise Nation a company based in Australia. One of my life's mantras is every adversity comes with it the seed of a greater or equivalent benefit.

Neil Waithe is a Visual and Performance artist who was first trained at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination at the University of the West Indies Cavehill Campus, where he studied Theatre and Film. Neil went on to study Theatre Arts at the School of Drama at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. He cherishes his balancing act of being a film and theatre actor & director, photographer, film maker, lighting designer, technician and operator, acting coach, Drama teacher, writer, and researcher. Neil attains greatest fulfilment through the merging of social development and the arts.

Nowé Harris-Smith was born in Nassau, New Providence on February 27th, 1993. She received a Bachelor of Education Degree Secondary Certification: Art (with Credit) in 2017 from The University of The Bahamas. Harris-Smith participated in various local and international exhibitions including Caribbean Linked IV. Her work is inspired by humanism and the world she occupies.

Nwannia Sorzano is an autodidactic autonomous adult learner and creative who's mission is to inspire positive change through fashion, social consciousness and sustainability. As a survivor of sexual abuse, Nwannia's goal is to use her talents to bring awareness to and help end sexual abuse throughout her country where 1 in 4 women have experienced some sort of physical and /or sexual violence in their lifetime. Her personal philosophy is that "With hard work, dedication and compassion, one person can make a difference".

Renard Harris is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Kingston Jamaica. He specialises in printmaking but does not negate himself from exploring other mediums such as sculpture and painting. As a child he was always obsessed with the level of symmetry and mechanical artistry put into the construction of toy cars, and as such he began creating mocket sculptures of cars and trucks from cardboard. His prints usually embody a realistic approach to addressing the socio-cultural, racial and identity issues faced by black people. Most of his prints are done in intaglio and linocut styles of printing which he employs the use of strong vivid lines to articulate his ideas potently. His symmetric obsession grew with him as he is now known for producing large scale detailed sculptures from cardboard which are guided by the principles of line, shape, proportion and balance. He has recently completed his bachelor of fine arts in printmaking at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and performing Arts.

Interdisciplinary artist Shannon Alonzo has been working in the creative industries since 2011, within a variety of roles from visual art to costume design. Her project collaborations include work with design house Meiling Inc and production design for feature films ‘Play the Devil’ and ‘Moving Parts’. Her artistic practice explores themes of cultural identity, collective belonging and attachment to land. In August 2019, she exhibited an ongoing body of work entitled ‘IMPRINT’ at The Loftt Gallery in Port of Spain and is currently pursuing a Masters of Research in Creative Practice, at the University of Westminster, U.K.

Sharelly Emanuelson (1986). Her Film & Visual work have been solidified by her academic achievements at the BA, Audiovisual Media school of Arts Utrecht and a MA, Master Artistic Research at the Royal Academy of the Arts the Hague. Through international public nominations and awards such as Master Artistic Research Award from the Royal School of Arts (The Hague) (2014), Black Achievement Spotlight Award (2018) and the most recent Volkskrant Visual Arts Public Price (2020) and the Charlotte Köhler Price (2020) she gained recognition. Apart from her own practice she founded Uniarte, an artist-run organization that enhances the visibility & development of emerging and professional artists in the Caribbean region.

Compulsive Kittitian creator. Occasionally published poet and short story author (e.g. Susumba; MOKO, Potbake). Sometimes graphic/visual design artist (i.e. logos, posters, infographics, etc.). Often combining academic foci (environment, climate and health) with 36 years of lived experience to produce prose, poetry, photos, essays, and think-pieces. Educator, mentor, partner, consultant, muse and muse-user. Eternal consumer and curator of Caribbean culture. Literature lover and people-watcher forever. My favorite color is blue (for now) despite my daughter's best and long-time lobbying for the prettiness of purple or pink.

In This Current Age Of Film, Standing Out As A Filmmaker Is Hard To Do, But With His Unique Cinematic And Editing Skills, And Creative Mind Vonley Smith Succeeds. From The Early Age Of 14, Smith Began Producing AMV’s (Animation Music Videos) His Work In The AMV Circuit Was Recognized Across The Globe Generating Thousands Of YouTube Views And Subscribers. Smith Continues To Then Establish His Name In The Film Industry Studying His Bachelors In Fine Arts Majoring In Film. His Latent Talent Was Forged And What Emerged Was A Filmmaker Who Unique Style Of Cinematography/Editing/ Directing Made Him An House Hold Name Within His Island Barbados. His Expression In This Art Has Led Him To Become An Recipient Of The Island Highest Local Awards And Winner Of 48hr Challenges And Few Of His Films Showing At Regional And International Film Festivals. Now Known As V-uture He Embarks On A New Journey Developing His Growing Film Style.

“Making your world smile” is how Waldane Walker contextualizes his interactions with others as an artist.

His artistry through performance seeks to address and provoke a host of socio-political concerns such; as gender inequality, cultural preservation and masculinities. In his most recent work “MASK Q LIE” he explores the construction of “ masculinity” in the Caribbean and how that affects male identities in this region.

Waldane is a recent graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, honing a BFA in Theatre and a minor in Dance performance.