Black HERstory: 3 Creatives Who Celebrate Caribbean Heritage and Womanhood Through Art
written by Caribbean Collective Magazine
February marks the celebration of Black History Month in the U.S. Black History Month highlights the trials, tribulations and triumphs endured by the African American community. From civil rights to present day activists, Black history is filled with a plethora of figures.
Caribbean Collective Magazine celebrates the diversity within the Black community highlighting Afro Caribbeans who are excelling in their various industries.
Here at CC Mag we celebrate the month as HERstory Month. As a woman-founded and woman-operated platform dedicated to West Indian women, we use this month to highlight Black women who represent culture and produce quality and relevant content.
This month, we want to introduce you to three Caribbean content creators whose artistry is fueled with remnants of culture, womanhood and representation. Check them out below.
1. Andrea Mckenzie
Andrea Mckenzie also knowns as @Andreas.heart on Instagram is an award-winning mixed media artist. Mckenzie was raised in Trinidad and Tobago where her family was involved in Trinidad’s famous Carnival celebrations. Her work includes aspects of Caribbean culture such as vibrant colors, picturesque landscapes and Afro-centric statement pieces. Most notably, Mckenzie’s work has a strong feminine and uplifting presence evident in pieces such as “Little Girls with Big Dreams” and “Around the way girl - Time and Tide wait for no man.”
Mckenzie has collaborated with household names such as Akon and actress Sydney Sweeney. Her work has been featured in galleries across the globe from New York to Australia. Her signature style includes working with textures such as acrylic, crushed glass, diamond dust and resin. To learn more about Mckenzie visit her website here.
2. Laurenee Gauvin
Florida-based artist Laurenee Gauvin is a woman who wears many hats. This renaissance woman is an art instructor, mother and proud Haitian American. Gauvin’s art pays homage to her native country, Haiti. At the age of 14, Gauvin moved to the U.S. and found herself adapting to a new culture. Like many immigrant children, she found herself learning a new language and far away from everything she knew as home. In true Caribbean fashion, Gauvin’s work is full of pops of bright color and features, people, scenery and shapes.
In the summer of 2022, Gauvin was chosen by Arena Social Arts Club in a feature solo exhibition called “Home Away From Home” a piece that pays homage to her Haitian roots. To see more of Gauvin’s work follow her on Instagram.
3. Reyna Noriega
Reyna Noriega is an author and visual artist of Cuban and Jamaican descent. Noriega is proud of her Afro Latina heritage and is unique in that she creates art and writes. Many of her pieces are abstract, feature feminine energy and are open to the viewer’s interpretation. Noriega’s work can be described as something “that people can digest and insert their own experiences, similar to her faceless drawings. She aims not to be a voice for the voiceless, but to lead them to feel empowered using their own voice.”
Norieg wrote “In Bloom: A Poetic Documentary Of The Journey to Higher Self” a collection of poems. The collection features content that reflects habits, romantic experiences, thought processes and the growth that often comes with them. It’s a poetic journey of meeting our higher selves.
To see more of Noriega’s work, follow her social media. “In Bloom: A Poetic Documentary Of The Journey to Higher Self” can be purchased on Amazon.
To learn about more Caribbean authors, artists and the work they are doing please visit our art and books sections.
