CNCF’s Grants for the Arts Programme Supports Nine Creative Projects

The Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF) highlights its latest round of 2022 grant recipients. CNCF grant applications are considered biannually in March and September and are a part of the organisation’s mission to facilitate and preserve all forms of artistic expression in Cayman.

Nine grants were recently awarded across a range of the visual, performing and literary arts, from film and fashion to music and dance. The recipients include Cayman Arts Festival (CAF); Dreamchasers Cayman; Fuego Latin Dance; filmmaker Badir Awe; Cayman Documentary Festival; poet Anniki Hill; visual artists Randy Chollette and John Reno Jackson; and fashion designer Jawara Alleyne.

The financial support received from the CNCF Grants Committee assisted Cayman Arts Festival and Dreamchasers Cayman in sending eleven Caymanian students to participate in arts-focused summer camps in New York.

Cayman Arts Festival selected five students to attend the Luzerne Music Center, which aims to provide world-class music instruction for gifted young musicians from ages 9-18. The summer camp took place in the foothills of New York’s Adirondack Park.

Dreamchasers Cayman was afforded the opportunity to attend the Harlem School of the Arts Summer Dance Intensive which welcomes dancers from ages 8-25 and offers a ballet-based, multidisciplinary experience for students with at least three years of consistent dance training. They received instruction in Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, African, Hip-Hop, and Lindy Hop.

Cayman Documentary Festival received funding in June towards its inaugural festival. Cayman Documentary Festival aims to spark dialogue within the local community, particularly amongst our youth, around some of the most significant challenges facing society today. Films such as Tina, I am Greta, and Summer of Soul, were a few the films selected to highlight important contemporary issues arising out of the environment, mental health, and empowerment through music and technology.

Locally owned dance academy Fuego Latin Dance used their grant to support their inaugural Cayman Latin Dance Festival, which was held from 07 – 09 October 2022. This event aims to create an immersive educational and social environment to increase the awareness and reach of Latin culture and dancing in Cayman through workshops, exhibitions, and social gatherings.

London-based, Caymanian fashion designer Jawara Alleyne presented his eponymous Spring/Summer ‘23 fashion collection at Fashion East as part of London Fashion Week in September 2022, with support from CNCF. Alleyne is an interdisciplinary artist, fashion designer, and educator whose work and research is rooted in his identity and coming of age between Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and London. This collection, which is the conclusion of a decade of study and

experimentation, investigates his Caribbean identity and places “our story” at the centre of London Fashion Week.

Signs of Us: An Exploration of The Caymanian Identity in Poetry is a collection of poems by Annikki Hill. Annikki has been writing poetry from a young age and has participated in numerous performances, competitions, and events including CNCF’s storytelling festival, Gimistory. CNCF has supported the publication of Signs of Us, which will be released in 2023. Annikki also joins the 2022 Gimistory Festival where she will be performing one of the poems now included in the manuscript.

Artist John Reno Jackson received support to attend Caribbean Linked, an artist- in-residence programme in Aruba hosted annually by Ateliers ’89, The Fresh Milk Art Platform, and ARC Magazine. Caribbean Linked provides a crucial space for building awareness across disparate creative communities by bringing together emerging artists from anglophone, francophone, Hispanic and Dutch Antillean Caribbean islands. The three-week residency supported Reno’s artistic development by providing him an opportunity to live and work outside of his usual environments with support and feedback from fellow resident artists and curators.

Badir Awe received a grant towards the editing of his feature film documentary Keep Rolling, which follows the experience of numerous artists as they work together on film in Cuba. The documentary, produced by Badir, brings together a multinational cast and focuses on the challenges faced by the creative sector when developing projects within the region.

Artist and musician Randy Chollette’s 2022 grant will support his continued research into drumming traditions in Cayman, which aims to preserve and revive the skills of traditional drum making and specifically the Aunt Julia drumming technique. The project will include a series of drumming circle sessions with fellow

musicians and creatives, as well as a wider concluding concert which will focus on Caymanian, African, Afro Cuban, and Afro Caribbean rhythms.

“The Grants for the Arts programme is central to CNCF’s mission to facilitate, develop and preserve all forms of artistic expression in the Cayman Islands,” says CNCF Chief Executive Officer, Natalie Urquhart. “This type of financial support can be critical to the success of a creative project, so we are committed to expanding the scope of Grants for the Arts moving forward to provide more funding opportunities to our creative community.

“These grants are very competitive so on behalf of the CNCF staff and the Grants Committee, I’d would like to extend sincere congratulations to all of these deserving individuals and organisations for their valuable contribution to arts and culture in the Cayman Islands.”

The Grants for the Arts programme is currently open for applications for its next review cycle. Grants are given to individuals, groups, and/or organisations to help further development, assist in bringing a worthy project to fruition, or in some cases to support an ongoing project or programme. The deadline for submission of grant applications for the 2023 March Review is Monday, 16 January. Individuals who are resident in the Cayman Islands for at least the preceding twelve months and art groups operating in the Cayman Islands which have a project/activity that will be completed in a set period are eligible. The Grants for the Arts Guidelines and Application Form can be downloaded at www.artscayman.org or collected from the CNCF Office.

For more information about CNCF and its programmes, email [email protected] or call 949-5477.

Quotes from 2022 Grant recipients:

“We are extremely proud that CAF was able to once again send students to the Luzerne Music Center, and we are confident that this experience will help them with their future careers. We have received so many compliments on their manners, positive attitudes and energy. Thank you so much CNCF for supporting this programme!” – Marius Gaina, on behalf of Cayman Arts Festival

“Thank you to the Cayman National Cultural Foundation for this grant which provided the opportunity for five very talented young Caymanian dancers to receive exposure, improvement of dancing technique, and collaboration with one of New York’s top arts institutions, The Harlem School of Arts summer dance intensive. We were thrilled to have been a grant recipient, and we are deeply appreciative you’re their support. This allowed us to grow and enhance our abilities as dancers– and will put our islands in the international dance spotlight.” – Melisha McField, on behalf of Dreamchasers

“The Cayman Documentary Festival is a new addition to Cayman’s cultural life. This was made possible with a considerable financial help and Arts Grant from the Cayman National Cultural Foundation.” – Ana Russell-Omalijev, on behalf of Cayman Documentary

“Fuego Latin Dance is intent on developing the Latin dance community in the Cayman Islands. The CNCF Grant assisted us in making the very first Cayman Latin Dance Festival a reality. The support of CNCF also gave Fuego Latin Dance and the local Latin dance community more exposure, promoting the growth of this unique hobby and art form in the Cayman Islands.” – Imani Abdul-Jabbar, on behalf of Fuego Latin Dance

“I started my journey in fashion with the assistance from the Cayman National Cultural Foundation and over the years, their support has helped to hone my creative voice. I’m very grateful for their continued support and for them tapping in again with this grant to support the development of my craft once more at this pivotal point in my creative journey.” – Jawara Alleyne

“For many years I have gathered the words I hope to gift to my Islands. I am grateful and honoured to have the Cayman National Cultural Foundation’s support to make this happen.” – Anniki Hill

“I’m so fortunate to have received this grant from the CNCF. A huge thank you to all involved in the process for making this a possibility.” – John Reno Jackson

“CNCF has always been there to help fund my artistic projects. They have consistently helped artists in a country where finding grants for creative projects is difficult. Thank you CNCF!” – Badir Awe

“I am thankful to receive support from CNCF for my music project, The Red Boat Experience, as it is encouragement towards promoting the traditional sounds of the past and the ability to move it forward in a more contemporary way. I’m excited to get started.” – Randy Chollette