About Us
Art Raises The Spirit
The Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, CMCArts, was founded by Candia Atwater in 1994 as a means of addressing the increase in violence afflicting the youth of St. Croix, U.S Virgin Islands. Her goal was to provide and teach alternative forms of positive expression through art. Since 2003, CMCArts' programming has been housed in a beautiful, historic building at 10 Strand Street in Frederiksted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.
Throughout CMCArts’ 29 year history, the organization has specifically served the community as an active exhibition center for the visual and performing arts; exhibiting the artwork of artists and artisans from St. Croix, the USVI, Puerto Rico and in part the larger Caribbean. The museum that has grown from that early vision has evolved to be a significant learning resource and creative incubator in our community. We are continuing to challenge ourselves to make everything we do a learning opportunity for everyone by fostering transformative experiences and nurturing fluency in the Caribbean visual arts and cultural heritage.
CMCArts seeks to become a cultural gateway and point of connection for all of the Caribbean with the vision to be innovative and to deepen our commitment to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage as well as contemporary experiences of the Caribbean diaspora.
OUR MISSION AND VISION
MISSION
To inspire and promote the Caribbean's rich cultural and artistic heritage through engaging the diverse communities of the Islands
VALUES
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Engage and celebrate the diversity of artists and audiences of the Caribbean
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Promote creativity and critical thinking
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Exhibit integrity by being good stewards in and honest, transparent, and ethical manner
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Commitment to celebrate the rich and diverse artistic traditions of the Caribbean
Meet The Team
Orville James is a native son from Dominica and has lived in St. Croix for more than twenty years. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Florida and manages capital and renewable energy construction projects for the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. Orville values community service and has served as a past president of WAPA's Professional and Technical Employees' Union and the Elena L. Christian school's Parent Teacher Student Association and as the secretary of People United for a Better Virgin Islands. As the race director of The Virgin Islands Pace Runners, he officiates many competitive and other sporting events. He also volunteers as an assistant to the Director of Judging and Awards for the Agrifest Board of Directors and participates in the music ministry of the Midland Wesleyan Holiness Church. Orville enjoys spending time with his family and delights in all that living in the Caribbean provides including swimming, sailing, scuba diving, gardening, and hiking. He believes art expresses culture, celebrates beauty, and inspires people and considers it an honor to be a member of CMCArts Board of Directors.
Susan Atkins is a tireless advocate of civic involvement, she has served on numerous boards and organizations including Chair of the Fun-raising committee of the Women's Coalition of St. Croix, Library Commissioner in San Diego, Chair of the Diversionary Theater Board and the National Victory Fund, to name a few. With an MBA from Pepperdine University and BA and MA degree from the University of Oklahoma, Susan had a 40-year career in Communications including Vice President of a Fortune 500 Pharmaceutical company, teaching journalism at the University of Tulsa, and eventually founded the most successful investor relations and public relations firm in the biotechnology industry in California which she sold to Porter Novelli, a global communications firm. Susan is a patron of the arts and an aficionado of the theater. As a fine art collector, her paintings include Caribbean artists and some of the most respected and esteemed Chinese contemporary artists working today. This collection attests to her belief in how art informs the present and creates a path for the future. Susan is involved and committed to increasing understanding of the importance that arts programs serve in a community.
Allison Johnson is the co-owner of Cowboy Jungle Inc., an omnichannel retail/e-tail commerce company focused on medical apparel and footwear. She currently handles PR and marketing for the 19-year-old company's multiple businesses to consumer e-commerce sites with her husband of 24 years. While her children were young, Allison taught children aged pre-K to 8th grade in public and private schools in San Francisco, Atlanta, and North Carolina. Her first teaching job was at a Title One elementary school that served a large concentration of low-income students. She was an English language development specialist, teaching emerging multilingual students (Chinese, Vietnamese and Spanish) to be English proficient. Other specialties included teaching gifted education, and working with students with behavioral problems and learning disabilities in a self-contained classroom. Allison cultivated a love of people, places, art, and culture through extensive travel at an early age. She studied in Canada and Japan and worked in the Secretariat of Women's Rights of the French Parliament translating documents from French to English for the European Economic Community. She fell in love at first sight with the people, culture, and natural beauty of St. Croix and chose to make it her family's forever home in 2017.
