Fresh Milk recently announced the recipients of its inaugural contemporary visual arts Fellowship program, which was made possible with support from the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF). The fellows—Barbadian-based artists Anna Gibson, Simone Asia, Russell Watson and Ronald Williams—presented their work in the exhibition “Where are the Tendernesses?” at the Caribbean Brushstrokes Gallery on August 9, 2025. They will continue in the 10-month fellowship program from September 2025 until June 2026, culminating in a 2026 exhibition curated by Dr. Natalie McGuire. See more information at Fresh Milk Barbados and below.
[. . .] This initiative provides four unrestricted grants of $20,000 USD, along with a $5,000 USD travel grant for each Fellow. The Barbadian-based Fellows, Anna Gibson, Simone Asia, Russell Watson and Ronald Williams, have demonstrated commitment to their practices, working across painting, sculpture, drawing, moving image, and digital media. Each Fellow was presented at a public event at the Caribbean Brushstrokes Gallery on August 9th and will benefit from sustained support during this 10-month programme from September 2025 until June 2026, culminating in a 2026 exhibition curated by Dr. Natalie McGuire.
On May 21st, 2025, the Fresh Milk team including Annalee Davis & Katherine Kennedy, hosted a roundtable session bringing together diverse participants to discuss critical issues in Barbados relating to the CLF’s core pillars, including contemporary visual arts, health care access and equity, gender-based issues, environmental concerns, and the impact of technology on society. The insights provided informed the four nominators with expertise in contemporary creative practices, in their selection of the Fellows. The roundtable included Dr. Jo-Anne Brathwaite-Drummond, Dr. Clyde Cave, Carla Daniel, Amina Doherty, Dr. Robin Mahon, Patrick Moufarrige, Dr. Shayna Parris, Rae Skinner, and Leigh-Ann Worrell, while the nominators included Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, Dr. Therese Hadchity, Mark King, and Dr. Natalie McGuire. The full roundtable report can be found on our main Fellowship page here.
The exhibition, Where are the Tendernesses?, is celebrating the launch of the Fellowship and showcasing the Fellows work which runs until August 30th, 2025 at the Caribbean Brushstrokes Gallery. Read the full curatorial text here.
[All photos by Dondré Trotman.]
For more information on the fellowship and the fellows, see https://freshmilkbarbados.com/2025/08/12/fresh-milk-clara-lionel-foundation-artistic-fellowship/