Caribbean Artists Movement

Caribbean Artists Movement

The Caribbean Artists Movement was a London-based cultural grouping that emerged in 1966, bringing together writers, poets, visual artists, musicians, and theatre practitioners from across the Caribbean and the African diaspora. It sought to create networks among émigré and Caribbean-based figures such as Edward Kamau Brathwaite, John La Rose, Andrew Salkey, Aime Cesaire, Derek Walcott, V. S. Naipaul, Wilson Harris, George Lamming, and C.L.R. James, while engaging institutions including the British Museum, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Notting Hill Carnival, BBC and University of the West Indies. The Movement operated through readings, exhibitions, workshops, and printed journals, influencing later initiatives like Caribbean Artists Network, Black Arts Movement (United Kingdom), and the West Indian Students' Union.

Origins and Founding

The Movement originated amid postwar migration flows from islands such as Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda to metropolitan centres including London, Manchester, and Birmingham. Key catalysts included the 1966 meeting at the home of John La Rose and the publication networks of New Beacon Books, Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications, and periodicals like Savacou, Race Today, and Caribbean Quarterly. Founders drew on intellectual currents associated with figures and events such as Frantz Fanon, Aimé Césaire's Negritude, the work of Eric Williams, and political moments exemplified by Independence of Barbados and the Trinidad and Tobago independence era. The Movement positioned itself in dialogue with cultural institutions such as SOAS University of London, Goldsmiths, and arts spaces like The Albany (Deptford).

Key Figures and Membership

The core convenors were Edward Kamau Brathwaite, John La Rose, and Andrew Salkey, joined by prominent writers such as Derek Walcott, V. S. Naipaul, Wilson Harris, George Lamming, Samuel Selvon, Gordon Rohlehr, Jan Carew, Martin Carter, A.N.R. Robinson, and C.L.R. James. Poets and critics included Earl Lovelace, Maya Angelou (associate through readings), Linton Kwesi Johnson, Grace Nichols, Diane 'Baba' Goldson (associate), and Roger Mais. Visual artists and sculptors involved were Althea McNish, Frank Bowling, Rubens Condor, Eugene Palmer, Ronald Moody, Edna Manley, and Carole Byfield; theatre and performance contributors included Mustapha Matura, Trevor Rhone, Betty Campbell, Roxanne Gayle (associate), and practitioners linked to Trinidad Theatre Workshop and National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica. Musicians and composers ranged from Rastafarian-affiliated performers like Bob Marley (cultural touchstone) to jazz figures such as Joe Harriott and calypsonians including Lord Kitchener. Support came from publishers and activists at New Beacon Books, Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications, Karia Press, and media outlets including The Guardian and The Times Educational Supplement.

Activities and Publications

Activities included public readings at venues such as The Caribbean Cultural Centre (London), exhibitions at Institute of Contemporary Arts, panel discussions at SOAS University of London, and performances coinciding with Notting Hill Carnival and events held at Queen Mary University of London. The Movement issued pamphlets, broadsheets, and collaborative publications in association with New Beacon Books and periodicals like Savacou, Caribbean Quarterly, and Race Today. Notable publications and editorial projects involved anthologies of poetry and prose, catalogues for exhibitions of artists such as Frank Bowling and Althea McNish, and edited collections featuring essays by C.L.R. James, Edward Kamau Brathwaite, George Lamming, Aime Cesaire, and Wilson Harris. Workshops led to theatrical productions involving playwrights from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, and music sessions brought together calypsonians, jazz musicians, and folk performers from across the Caribbean diaspora.

Artistic Themes and Influence

Recurring themes explored by participants included Caribbean history as evoked by Maroon resistance and plantation legacies, diasporic identity as articulated by Afro-Caribbean writers, creolisation exemplified in works by Derek Walcott and Wilson Harris, and the politics of language evident in Edward Kamau Brathwaite's propositions about Nation Language. Visual art emphasized colour and materialities linked to island life in works by Althea McNish and Frank Bowling, while theatre addressed postcoloniality, social justice, and migration in plays staged by Trinidad Theatre Workshop and companies influenced by Mustapha Matura. The Movement influenced subsequent generations including authors and artists associated with Caribbean Voices, British Black Arts Movement, Windrush Scandal-era commentators, and academic scholarship at University of the West Indies, University of London, and SOAS University of London. Its dialogues connected to broader currents involving Negritude, Pan-Africanism, and debates spurred by the writings of Frantz Fanon and C.L.R. James.

Decline and Legacy

By the early 1970s the Movement’s formal activities waned as members pursued individual careers, institutional roles, and newer organisations emerged such as Race Today Collective, Third World First, and various Caribbean cultural festivals. Despite the decline in formal meetings, its legacy persisted through teaching posts at University of the West Indies, curatorial practice at institutions like the British Museum and Tate Modern, and publishing networks maintained by New Beacon Books and Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications. The Movement helped consolidate recognition for Caribbean writers and artists including Derek Walcott (later Nobel Prize in Literature laureate), V. S. Naipaul (later Nobel Prize in Literature laureate), and visual innovators such as Frank Bowling within galleries and universities, shaping postcolonial studies, diasporic arts programming, and cultural policy across Britain and the Caribbean. Category:Caribbean literature