Janis Valmond has lived and worked in the USVI for over thirty years, interrupted by brief stints spent on the US mainland to pursue graduate school. Dr. Valmond is a former researcher and part-time faculty member of the University of the Virgin Islands. Dr. Valmond joined the staff of the Department of Health in April 2019, as Deputy Commissioner of Health. She is a founding Board member of BrightSpark, Inc. a non-profit organization based on St. Croix and the primary sponsor of the Dominique James Reading Program: Reading Carnival and Book Fair. Her volunteer efforts in the past have included time as Troop Leader with the St. Patrick School Girl Scout Troops and she currently serves as an adult volunteer with the St. Patrick Youth Ministry. Serving as a Board member at CMCArts is one way she finds to give back to a vibrant St. Croix community that has provided a rich, stimulating environment to raise an awesome daughter and provided opportunities to work with a wide range of talented, committed individuals.
Wilfred Labiosa, PhD, born and raised in Puerto Rico, has been a community leader and advocate for the last thirty years. He lived for more than 26 years in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied at multiple prestigious institutions. He is owner of Cuba Puerto Rico Tours, company that focuses on facilitating educational and humanitarian travel to Cuba; and co-owner of Labiosa Family Art Collection.
He has published extensively his research with the dually-diagnosed Latino community, mental health and a substance abuse diagnosis; works as a consultant and/ or supervisor on state, national and international projects that focus on mental health, HIV/AIDS prevention, homeless, youth, Latinos, LGBTQ+, people with dual diagnosis or evidence-based treatment modalities. He has worked with LGBT and HIV organizations locally, nationally and internationally for many years, as a mentor, mental health provider or evaluator. Born and raised in Puerto Rico; He graduated with a doctorate degree from Simmons University, School of Social Work, and Master's Degree from Northeastern University's Department of Counseling Psychology, and a graduate certificate from Suffolk University’s management of non-profits. His Bachelor’s degree is from Boston University. He is currently the CEO of Waves Ahead Corp, a non-profit organization in Puerto Rico focusing in the elder and LGBT+ community, managing two Community Centers focused on the LGBT Older Adult.
Anne Kershaw is a lawyer, technologist, and entrepreneur who is delighted to finally have time to give back to her new St. Croix community, having moved to St. Croix with her husband Clifford Berger in 2016. Since graduating, cum laude, from New York Law School (evening division) in 1987, Anne has worked as a litigator and legal technology consultant, starting two successful legal consulting firms. In addition, she was an adjunct-faculty member at Columbia University for nineteen years, has served on numerous boards, speaks frequently at legal conferences, and has authored numerous published articles. She is a classical flute player, having attended The Julliard School while in high school and a graduate of Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Anne is also an amateur historian who is passionate about civil rights. Anne is also passionate about Caribbean art and education and is honored to be a member of CMCArts Board of Directors. (Not admitted in the VI)
Troy Williams is a Proud Virgin Islander with Strong Frederiksted Roots and alumni of the former Good Hope School. An Information Technology professional by education and experienced in Cyber Security Engineering, Systems Administration, and IT Consulting. Troy was formerly the vice chair of the Special Olympics Committee and was the President of the first nationally chartered Young Democrats Club in Virgin Islands History. He believes “using technology to make the lives of all Virgin Islander better should be at the forefront of policy-making decisions today and is extremely passionate about sports, family, weather, politics, and effective media communication. Troy believes that through creative expression of the Arts & History you can paint an accurate picture of any culture and is delighted to be a member of the CMCArts Board of Directors.
