Introducing the A to Z of Caribbean Art

For the past year, the team at Robert & Christopher Publishers has been hard at work on our forthcoming art book: the A to Z of Caribbean Art. We're passionate about this project and its potential reach and longevity, and we're looking forward to your support in helping us to bring it to life.

The A to Z of Caribbean Art will offer a comprehensive, visual overview of the development of Caribbean art, from the beginning of the 20th century, to now. The A to Z will be a key resource of information on the greatest artists of the region. With artists listed alphabetically, instead of being grouped by traditional methods, this book will move seamlessly through artists and genres including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and performance.

The A to Z will feature a short introduction by R&C's editors, Melanie Archer and Mariel Brown, followed by the works. Each artist will be represented by a spread that will show a definitive work and will also provide biographical details on each artist: year of birth, year of death (if applicable), country of birth and residence, a 300-word statement about their oeuvre, and the name of the work that represents them, along with dimensions, medium and genres.

The artists who will be featured in the A to Z come from the English-, Dutch-, French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean. We've chosen this illustrious group based on a number of factors, including critical discourse around their work, inclusion in a significant publication, work written about in regional or international trade magazine, and participation in a curated exhibition at a major institution, or at a regional or international biennial. 

Here are a few key A to Z specs:
7.5 x 10 in. (portrait)
Printing full colour throughout
416 pages, 350gsm matte paper
Smyth-sewn binding
Flexibound
 

Where We're At

We have completed about 50% of the research involved in making a seminal book such as the A to Z of Caribbean Art. We’ve built extensive artists’ lists, reached out across the islands to advisors, compiled our list of contributing writers, and hired a researcher. We have a designer on board, we're actively seeking sponsorship; we’ve got print quotes and a marketing plan. We are so close to our April 2018 publication date, but we need to raise our printing costs to publish this book.

What We Need & What You Get

One of our missions at Robert & Christopher is to produce books at an accessible price point. In order to do this, we need to fundraise to partly cover our production and printing costs. With your contribution, we will be able to keep the price of A to Z within a range that will be affordable to a wide market that includes students. This price, along with the accessibility of the subject matter, solid editing and writing, and beautiful design, will make this a book everyone will want to have in their libraries. With your support, we will also be able to ensure posterity, and that this title will be highly visible through the Caribbean and internationally, thereby helping to raise the profile of regional art and artists.

We’re using the Indiegogo platform for both fundraising and as an opportunity to offer advance orders of the A to Z of Caribbean Art.  Your contributions can come in several forms:

1. Advance order(s) of A to Z
2. Advance order(s) with added perks
3. Perks
4. Donations

We've developed some fantastic perks for your contributions; we're particularly thrilled to have teamed up with some of the Caribbean's most exciting artists – who will be included in the book – to offer highly collectible works of art. Other perks include advance orders of A to Z, and items that art and book lovers would enjoy like postcard packs, tote bags, R&C's former titles, sketchbooks, and more!  Scroll down to the bottom of the campaign homepage to see our perks.

The Impact

While the A to Z of Caribbean Art is Caribbean-focused, it was born out of a spirit of mass appeal. In conceiving this book, we realised that it would be desirable to a broad range of people across many divides. Its Caribbean focus naturally creates an audience within this region, but also makes it a valuable collector’s item within the large and growing circle of international art players who have been increasingly keen to absorb the Caribbean’s artistic output.

The A to Z of Caribbean Art will appeal to:
Artists
Art lovers 
Art collectors
Art administrators
Caribbean art institutions (museums and galleries)
International art institutions (museums and galleries)
Caribbean students (secondary, tertiary, and doctorate levels)
Caribbean libraries
Art scholars
Professors and students of Caribbean studies
Curators
Designers
Book lovers and collectors
Art historians
Writers and editors
Culture lovers

At Robert & Christopher, we believe in the power of documentation and connection. Our books (and the launches and talks around them) have led to meaningful and lasting artist connections and collaborations. They've been vessels for discourse and dialogue on Caribbean art, and have created further publication and exhibition opportunities for our artists. Among these, in 2014 we were invited to co-curate an exhibition, “Pictures from Paradise,” with Wedge Curatorial Projects in Toronto, Canada, as part of the annual CONTACT Photography Festival – the largest public photography festival in the world. We're also the first Caribbean imprint to have a title distributed by Distributed Art Publishers. These advancements came out of pure dedication and a tremendous love for art, as well as our desire to do our part to help ensure posterity. With your help, we will keep pushing for quality visibility for Caribbean art and artists.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are unable to contribute financially, please put in a good word for us and post, Tweet and share this page (using the Indiegogo share tools whenever possible). Every bit helps.

If you have any questions, please send them our way, we'd be glad to hear from you! Email us at melanie@robertandchristopher.com or mariel@robertandchristopher.com.