The Gri Gri Project

22/03/2025

On Saturday, March 22nd, 2025, at 6 p.m. the Gri Gri Project and the St. John Film Society will host a screening of short Caribbean films at Bajo el Sol Gallery in Mongoose Junction. Discover the art of storytelling through the lens of Vincentian filmmaker Akley Olton. Olton, the founder of Island Rebel Media, a premier film, audiovisual, and multimedia production company in St. Vincent and the Grenadines boasting over 15 years of industry experience, will be present for the screening and a Q&A session afterwards. There is a suggested donation of $5.

Part of the mission of the St. John Film Society is to present independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean.

A couple of the films that will be featured include Black Doll, a film about a grandmother’s adventures, finding a black doll on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Madulu, The Seaman, a film about a grandfather, the last of the Barrouallie whalers, teaching his grandson about the traditional practice of hunting “blackfish.”

Akley Olton is an award-winning filmmaker and visual artist from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, celebrated for his innovative storytelling that inspires and provokes. With over 15 years of experience in cinematography, directing, and producing, he has made a significant mark on Caribbean cinema. Olton’s notable works include the internationally acclaimed short film Black Doll (2018), Madulu, The Seaman (2022). A graduate of the University of the West Indies and Cuba’s prestigious International School of Film and Television (EICTV), he blends striking visuals with themes of resistance, cultural identity, and social transformation. Recognized with the 2022 Prince Claus Seed Award, Olton continues to elevate Caribbean narratives on a global stage.

Bajo El Sol Gallery & Art Bar is home to thought-provoking monthly exhibitions, readings by award winning V.I. writers & poets, documentary screenings on some of the Caribbean’s most respected thinkers, as well as talks by local academics and visiting curators.

The Gri Gri Project’s mission is to create and support interpretive art exhibitions, artist-centered events, archives, and writing related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region.

The screening is supported by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, & the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC.

Attached Pictures: Filmmaker, Akley Olton, Black Doll, Madulu, The Seaman.

26/02/2025

Expressions of Heritage: An Overview of USVI Art History at the St. John School of the Arts continues tomorrow, Wends, Feb. 26th starting at 6:30pm with presenter Monika Marin.

This series of workshops explore different historical periods, art forms, and cultural movements, blending historical context with current contemporary creative practices.

Workshops are free and open to the public!

Monica Marin is a curator, artist, and educator from and based in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. She earned a BFA in Art History, Theory and Criticism (with an emphasis in Latin American & Caribbean art) and Painting & Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She founded the Artist Advisory Council for the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts (CMCArts), and worked at the Rauschenberg Residency in Captiva, FL as their first residency coordinator. She has exhibited her work throughout the Caribbean, the US, and Denmark. Her work and research address the structural history of colonialism and the ways in which coloniality is manifested today through tourism, environmental racism, and the privatization of public land. Current projects examine the missing African-Caribbean art history in the archive, and bamboula dance and other cultural expressions as a space of resistance. Curatorial projects among many include The Great House A Reimaging of Power, Place and History, in collaboration with LaVaughn Belle (Whim Great House, St. Croix, VI 2011) and Paradise Lost (CMCArts, St. Croix, VI in 2010; AREA Lugar, Caguas, Puerto Rico in 2011), a project that examined the negative impact of development in both regions.

Marin is currently the Virgin Islands Department of Libraries and Museums Territorial Chief Curator. She is also on the advisory council of the Virgin Islands Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts (VIAC) is a non-profit 501(c)3 community development organization that is transforming the Old Barracks Property on Hospital Street, Christiansted, St. Croix into an educational center with a focus on built heritage, historic preservation, architecture, and the building arts of the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean.

12/02/2025

Expressions of Heritage: An Overview of USVI Art History at the St. John School of the Arts continues tomorrow, Wends, Feb. 11th with La Vaughn Bell's presentation, "How to Survive Colonial Nostalgia." Workshops are free and open to the public!
We have had 3 wonderful workshops and we have 3 more to go! Tomorrows, presenter is artist and arts educator La Vaughn Belle whose work is currently being featured at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. La Vaughn Belle’s The House That Freedom Built, an installation of three life-size fretwork sculptures, honors the lives of Middle Passage and slavery survivors who settled into small homes, creating a community in St. Croix in the 1700s.

