World Science Day: November 10, 2020
Dear Tout-Monde Community,
It is a great pleasure and honor to introduce you to the TOUT-MONDE Art FOUNDATION, a New York based 501(c)3 non-profit organization and public charity, co-founded in November 2019 by Valérie Loichot, Mireille Chancy-Gonzalez and Vanessa Selk, in order to support Caribbean artists through impactful projects dedicated to foster change in our 3E-focus areas: Education, Ecology and Equal Rights.
Inspired by the thought of Édouard Glissant, Martinican philosopher, author and poet (1928- 2011) who theorized the concept of the Whole-World, our mission is to help Caribbean artists develop their work beyond a regional framework, by connecting them to other artists, institutions, art professionals and collectors of the Tout-Monde, the Whole-World.
Through our projects, we express an identity that is rhizomatic as defined by Glissant: instead of being rooted in one place or anchored to one language, every human identity is defined by horizontal encounters with others, evolving through time and space, defined by our relation to others and by our acts.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the global social movement brought forth by the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others have further highlighted how connected we all are through the world, and how crucial it is to act as One Humanity, One Planet.
It is high time and an ethical responsibility for cultural institutions to take into account underrepresented communities, not only during special programs or a dedicated month, but on a daily basis. This needs to become the new norm. African or Afro-descendant contemporary artists have gained recognition in the last few years from a renewed interest​ from the art market through dedicated art fairs and galleries. But this is not enough. There are more invisible minorities that need support, recognition, and nurturing. Caribbean artists are foremost among them. This region, which is crucial to the understanding of world history and contemporary geopolitics, has been segregated from the territories around it, ignored, and silenced.
In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has been hitting the art world in all ways, including institutions like ours which seek to support artistic communities. Being a young foundation, we have been struggling through our birth, but we had the advantage of flexibility and adaptability. Realizing that a “back to normal” would not happen soon, and that the crisis presented an opportunity to change mindsets and methods, we decided to adapt our projects through hybrid formats, to pursue our mission to serve Caribbean artists by all means. For artists are essential workers who need our support now. We should approach this crisis as a strategic moment to ally causes and build partnerships in order to lift each other.
This is why we decided to focus on several initiatives in the upcoming months: 1) the production of a video-exhibition titled HOMO SARGASSUM, allying artists, scientists, anthropologists, entrepreneurs and tech companies to face the ecological and public health impacts of Sargassum-seaweed. This first edition of our Newsletter is focusing on this project; 2) the development of an international strategic partnerships network, our “Rhizome Partnerships” with other institutions committed to promoting Caribbean artists, diversity and equal rights; 3) and finally, a collaboration with the Brooklyn Orchestra directed and conducted by Olivier Glissant to make classical and contemporary music more accessible to all communities and ages through an open air musical and performing arts Season titled “Welcome to Chaos”, planned for the Summer 2021.
To make this happen, we need your support. The current crisis has shown how insufficient and little prepared traditional financial channels are to cope with unexpected challenges and to support essential artists and staff in the long run. We therefore invite you to participate in whichever way you can.
Every voice, every face, and every dollar counts to change the face of our Whole-World.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tatiana Flores
President of the Tout-Monde Foundation
Professor at Rutgers University and Independent Curator