Curaçao and Aruba Trip Report, May 21-26, 2009

The trip was organized largely by Suzy Del Valle of El Museo del Barrio with the collaboration of three specialists in the Dutch Caribbean: art historian and curator Jennifer Smit, collector and historian Nicole Henriquez and curator and Co-Director of Instituto Buena Bista, Nancy Hoffman.
A two-day research trip to Aruba was also scheduled for the group, organized by Ruby Eckmeyer, Secretary-General of the Department of Culture, with the assistance of a designated commission of artists. This trip had multiple purposes. It intended to take a survey of the art scene in Curaçao and Aruba as well as to present and promote the Caribbean Crossroads project to various audiences.
We also hoped to explore the legacy of colonialism in the Anglophone Caribbean. Finally, we also sought to have a closer meeting with our invitees and colleagues in order to discuss the most recent project proposal developed by the curatorial department at El Museo with Elvis Fuentes, Curator, as Project Director.

Among the invitees, El Museo included two of the candidates that may be invited to be part of the Curatorial team of Caribbean: Crossroads of the World, Veerle Poupeye (Jamaica), and Gerald Alexis (Haiti/Quebec). In addition, artist and art historian Adi Martis (Aruba) was invited to become a part of the group.