Cultural Exchange Artist Demonstration Tent
Weekend 1
April 23 - 26, 2026
11 am - 6 pm
Cleark “Nurse” James
Sign Painter
Negril, Jamaica
Cleark James — widely known as Nurse — is one of Jamaica’s most celebrated and influential hand-painted sign artists. Based in Negril, he has spent over three decades shaping the visual identity of Jamaica’s streets, businesses, and dancehall culture with his distinctive bold lettering. Earning a cult following worldwide, his signs now appear in collections across Japan, the U.S., and Europe.
Taj Francis
Muralist
Kingston, Jamaica
Taj Francis is a prolific illustrator, animator, and graphic designer whose large-scale murals can be seen across the globe. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, his visual art focuses on exploring African Caribbean identity through a surrealist lens, creating vivid and symbolic visuals that investigate cultural memory, mythology, and the contemporary Black experience. His art has been featured in Vanity Fair and Vice, and his portfolio of clientele includes HBO, Universal Studios, Samsung, and recording artist Protoje.
Kokab Zohoori-Dossa
Visual Artist
Kingston, Jamaica
Kokab Zohoori-Dossa is a multidisciplinary artist from Kingston, Jamaica. Trained as an illustrator, digital artist, painter and graphic designer, Kokab’s current fine art practice focuses on textiles. Working with embroidery, crochet, fabric and beadwork, she explores how traditional crafts and ancestral themes can translate into expressive and contemporary art.
Cultural Exchange Artist Demonstration Tent
Both Weekends
April 23 - May 3, 2026
11 am - 6 pm
Omar “Sheldon” Daley and Lavern Evans
Straw Weaving
Leamington Division, Westmoreland, Jamaica
Sheldon and Lavern are master artisans and the founders of First Straw, a family enterprise that honors the ancestral craft of straw weaving. Their work blends meticulous technique with contemporary design, creating high-quality, hand-woven home décor, accessories, and functional items made primarily from thatch palm and coconut palm.
Rushane “Bug” Drummond
Sign Painter
Withorn, Westmoreland, Jamaica
Rushane “Bug” Drummond’s bold hand-painted dancehall posters, party boards, and commercial signs combine vibrant color, hand-lettered typography, and energetic graphic motifs that are highly visible along Jamaican roadsides, on shop fronts, and around dancehall venues. In addition to being one of the region’s most recognizable sign painters, Bug is also known for his hand-painted Ludi boards, a popular Caribbean board game — similar to Parcheesi — in which players race pieces around the board using dice. Bug will be demonstrating how to play during the Festival.
Dana Baugh
Ceramic Artist
Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica
Dana Baugh is a designer and ceramics artist based in Savanna‑la‑Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica. Inspired by the vibrant culinary heritage of Jamaica, she creates handcrafted, culturally‑inspired ceramics and porcelain tableware that explores cultural and culinary symbols such as ackee, breadfruit, and other elements of Jamaican life. Her work is both functional and elegant, infused with Caribbean roots and contemporary design.
Cultural Exchange Artist Demonstration Tent
Weekend 2
April 30 - May 3, 2026
11 am - 6 pm
Matthew McCarthy
Multimedia and Installation Artist
Kingston, Jamaica
Matthew McCarthy’s work is influenced by the aesthetics of Jamaican music culture, particularly vintage reggae and dancehall. McCarthy received his BFA in visual communication from The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica. His career as a street artist has allowed him to form long-lasting connections with various community spaces, with the aim of using public murals as a tool for community uplifting and storytelling. In 2019, he was awarded The Jamaica Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence for his contributions to nation-building and creative achievements.