Threads that Bind: Caribbean Artists Are Building a Shared Cultural View

In its first two grant cycles, the CCF has funded 50 creative projects across 11 Caribbean countries. As we gear up to open our third cycle, we’re taking a look at some of the common threads emerging among the projects in our portfolio. Spanning different islands, languages, and art forms, these projects use creativity and ingenuity to document history, explore identity, and build cultural connections. 

Across the cohorts, some are working at the intersection of film, heritage, and storytelling. In Guadeloupe, Cinuca is building a regional archive of local stories, while the Muestra Karibe and Hairouna Film Festivals create spaces to see, celebrate and acknowledge shared Caribbean identity through cinema in the Dominican Republic and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Sugar Island from the Dominican Republic and I Am Lolita Lebrón from  Puerto Rico examine Caribbean history through film, using personal and community narratives to offer new perspectives on historical story telling and experiences.

Environmental and cultural themes are also playing a central role. The Memory of Clay, which will be an integration from Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, explores heritage through earth and place whereas Touching the Waters, Embracing our Land uses textile and fiber to interrogate and confront environmental issues in Jamaica. Listen Jamaica and Soundscaping the Caribbean: Women and Music intend to use sound to reflect on ecology, place, and memory. This parallels Chants for the 6th Extinction from Barbados, which drew links between land use and biodiversity loss. These artists show that Caribbean culture is deeply shaped by its landscapes and natural sounds— and that creative practice can encourage reflection and awareness.

There is also examination of Carnival, performance, and traditional arts. ‘STICS from Trinidad and Tobago and Curaçao, which was recently concluded, is similar  to Pawòl a Mas from Guadeloupe, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago as well as Machete, Masquerade and Memory from St. Lucia, as the main focus is on carnival traditions. The Gagá Festival from the Dominican Republic emphasizes the importance of public expression, ancestral continuity, and local celebration in the face of adversity. These projects preserve tradition while creating space for creative exploration.

Themes of gender identity and visibility can be seen in the Draguéalo workshops and ball rooms in the Dominican Republic and Kindred on the Rock in Jamaica, and recently in Bigidi from Guadeloupe. They all shine a spotlight on the lived experience of gender diversity. They offer insight into personal expression and community support, helping foster a broader understanding of culture in the Caribbean today.

Migration, belonging and connection across borders are explored in works like Repat Stories  from Jamaica and Aruba, Narratives of Change from Cayman, Mama Baranka from Curaçao and Lakay from St. Lucia. These projects ask what it means to feel at home — and how culture moves with us, through language, memory, and experience. In 11 Years Since Denationalisation, young Dominicans of Haitian descent delve into belonging and the human right to nationality.  

“The synergies between the projects motivate us to create more opportunities for Caribbean creatives to come together and collaborate,” says Kellie Magnus, Executive Director. “We’re looking forward to continuing to fund more opportunities for collaboration as well as to the residences and fellowships that we’ll be supporting in Call 3.” 

For details on the 50 projects funded by the CCF to date, visit caribbeanculturefund.org.