Positioned at the crossroads of tradition and possibility, the Rex Nettleford Arts Conference (RNAC) 2025 heralds a cultural awakening as the Edna Manley College approaches its golden jubilee.
Embracing Professor Rex Nettleford's transformative philosophy of "Inward Stretch, Outward Reach," we recognise culture not as a static subject for scholarly contemplation, but as a living, breathing, dynamic force that simultaneously preserves, disrupts, and reimagines our collective experience.
At this critical juncture marked by seismic geopolitical shifts, Caribbean artistic expressions offer vital perspectives that illuminate pathways through uncertainty, while contributing to a more inclusive global humanism.
The Caribbean now stands at the center of worldwide conversations on reparative justice and humanistic values, yet faces unprecedented challenges from artificial intelligence (AI), and digital technologies that question the very artistic intelligence that has historically fuelled Caribbean cultural identity and resilience.
RNAC 2025 responds by convening diverse voices—artists, cultural practitioners, scholars, researchers, policy makers and activists—to transcend theoretical boundaries and engage in transformative dialogue about our shared future.
This convergence simultaneously honours our rich cultural inheritance while boldly charting new artistic territories. By deepening our connection to indigenous knowledge systems while fearlessly engaging with global conversations, we demonstrate how Caribbean arts and humanities can shape more inclusive, resilient societies.
The conference provides a platform for diverse perspectives and innovative approaches to contemporary challenges through a distinctly Caribbean lens, ultimately enriching a global humanism centered on care, respect, and collective well-being.
In the spirit of Nettleford's legacy, we invite proposals that actively make culture, rather than merely discuss it—work that deepens our connection to our roots while extending our influence in reshaping global humanistic values.
Through five interconnected thematic pathways, we will explore the multifaceted dimensions of Caribbean artistic intelligence and its vital role in our rapidly changing world.
SUB-THEMES
1. INWARD STRETCH: CULTURAL IDENTITY AND ARTISTIC INTELLIGENCE
Caribbean artistic intelligence as cultural resistance and survival
Arts in preserving and evolving indigenous and diasporic knowledge
Linguistic reclamation and performative expressions of Caribbean identity
2. OUTWARD REACH: CARIBBEAN ARTS IN GLOBAL DIALOGUE
• Caribbean contributions to reimagining global humanistic values
• South-South cultural dialogues through artistic expression
• Artistic responses to shifting geopolitical dynamics
3. REIMAGINING HUMANISM THROUGH CARIBBEAN ARTISTIC PRAXIS
Caribbean arts as counterpoint to technological determinism
Artistic approaches to environmental, economic, and social justice
Performance and visual arts as vehicles for new humanistic frameworks
4. ARTISTIC INTELLIGENCE IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Navigating the tension between artistic and artificial intelligence
Preserving Caribbean cultural sovereignty in digital environments
Creative approaches to combating disinformation and digital colonisation
5. DECOLONISING APPROACHES TO ARTS AND CULTURE
Caribbean methodologies for valuing indigenous, local, and marginalised knowledge systems
Artistic responses to historical injustices and reparative frameworks through creative practice
Caribbean arts as catalysts for environmental, social, and economic sustainability
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
As the EMCVPA approaches 50 years, your contribution will help us stretch inward to our cultural roots while boldly reaching outward to reshape global conversations on arts, culture, and humanism.
This is not just a conference—it's a declaration of Caribbean creative futures.
PROPOSAL FORMATS
For the eighth biennial Rex Nettleford Arts Conference (2025) we are accepting the following proposal formats:
Artworks
Performances and installations
Academic papers and research presentations
Workshops
Lecture demonstrations
Panel discussions
Digital and multimedia projects
Poster presentations
Please send us your proposals for research papers, oral presentations, workshops, exhibitions, performances, etc. to emcartsconference@emc.edu.jm.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT. SEND YOUR PROPOSALS NOW!
Submit your proposal by the deadline and become part of a revolutionary gathering that honours Nettleford's legacy while forging new pathways for Caribbean artistic expression.
Your voice, your art, your research is essential to this pivotal conversation.