Through exploring the material culture of coloniality, La Vaughn Belle creates narratives from fragments and silences. Working in a variety of disciplines her practice includes: painting, installation, photography, writing, video and public interventions. She has exhibited her work in the Caribbean, the USA and Europe in institutions such as the Museo del Barrio (NY), Casa de las Americas (Cuba), the Museum of the African Diaspora (CA) and Kunsthal Charlottenborg (DK) with large solo exhibitions at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art (SC) and the National Nordic Museum (WA). She is the co-creator of I Am Queen Mary, the artist-led groundbreaking monument that confronted the Danish colonial amnesia while commemorating the legacies of resistance of the African people who were brought to the former Danish West Indies. The project was featured in over 100 media outlets around the world including the NY Times, Politiken, VICE, the BBC and Le Monde. Her work has also been written about in Hyperallergic, Artforum, Small Axe and numerous journals and books. Her studio is based in the Virgin Islands.
Overview:
This short workshop series will delve into the art history of the Virgin Islands, exploring the unique cultural and artistic traditions of this Caribbean archipelago. From indigenous Taino artistry to the creative expressions of contemporary Virgin Islands artists, participants will uncover how art has been used to reflect identity, resilience, and cultural transformation.

02/11/2024

Bajo el Sol Gallery to host inaugural book launch & signing of historian, David Knight Sr.’s book,

"On the Outskirts of Eden: Exploring the Roots of Creole Society in the Virgin Islands 1492-1692."
Today, Saturday, November 2nd starting at 4pm join us at Bajo el Sol Gallery in Mongoose Junction, St. John for a book launch and signing with Virgin Islands historian David Knight Sr. as he shares his most recent book, "On the Outskirts of Eden: Exploring the Roots of Creole Society in the Virgin Islands 1492-1692."

For those who came of age steeped in the carefully crafted narratives of New World colonization espoused in the modern era, it is easy to have missed the more-nuanced aspects of social development that took place in small-island communities throughout the Lesser Antilles during the postmedieval period. On the Outskirts of Eden shines new light on this little-understood, yet critically important period in Eastern Caribbean history.

About the Author: David W. Knight Sr. is a cultural resource consultant, historian, and author. He has spent much of his life exploring the primary records of the Virgin Islands and Danish West Indies in libraries, repositories, and archives both abroad and throughout the Caribbean region. His professional goal has always been to bring the rich historical legacy of the Virgin Islands into sharper focus through broader public access, education, and awareness.

He is the former Territorial Chair of the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Commission, and a past-president of the St. John Historical Society. Along with his research and writing, Mr. Knight remains active in preservation advocacy and educational outreach throughout the Territory.

Located at Mongoose Junction on St. John, Bajo El Sol Gallery, & Art Bar is a hybrid art gallery, bookstore, café, rum and cocktail bar. As a gallery and events space, Bajo El Sol is dedicated to offering the best in Virgin Islands fine art and cultural expression.

24/08/2024

Don't miss our film screening tonight at Bajo El Sol Gallery & Art Bar.. The VI Crawl team is one of the brightest & most creative groups of young people in the Virgin Islands. I just love all their projects.

We also have an upcoming customer appreciation event. And yes, we we will be open throughout September!

Tonight, August 24th at 7:30 pm the Gri Gri Project and the St. John Film Society will host VI Crawl’s award-winning Sun, Sand & Scenes A short film series featuring “Love Chain” and “Hitch”.
VI Crawl recognizes that the Virgin Islands is a dynamic film destination, filled with rich stories & natural storytellers. Through their Sun, Sand & Scenes short film series, VI Crawl collaborates with individuals to explore their passions in filmmaking. Two films within this project named “Love Chain” and Hitch received the Fan Favorite award at the Paradise 48 Film Festival in St. Thomas. Hitch also received the Best Actor award, Best Scoring, and Best Editing.

VI Crawl is a USVI nonprofit that aims to empower Virgin Islanders through culture, art education, virtual platforms, and community events. The event will also serve as the August edition of their monthly event Cocktails and Conversations, an in-person event series to promote conversations on various topics in the community. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet with the founders of the non-profit, Khalarni Rivers and Nyaila Callwood and engage in a Q&A.

The founders of VI Crawl Khalarni Rivers and Nyaila Callwood met as students at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), where they quickly realized their overlapping passion for creative arts, cultural enrichment & artrepreneurship, a blending of innovation in business design with an artistic focus. This award-winning team of young Virgin Islanders has a combined 15+ years of experience in program design & 20+ years in performing arts. Since 2019, VI Crawl has partnered with UVI and many local nonprofits to coordinate learning programs rooted in cultural exploration, performing arts, and professional development for a range of ages.

More information about the film screening and about future events can be found by contacting the gallery at 340-693-7070 or [email protected]. Funded in part by the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts.

17/08/2024

Due to the effects of tropical storm Ernesto we have rescheduled our upcoming event today at Bajo El Sol Gallery.

