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February Deadlines Artists Shouldn’t Miss
February is packed with opportunities for Caribbean artists seeking residencies, funding and international exposure. Here’s a roundup of residencies, grants and open calls with approaching deadlines. Residencies and Internships Sloss Metal Furnaces Emerging Artist Residency + Internship (International) A three-week residency in Birmingham, Alabama, providing studio access, materials, sand, iron, and technical foundry skills for emerging artists. Includes a living stipend. D
Ignite 2026: Grants, Residencies & Exhibitions for Caribbean Creatives
As the new year begins, Caribbean artists and creatives have urgent opportunities to expand their practice, connect with international networks, access funding, and deepen their craft. Below is a curated guide to open calls, residencies, grants, and creative support programmes, some of which are closing soon in January 2026, from both regional and global institutions. Exhibitions – Show Your Work Royal Society of British Artists | Annual Exhibition 2026 Deadline: January 9
Entering 2026 with Intention: A Fresh Year for Caribbean Art
As the Caribbean steps into 2026, artists, creatives, and cultural practitioners have new opportunities to deepen their practice, connect with global networks, and showcase the region’s rich artistic voices. The start of a new year is always a moment for reflection, gratitude, and intention, qualities that resonate strongly within the Caribbean art community. Over the past year, Caribbean artists have continued to navigate challenges, explore interdisciplinary approaches, and
Marcos Daniel Vicéns: Carving Presence
At the entrance of the University of Puerto Rico, Carolina Campus, a jaguar rises in form and strength. It does not merely decorate the space. It claims it. The sculpture, titled El Jaguar , signals arrival, identity and power. It is here, in the language of monument and material, that Marcos Daniel Vicéns has found his voice. Working from his studio in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, Vicéns has established himself as one of the island’s compelling contemporary sculptors, bridging in
Not a Postcard: Ernesto Estévez García’s Caribbean
Ernesto Estévez García did not arrive at hyperrealism through theory. He arrived there through memory. His first encounter with painting was not in an academy but at home, watching his mother paint simply because she loved it. There was no grand ambition attached to it. Just colour, time and quiet devotion. That intimacy shaped him long before he chose landscape as his language. As a young man, Ernesto spent hours exploring caves and remote corners of Cuba’s terrain. These we
Navigating Transformation in Dominique Hunter's Cusp Series
How do we grow when life constantly shifts beneath our feet? When movement and stillness intertwine, where do we find balance? These questions lie at the heart of Guyanese artist Dominique Hunter’s ongoing Cusp series, a striking exploration of transformation, presence, and resilience. Through her use of the human form, nature, and symbolism, Hunter captures the tension of what she calls mini migrations, the repeated uprootings and resettlings that shape both personal and cre
Everyone Loves Art… Until It Is Time to Pay
In the Caribbean, creatives are celebrated. Their work is shared, reposted and admired on social media. Galleries display their pieces. Festivals showcase their talent. Yet when it comes to proper payment, the response is often hesitation, negotiation or requests to work for exposure. Art is labour. It is research. It is skill. It is cultural preservation. And it is economic contribution. Caribbean creatives, painters, sculptors, designers, writers, photographers, filmmakers
Where Love Lives in Caribbean Art
February often reduces love to romance. Flowers, dinners and fleeting gestures framed by Valentine’s Day dominate the narrative. Caribbean art tells a different story. Here, love is quieter, heavier and deeply communal. It appears not only between lovers, but between generations, neighbours, ancestors and land. Across the Caribbean, artists speak love fluently, but in languages shaped by survival, care, resistance and memory. To understand Caribbean love, we must look beyond
What Happens When an Artist Is Paid to Create?
What would happen if artists were not constantly preoccupied with survival. If creativity was not something squeezed into evenings, weekends, or moments of exhaustion, but treated as real work that deserved stability. This question is no longer hypothetical. In Ireland, it has been tested, measured, and proven. In 2022, the Irish government launched the Basic Income for the Arts , a national pilot programme that provided artists, musicians, and creative workers with a guarant
Supporting Caribbean Artists Beyond Buying Art
Buying art matters. It sustains artists directly, affirms the value of their labour and allows many to continue their practice. For those who are able to buy, it remains one of the most meaningful forms of support. However, not everyone has the financial means to collect art. Limiting support to purchasing alone risks excluding large parts of the community and narrowing how we understand care for culture. Caribalent exists because we believe Caribbean culture is not a commodi
Designing with Nature: Sea Breezes, Light & Local Materials
A visual guide to creating airy, grounded spaces using island climate and natural elements to your advantage In the Caribbean, design is...
A Colour Story: Shades of the Caribbean in Everyday Life
In the Caribbean, colour is not merely visual, it is emotional, cultural and profoundly alive. It clings to walls and dances through...
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