MIAMI – From Thursday April 2nd to Monday April 6th, Revolution Gallery, at 44 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston, will be hosting an International Cultural Exchange (ICE), in association with the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, and Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator of Miami, Florida.
This is a unique experience, in which artists from diverse backgrounds, working in various media, converge to explore the concept of ‘cultural diaspora’, intellectually, and creatively. This is the 10th exchange organized by Diaspora Vibe Gallery and Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, but it is the first for Jamaica, as host country.
Through workshops, chat sessions, studio visits, and cross cultural dialogue centering around Caribbean identity, the exchange will serve as a forum for artists speaking with artists about issues confronting their professional and artistic development now and in the future. There will be 20 visiting artists from North and South America, and the Caribbean.
Key components of this unique artist exchange are: Exhibition, studio / gallery visits, artists’ talks, Intellectual Property protection and licensing, Documentation, Museum Curatorial Participation, and Career Development for the artists. The Exchange will address all genres of artworks in our discussions, multimedia installations, video, sculpture, print making, photography, ceramics, painting and performance – with the aim to dispel the impression that art from this region is limited to folk styles and traditions. Artists will talk with artists about, hyphenated existence, the production of artwork while living in the Diaspora, border communities, creating and documenting generational memory, and documenting the process in Kingston, Jamaica side by side Jamaican contemporary artists.
The accompanying exhibition “LIVING SCULPTURE”, will showcase work from the visiting artists as well as selected Jamaican artists, and is scheduled to open at Revolution Gallery, Friday, April 3, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
Opening its doors in 2001, Revolution Gallery has consistently championed the work of local contemporary artists outside the mainstream, in particular, the genres of decorative and functional art in the recognised craft media, as well as innovative sculptural expressions in a variety of media, always seeking to find ways to allow the artists to expand and improve the quality and concept evident in the work.
Since its inception in 1996, Diaspora Vibe has always functioned as a laboratory to promote, nurture and cultivate the vision and diverse talents of emerging artists from the Caribbean Diaspora and other artists of color or from immigrant experiences. This project was conceptualized as an extension of DVCAI’s programming goals to provide artists with a contemporary visual sensibility and a safe space to explore and experiment with new forms and themes without having to deny or downplay strong connections with their countries of origin and the immigrant experience.
“This arts and cultural exchange demonstrates the artistic expression transcends borders. Being Jamaican-born and raised, I am proud to bring this nationally recognized program to the land of my birth. We are looking forward to the homecoming and providing a platform for the artists to interact and showcase their work,” stated Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Director, Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator in Miami’s Design District.
ICE is supported by Miami -Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, The Miami-Dade County Mayor, and Board of County Commissioners.
