The visual arts conference, ‘Tilting Axis: Within and Beyond the Caribbean — Shifting Models of Sustainability and Connectivity’, held in Barbados in late February, was dedicated to forging infrastructure between several independent art organisations and museums operating across the Caribbean, U.S., E.U., and China. The two-day conference brought together the diverse leaders of these visual art development organisations to negotiate strategic regional and international alliances for the formalisation and further development of infrastructure, production and markets for Caribbean art. The Cayman Islands was represented by Natalie Urquhart, Director of the National Gallery.

The conference was organized by The Fresh Milk Art Platform, Inc., where the event was held, in collaboration with ARC Magazine, Res Artis and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, and was supported by the Prince Claus Fund, the British Council and the Davidoff Art Initiative.

Among the more than thirty invited participants were Annalee Davis, Founding Director of The Fresh Milk Art Platform (Barbados); Holly Bynoe, Co-founder and Editor-in-chief of ARC Magazine (St. Vincent & the Grenadines); Tobias Ostrander, Chief Curator, and Maria Elena Ortiz, Assistant Curator, of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (USA); Mario A. Caro, President of Res Artis (Amsterdam); David Codling, Director Arts, Americas, British Council (Colombia); Natalie Urquhart, Director of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands; Amanda Coulson, Director of art fair VOLTA NY and Director of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas; Deborah Anzinger, Artist and Director of Kingston-based visual art initiative NLS (Jamaica); Nicholas Laughlin, Co-founder of Trinidad and Tobago-based backyard space, Alice Yard; David Bade and Tirzo Martha, Co-directors of Instituto Buena Bista (Curaçao); Elvis López, Director of Ateliers ’89(Aruba); Remco De Blaaij, Curator at the Centre for Contemporary Art (Glasgow); Max Slaven and Ellie Royle, Co-Directors of the David Dale Gallery & Studios(Glasgow); Jessica Carden, Co-founder of Mother Tongue (Glasgow); Solange Farkas, Director of Videobrasil (Brazil); N’Goné Fall, Independent Curator and Co-Founder of GawLab (Senegal); Raquel Paiewonsky, Co-founder of the artist collective Quintapata (Dominican Republic); Kira Simon-Kennedy, Co-founderChina Residencies (USA/China); Malaika Brooks-Smith Lowe, Co-founder and Director of Groundation Grenada, Marsha Pearce, Senior Editor of ARC Magazine (Trinidad); Caryl* Ivrisse Crochemar, Director of 14°N 61°W(Martinique).

According to co-organisers Holly Bynoe and Annalee Davis, the conference seeks to create opportunities for visual artists living in the Caribbean and to provide professional and economic development in the region through formal collaborations between key art organisations and foundations, across the Caribbean and beyond. The conference also aims to build and redefine relationships around cultural exchange between the Global North and the Global South.

After the two-day discussion, which included topics ranging from arts education, scholarship and research, exhibitions, residency programmes, collaborative projects, and the growth of creative industries in the region, a strategic action plan for continued collaboration was developed.

According to Mrs Urquhart, the conference offered an essential platform through which to increase the visibility of artists from the Cayman Islands and to forge new relationships with other arts organizations in the region.

“Historically Caymanian artists have removed from the vibrant regional art scene and subsequently rarely feature in regional exhibitions and publications. Moving forward it is critical that we become part of the wider regional dialogue and to explore opportunities for our artists and curators,” says Mrs Urquhart. “By bringing together arts professionals from across the region, Tilting Axis has provided an unparalleled platform for collaboration and exchange and I look forward to moving ahead with several of the initiatives that were discussed which range from residency opportunities to shared resources and exhibitions.”

Photo caption: Participants of the Tilting Axis 2015 conference.

Adapted from the freshmilkbarbados post of March 9, 2015 by. Photograph by Sammy Davis.