Four Barbadian artists—Anna Gibson, Russell Watson, Ronald Williams, and Simone Asia—have each received US$25 000 in flexible funding through a new fellowship designed to support their creative work and careers.
The grants, part of a US$100 000 initiative by the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) alongside the Fresh Milk Art Platform and the Mellon Foundation, give the artists freedom to use the money however they choose—whether for projects, living expenses, or travel—to further their artistic growth.
The announcement was made Monday at the preview of Where are the Tendernesses?, the debut exhibition under CLF’s Ripple Effect arts programme, held at the Caribbean Brushstrokes Gallery in Bridgetown.
Each fellow receives US$20 000 for personal or professional use, plus a US$5 000 travel stipend to connect with regional and global art communities.
The ten-month programme (September 2025-June 2026) will conclude with a showcase at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, curated by Dr Natalie McGuire.
The fellowships mark the launch of CLF’s new arts and culture focus, expanding its work in climate, health and equity.
“For us, the investment in arts and culture is something that we have not seen before,” CLF’s Head of Programmes and Impact, Amina Doherty, said at the exhibition’s press preview “We’ve always wanted to do this, but now have the opportunity to do so with the various partners we’ve been able to bring on board.”
Doherty emphasised that the arts and culture programme is designed to connect with CLF’s broader goals and to harness art as a tool for tackling pressing global challenges. The foundation seeks partnerships with organisations working across disciplines, like artists exploring climate issues or health advocates tapping into creativity.
“CLF is only one foundation; we can only do so much,” she said. “But the role we can play is to convince other funders and donors, not just across the Caribbean but globally as well, to invest in this work in the region.”
The Mellon Foundation, the largest arts funder in the United States, is supporting the programme through its Humanities in Place initiative.
Doherty said the partnership reflects a shared belief in the role of artists as “knowledge producers” who can shift perspectives and connect with people in ways policies alone cannot.
Fresh Milk’s Director of Programmes, Katherine Kennedy, said the fellows were chosen through a roundtable of local experts in climate, gender studies, health, and arts and culture.
Kennedy added that the investment is unprecedented locally.
“The fact that CLF is interested in investing so deeply in these artists’ careers with this fantastic grant … is a very major development in understanding the role of artists in Barbados and in Caribbean society.”
Addressing the briefing, Gibson, whose work examines how women navigate societal pressures on their bodies, said the fellowship offers her the freedom to push her practice in new directions.
“My work looks at insecurity and how we cope or seem to change our bodies to what’s more ‘acceptable’ in society,” she said.
“My goal would be to put on a show that is fully immersive, so getting this opportunity excites me and pushes me to keep working and exploring outside of my comfort zone.”
Watson, a multidisciplinary artist working in theatre and digital imaging, expressed gratitude for the award, calling it “a real touchstone moment”.
“In my knowledge, I don’t think there’s ever been such a generous offer to artists because what it signals is a level of trust in what we do and our integrity… not necessarily to produce, produce, produce, but to exist,” he said.
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