Stephanie Chalana Brown, through her photography, fine art, cinematography, content, and festival arts, examines our present identities while also playing an important part in the preservation of Virgin Island culture from the past. She is known by her affectionate nickname, Chalana, and she creates digital mixed media fine art works using photography as her primary medium. The Madras that Binds All Ah We was the title of her debut collection of fine art "received high praise because it was inspired by the poem written by Richard Schrader from the Virgin Islands. The art series was utilized by legislators in a number of town hall meetings in an effort to advocate for Act No. 8424, which would establish an official Virgin Islands madras. As a documentary filmmaker, Chalana has produced a range of unique broadcast programs. These programs include Griot and Foodie Insider, both of which are currently airing on local broadcast networks. In addition, the Virtual Crucian Cultural Cuisine dialogues chronicle the traditional foodways of the Virgin Islands. Further utilizing photography as a medium of storytelling, the Chalana project "E3: Exploration, Evolution, and Effectuation" exploring Virgin Islands identity through history, fashion, fabric, and photography has been included in two articles in a Danish academic publication exploring coloniality in the Danish West Indies, which are now the Virgin Islands of the United States. In addition, the projects she has undertaken at the Caribbean Museum of the Arts, the exhibition titled "Claiming Spaces: The African Story of the Sugar Mill" received high praise and sparked further conversation about the erasure of Africans ingenuity in the built heritage of what are now the Virgin Islands. This conversation centered on the importance of not erasing uncomfortable stories and legacies for the sake of comfortability, particularly with regard to historic sugar mills and former plantation spaces. As the artistic director of the Sanctuary Festival troupe, Chalana and team members reimagine traditional festival costumes and forgo new connections between them and more modern aesthetics and design principles. Additionally, Stephanie Chalana Brown is the State Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Department of Education of the Virgin Islands' Division of Virgin Island Cultural Education.
Dr. Regina Flippin is a native of Memphis, TN. She is a Board-Certified Foot and Ankle Surgeon and Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Dr. Flippin specializes in Limb Salvage. Her mantra is “Saving Limbs, Save Lives,” as she has reduced the amputation rate in the territory with aggressive wound care and surgical intervention. Additionally, Dr. Flippin is a cosmetic foot surgeon providing medically necessary surgery with outstanding cosmetic results using minimal incision techniques with over 20 years of experience. Dr. Flippin is the owner of Urban Foot Care Center with locations in Milwaukee, WI, St. Croix, and St. Thomas United States Virgin Islands. She is honored that her facilities have received the Gold Seal of the Joint Commission Accreditation for its Ambulatory Surgical Center. Urban Foot Care Center has been voted “Best Foot Care” on St. Croix every year since 2014. In 2020, she opened Uzuri Luxury Spa, where clients are treated to state-of-the-art hand, foot, and facial experiences. Dr. Flippin is the wife of Mr. Eric L. Bland. Although they do not have any biological children, she is the godmother and mentor to many. Dr. Flippin has an innate love for people in general and for them to be healed specifically. The last 25 years of her life, she has devoted herself to edifying and enhancing the lives of those hurting and disenfranchised in her community. As a thirteen-year breast cancer survivor, she saw the need to offer support to others with breast cancer. In 2011, she and Eric founded Flippin to a Cure®, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation whose mission is to offer financial support to breast cancer survivors so they can focus on healing rather than the financial burden cancer may cause.
Dr. Flippin has a passion for all forms of visual art and she loves to create authentic and luxury spaces in her spare time.
Lisa is the Founding Principal of Philanthropy by Design, a strategic fundraising consultancy working directly with nonprofits to amplify their mission. She has more than 40 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including service with or on nine nonprofit boards in Jackson, Wyoming. Over 11 years with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Lisa helped raise $43 million for the Wyoming Chapter. In her four years as Development Director for TNC’s Caribbean Division, she launched a $100 million conservation campaign and raised close to $60 million prior to leaving the organization. Lisa completed Manager-Mentor training at Harvard Business School, Highly Effective Teams certification, and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Marlee Miller worked 40 years for nonprofit organizations—starting in communications and marketing, and eventually running them as chief operating officer. Her most recent position was COO of M+R, a national consulting firm headquartered in Washington, DC, which advises nonprofit clients advancing the cause of justice, alleviating suffering, and solving the greatest challenges we face. She was raised in Eugene, Oregon, by parents who were deeply involved in the community and in the arts, which inspired Marlee’s personal and professional passions. Early in her career, she gained insight into the art world and its challenges as managing editor of the Houston Center for Photography’s arts journal, as board of directors secretary, and eventually as board president. Marlee earned a degree in journalism, with a minor in political science, from the University of Montana. She has lived in the U.S. Rockies, West Coast, East Coast, and the “Third Coast” of Texas. She and her husband are now both retired and living on beautiful St. Croix half the year and the other half in the mountains of Maryland.
2021-23 Strategic Plan
2022 Annual Report
2021 Annual Report
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