Part One: Working Grants
The Brent Malone Artist in Residence Fund is launching a new program designed to assist with the professional development of Bahamian Artists.

Beginning in 2008, no less than two grants of $3000 will be given each year so that local artists can pursue specific courses of study in the fine arts or undertake short artist residencies abroad.

Artists wishing to undertake shorter courses of study in a particular media related or unrelated to his or her area of specialty; or artists who have been offered a residency in another country, are eligible for funding.

This means that if an artist who is primarily a painter wanted to do a short class or program at The Bob Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, NYU Film School, Superior Institute of Art (ISA) Havana, Cuba or train in lost wax techniques in Africa for example, they would be eligible to apply to this fund.

If an Artist received an offer of an Artist residency at the Bag Factory in South Africa, the Thapoong International Artist Residency in Botswana or the Edna Manley School of Art in Jamaica for example, they would also be eligible to apply.

The application process is straightforward and consists of the following:

1. Artist CV
2. Description of program and reason for attending
3. Budget

Deadline July 31st  and February 28th of each year.
All proposals will be reviewed by the Oversight Committee for the Brent Malone Artist In Residence Fund. Awardees must agree to do a presentation or workshop at the National Art Gallery based on their experiences, once program or residency is completed.

Part Two:
After Brent Malone died in early 2004, his family and friends wanted to create a program that would have lasting impact on the Bahamian art community, something that would honour Brent’s life and his contribution and commitment to the development of Bahamian Art.  To this end, the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas was approached to develop The Brent Malone Artist in Residence Program.

Because relatively few local artists now have the opportunity to work full time on their work, or have full studio facilities, the program would allow an artist one year to create a body of work, by providing studio space, a small travel allowance and a year of funding that would free them from the pressures of making a living. Once the year was completed, the artist would then be given an opportunity to exhibit the work created during the residency in the hope that sales or international exhibition opportunities would fund another year of full artistic pursuit.  During the residency, the artist would also be expected to conduct two or three workshops for the Gallery in Nassau and the Family Islands and assist with public program development.

Far too many Bahamian artists have been lost because of the lack of opportunities in The Bahamas.  Far too many artists take the years when their artistic vision is sharpest and technical skills at their highest consumed with trying to make ends meet. And far too many artists are afraid to make leaps in their work for fear of being ostracized by a rather narrow Bahamian art market.  To provide local Bahamian artists with the freedom to blossom and grow through such a program would be a fitting legacy to one of the country’s greatest artists, advocates, curators, citizens and men, Brent Malone.

In order to make the Residency Program a self-sustaining project - able to finance itself for years to come, a fund has been setup by the Malone family to raise $600.000.00.  This money will be managed with complete transparency, with yearly audits open to review.

We are asking Bahamian residents and visitors with an interest in supporting Bahamian art to contribute to the establishment of this fund by sending in a donation of $5-$50,000.00 or more to:

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
For the Brent Malone Artist in Residence Fund
P.O. Box SS-6341
Nassau, NP
The Bahamas

Your contribution will go a long way in making this program a reality and a lasting tribute to Brent Malone.

Please note that this program would initially be limited to Bahamian artists and would require full time residency in The Bahamas.

BMAIR Grants Application 

Become a Volunteer(PDF - coming soon)