Promoting the Caribbean's Rich Cultural and Artistic Heritage

CMCArts Permanent Collection is made possible through generous donations by our Members and Artists. Our collection is very diverse and reflects many artists from or living in the Virgin Islands as well as from around the world. 

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MasterClass celebrates the accomplished, master artists of St. Croix in this lavish exhibition of career artists exemplifying the skill, dedication and passion behind a long career of art making.

 

CMCArts is proud to bring our master artists together for this exhibition;

La Vaughn Belle, Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz, Lucien Downes, Sara Hayes, Tina Henle, Maria Henle, Fritz Henle, John Obafemi Jones, Yemaya Jones, Elwin Joseph, Toni Lance, Lee Lashley, Elisa McKay, Mark Feijão Milligan II, Marjorie Robbins, El'roy Simmonds, Edwin Thomas, Niarus Walker, Michael Walsh, Tony Vanderperk

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The Artist Guild of St Croix’s annual show “The Art Show 2023” will showcase paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media art by 20 local artists.  The Artist Guild of St Croix supports the visual fine arts and artists on the island of St Croix. 

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Six Caribbean artists examine traditional spiritual practices of the

African Descendants of the Caribbean Diaspora, and their attendant rituals, in the context of such practices in our contemporary Western society. The exhibition is curated by Anderson M.

Pilgrim of Barbados and New York City.

 

Artists in the Exhibition

Bernard Stanley Hoyes of Jamaica

Ademola Olugebefola of USVI/NY

Diogenes Ballester of Puerto Rico

Earl D. Etienne of Dominica

Patricia Brintle of Haiti

Arlette St. Hill of Barbados

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 Paul Cezanne stated, “A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” Throughout this exhibition, I hope that you can explore and feel the emotions, which I have taken the liberty to translate to “energies”, that exude from the art of Cuban and Puerto Rican artists.  The artwork presented here reflect a diversity of energies. Some of the energies are defined by our faith and spirituality, while others are created by political views, gender, everyday life, and culture.  I invite you to take time to explore the energies that characterize Cuba and Puerto Rico. Live and experience the energies expressed in each piece of work.

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On September 19 and 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria brought unfathomable devastation to the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Stuck back in my hometown of Chicago, with nonexistent communication and no updated information sources, I was terrified for a community I was only beginning to become a part of.

Seeing my community in pain, and not given the proper attention it deserved, I turned my lens to the people around me. My mission was to provide a platform for the voices of St. Croix to be heard. - Misty Winter

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Byron Motley is a sought-after singer, songwriter, filmmaker, lecturer, and photographer. His photography has been featured in Vanity Fair, The Advocate, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, and has shown in galleries, libraries and museums in the United States, Puerto Rico, Europe, and Cuba. Byron’s award-winning photographic book, Embracing Cuba (University Press of Florida, 2015), contains nearly 200 color images (with essays) exploring the richness of the island of Cuba. This exhibit is part of the collection in Cuba sponsored by the United Nations Cultural Fund,  Centro Nacional Cubano para la Educacion Sexual (CENESEX) and the Embassy of Spain in Cuba.

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The New Blood exhibition series is about breaking the divide and giving all artists a platform for their work to be celebrated and appreciated by the community. Featuring 30 emerging and established artists from the Virgin Islands. As with any great venture, it is the work of many. New Blood: The Final Chapter is a joint venture between CMCArts and Lucien Downes. This is the Final Chapter of this series.

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Stilt dancing originated on the continent of Africa and was documented as early as the fifteen hundreds. The African stilt dancers evolved from a Spiritual context representing the powers of the creator, assuming the role of guardians of the villages fighting off all evil spirits. 

The Moko Jumbie is an icon of Virgin Islands culture.  This art show entitled “The Spirit, Artistry and Craft of the Moko Jumbie” provides our local artists an opportunity to manifest their creative artistic impulses on the subject matter. The mission of the Guardians of Culture Moko Jumbies is to promote and preserve this important aspect of our culture.

The Artist Guild of St Croix’s annual show “The Art Show 2022” will showcase paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media art by local artists.  The Artist Guild of St Croix supports the visual fine arts and artists on the island of St Croix. 

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These two Antilles were conquered by Spain in 1492 and 1493 by Christopher Columbus. They had similar histories and were participants of many of the same wars and struggles. Cubans and Puerto Ricans have similar roots: the native Indian Taino’s, Spaniards, Africans, and Europeans, with some Asian influences as well. They were both colonies of Spain for more than 400 years. Artists from both countries are influenced by their environment, their people, religions, political situation, spirituality, their roots, and cultural influences.

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The curatorial team challenged the artists to examine those issues and themes from their perspective. Then we encouraged, reviewed, and supported the amazing genius and creativity of these 17 artists. It is an exciting and eclectic array of creative energy on exhibit at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts this summer. It represents a collective reflection of where Barbadian society has been, where we are today, and where we want to go in the future.

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Curated by Chalana Brown. The exhibition is a collection of photographs of sugar mills and former plantations and pays reverence to the many enslaved Africans that lived and worked on the many estates of St. Croix.

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LGBTQ artists have historically been invisible in the mainstream art world. This position has denied them the opportunity to display their unique perspective or to comment on themes and issues pertaining to gender identity and society in their art. The Pride Through Art Exhibit will allow LGBTQ artists and allies to showcase their talents in visual arts, sculpture, music, spoken word, and poetry.

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The New Blood exhibition series is about breaking the divide and giving all artists a platform for their work to be celebrated and appreciated by the community. Featuring emerging and established artists from the Virgin Islands. As with any great venture, it is the work of many. New Blood 4 is a joint venture between CMCArts and Lucien Downes.

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Portrait of St. Croix celebrates Virgin Islands History month. It is an ongoing exhibition dedicated to celebrating Virgin Islands History and Culture. The territory officially recognizes March as Virgin Islands History Month. Created in 2006 by former Senator Shawn-Michael Malone, March allows recognition to the territory's history and its history makers according to the current President of the Senate Kenneth L. Gittens (D).

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ARISE is a beautiful call to action and the culminating exhibition of the CMCArts (Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts) five week after-school theater and arts program for teens, YOU: The Promise of the Diaspora under the instruction of Chloe Duplessis, Artist-in-Residence and Sayeeda Carter. 

 

ARISE is a stirring collection of 30 works of art,  photography and collage honoring the collective connection to the history, culture and extraordinary contributions of the African diaspora created though the unique perspective of teenagers living in the United States territory of St. Croix.

Anacaona is defined as the Golden Flower but was also the name of a great Taino Indian war chieftess, sister of Chief Bojekio, and the wife of Chief Caonabo. She was the prettiest Taina woman of all the Caribbean and had 80 regional chiefs under her command in the region of Jaragua.  Borinquen is the native Taino name for Puerto Rico while Boricua is the native Taino name for an individual living in Puerto Rico.

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Sea Walls St Croix Artists for Oceans was brought to St. Croix by the PangeaSeed Foundation in partnership with

Clean Sweep Frederiksted to empower our community to create meaningful environmental change for our Oceans through ARTivism, education and science. The public artworks serve as educational tools and conversation-starters addressing marine environmental issues relevant to the local community. The goal is to ignite ownership for the sustainability of natural resources.

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