Dr. Marielle Barrow Maignan
In place of galleries, backyard spaces and homes in the Caribbean have become prime public-private spaces of showcase, experimentation, dialogue, and international artistic exchange.
Such spaces exist notably in the Bahamas—Popup Studios; Trinidad & Tobago—Studio 66 and Alice Yard; and Barbados—Fresh Milk. Managed by artists as places for informal teaching, arts practice, and gatherings, these sites host residencies, artist talks, experimental events, and classes often inviting or hosting international artists and scholars. These backyard spaces reflect the kinds of gatherings common in African communal spaces as opposed to the formality of the gallery or museum space. In some cases, individual artists manage the venues and as such the artistic practices emanating take on the personality of that artist. In other cases, such as Alice Yard, artistic collectives manage the project.
Caribbean nations have experienced varying histories although they all bear the scars of colonial settlement.
Dr. Barrow Maignan
Fulbright Scholar, social entrepreneur, arts management consultant, visual artist
Dr. Barrow Maignan is a Fulbright Scholar, Social Entrepreneur, Arts Management Consultant and Visual Artist. Her research has focused on the politics of cultural memory, arts and cultural policy and the arts as cultural capital enabling sustainable civic practice particularly in the Caribbean region. With a focus on praxis as a mode of enjoining and translating her research into practical interventions, she founded an arts education non-profit- Caribbean InTransit in 2010 registered in Trinidad & Tobago & Maryland. Leading a volunteer team of more than 40 professionals operating across 13 countries over this first decade, Dr. Barrow Maignan has spearheaded the production of an open-access, multi-lingual peer-reviewed journal with six issues published, arts festivals (three produced), research projects (Haiti and Zanzibar) and the This is ME program for at-risk communities (five produced in three countries). Most recently, Caribbean InTransit launched The Meeting Place Community web and mobile application -a creative ecosystem that facilitates upskilling, monetisation and networking for creatives.
Photos: Atis Rezistans – Ghetto Biennale, Haiti, photo by Birte Fritsch;” Come Back to Jamaica” by Andera Chung; “Souvenir” by Blue Curry; Sculptures by artists of Atis Rezistans. Images granted use from author, or under creative commons and / or public domain.