On August 24th at 7pm the Gri Gri Project and the St. John Film Society will host VI Crawl’s award-winning Sun, Sand & Scenes A short film series featuring “Love Chain” and “Hitch”.

VI Crawl recognizes that the Virgin Islands is a dynamic film destination, filled with rich stories & natural storytellers. Through their Sun, Sand & Scenes short film series, VI Crawl collaborates with individuals to explore their passions in filmmaking. Two films within this project named “Love Chain” and Hitch received the Fan Favorite award at the Paradise 48 Film Festival in St. Thomas. Hitch also received the Best Actor award, Best Scoring, and Best Editing.

VI Crawl is a USVI nonprofit that aims to empower Virgin Islanders through culture, art education, virtual platforms, and community events. The event will also serve as the August edition of their monthly event Cocktails and Conversations, an in-person event series to promote conversations on various topics in the community. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet with the founders of the non-profit, Khalarni Rivers and Nyaila Callwood and engage in a Q&A.

The founders of VI Crawl Khalarni Rivers and Nyaila Callwood met as students at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), where they quickly realized their overlapping passion for creative arts, cultural enrichment & artrepreneurship, a blending of innovation in business design with an artistic focus. This award-winning team of young Virgin Islanders has a combined 15+ years of experience in program design & 20+ years in performing arts. Since 2019, VI Crawl has partnered with UVI and many local nonprofits to coordinate learning programs rooted in cultural exploration, performing arts, and professional development for a range of ages.

More information about the film screening and about future events can be found by contacting the gallery at 340-693-7070 or [email protected]. Funded in part by the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts.

17/07/2024

28/06/2024

THEY REACH! Join us today at Bajo El Sol Gallery for another Crucian Bayside Creations Pop-Up event on June 28th from 12pm-3pm. Come by & and meet the Henry siblings and see their new collection of traditional Virgin Islands market baskets and other craft items.
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The Henry siblings carry on a tradition of basket-making that was passed down to them by their aunt, Eileen Henry-Huggins.
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The siblings each add their own modern flair to their baskets through the use of different wood types in the basket handles, and by including unique splashes of color in their basket designs.

20/06/2024

We are so excited about La Vaughn Belle’s upcoming visit to St. John! We are so proud of her many accomplishments at home & abroad. She has been such an amazing artist & colleague for decades now and her artistic growth has been a joy to watch. Her recent video work is ethereal, poignant and beautiful. The way she narrates her moving images is poetic, evocative and a must see this Saturday!

Join us at 6pm on June 22nd in collaboration with the St. John Film Society and the Gri Gri Project as we welcome back St. Croix artist La Vaughn Belle for a screening of her recent video works and a signing of the catalogue for ‘Being of Myth and Memory,’ the artist’s 2023-2024 exhibition at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in Frederiksted.

Part of the mission of the St. John Film Society is to present independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean. There is a suggested donation of $5.

Video works to be screened at Bajo El Sol include ‘Por El Viento y La Curriente / Becoming Wind and Current,’ a poetic investigation of the history of marronage and its implications today commissioned by MAC en el Barrio, a program of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, in collaboration with COPI (Coorporación Piñones se Integra, Inc.). The screening will also include ‘Effluvia,’ a video commissioned by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art on the occasion of Belle’s solo exhibition in 2023. Shot in the marshes and swamps of South Carolina Belle traverses former rice plantations, sites of slave rebellions to explore what histories ooze from the earth and water.
Copies of the catalogue for ‘Being of Myth and Memory’ will be on sale at the screening. That exhibition curated by Erica Moiah James, PhD at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts included videos, sculptures, digital collages and paper collage paintings. James writes, “In the wake of catastrophic histories, La Vaughn Belle’s generative practice is activated by a belief that myth and memory are not only foundational to collective identity but are necessary for life. While memories tend to be tethered to an event that has been directly experienced, myths are negotiated, may have multiple versions and are capable of reinvention. They are open and continual discourses that are alive.”

La Vaughn Belle makes visible the unremembered. Through exploring the material culture of coloniality Belle creates narratives from fragments and silences. Working in a variety of disciplines her practice includes: painting, installation, photography, writing, video and public interventions. Her work with colonial era pottery led to a commission with the renowned brand of porcelain products, the Royal Copenhagen. She has exhibited her work in the Caribbean, the USA and Europe in institutions such as the Museo del Barrio (NY), Casa de las Americas (Cuba), the Museum of the African Diaspora (CA) and Kunsthal Charlottenborg (DK) with large solo exhibitions at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art (SC) and the National Nordic Museum (WA). Her art is in the collections of the National Photography Museum and the Vestsjælland Museum in Denmark and the National Gallery of Art and the Virgina Fine Art Museum in the U.S. She is the co-creator of I Am Queen Mary, the artist-led groundbreaking monument that confronted the Danish colonial amnesia while commemorating the legacies of resistance of the African people who were brought to the former Danish West Indies. The project was featured in over 100 media outlets around the world including the NY Times, Politiken, VICE, the BBC and Le Monde. Her work has also been written about in Hyperallergic, Artforum, Small Axe and numerous journals and books.

Belle holds an MFA from the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba and an MA and BA from Columbia University in NY. She was a finalist for the She Built NYC project to develop a monument to memorialize the legacy of Shirley Chisholm and for the Inequality in Bronze project in Philadelphia to redesign one of the first monuments to an enslaved woman at the Stenton historic house museum. As a 2018-2020 fellow at the Social Justice Institute at the Barnard Research Center for Women at Columbia University she researched the citizenless Virgin Islanders in the Harlem Renaissance. She is a founding member of the Virgin Islands Studies Collective (VISCO). Her studio is based in the Virgin Islands.

Bajo El Sol Gallery & Art Bar is home to thought-provoking monthly exhibitions, readings by award winning V.I. writers & poets, documentary screenings on some of the Caribbean’s most respected thinkers, as well as talks by local academics and visiting curators.

The Gri Gri Project’s mission is to create and support interpretive art exhibitions, artist-centered events, archives, and writing related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region.

The screening is supported by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, & the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC.

18/06/2024

https://stcroixsource.com/2024/06/17/st-croix-artist-la-vaughn-belles-video-works-to-be-shown-at-bajo-el-sol-on-stj/

Bajo el Sol Gallery, in collaboration with the St. John Film Society and the Gri Gri Project, will welcome St. Croix artist La Vaughn Belle for a screening of her recent video works on June 22 at 6 p.m. There will also be a signing of her catalog for "Being of Myth and Memory," the artist’s 2023-2...

10/06/2024

https://stjohnsource.com/2024/06/07/bajo-el-sol-to-open-exhibit-of-tangentleman-prophecies-on-june-15/

Artist Jon Euwema coined the word ‘Tangentleman’ to describe himself. According to him, a ‘tangentleman’ is a gentleman on a tangent

08/06/2024

On Saturday June 29, Bajo el Sol Gallery, the Gri Gri Project, and Love Alone will host a Rhyme and Lime event celebrating pride, love and liberation. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and attendees are encouraged to come in pride themed attire, and share works about love, pride, queerness, intersectionality, and liberation. This month’s Rhyme and Lime will also feature VI author and poet Tiphanie Yanique, and food prepared by Chef Angel.

The June Rhyme and Lime is typically held in honor of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and as a collaboration with the St. Thomas Pride Month Planning Committee. The Committee recently reorganized into Love Alone, an organization that aims, “to promote a love ethic in community building within the Virgin Islands to advance equity and justice for marginalized and historically excluded communities”. Love Alone engages in advocacy, education, and community building for the benefit of people impacted by multiple systems of power including (but not limited to): colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism, racism, heteronormativity, and ableism. At this months’ Rhyme and Lime, Love Alone hopes to create a space where historically excluded people can share in art, poetry, and community.

The featured poet Tiphanie Yanique is a highly lauded Virgin Islands author, poet, and a professor at Emory University. Her poetry book Wife received the 2016 Bocas Prize in Caribbean Poetry, and the United Kingdom’s 2016 Forward/Felix Dennis Prize for a First Collection. Her novel The Land of Love and Drowning received the 2014 Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Award from the Center for Fiction, the Phillis Wheatley Award for Pan-African Literature, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Family Foundation Award. It was also listed by NPR as one of the Best Books of 2014, and as a finalist for both the Orion Award in Environmental Literature and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. Her latest novel Monster in the Middle released in 2021, and was named a most anticipated book of Fall 2021 by both Vulture and the New York Times. Tiphanie Yanique’s body of work is heavily influenced by her cultural upbringing, and explores themes of identity, place, community, and love.
Chef Angel, a Virgin Islands born, award winning vegan chef; a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, majoring in Occupational Science is returning to the Virgin Islands for a night, to continue his vision of changing the way the world views Caribbean cuisine. While abroad, Chef Angel joined various culinary competitions, among which Angel won the Kellogg`s Away From Home competition partnering with Southern Smoke Foundation. For 15 years in his career, Chef Angel`s focus has been Caribbean inspired cuisines, targeting ingredients, flavors and colors of the Virgin Islands. Get excited for a night of flavor, rum, rhymin, and limin where Chef Angel will be featuring a light tasting of what he has been working on lately.

To sign up to perform, you can contact the gallery at [email protected] or by calling 340-693-7070.