Founded in 2017 as a creative community space in Arima, East Yard Enterprises evolved in 2021 into an independent creative social enterprise committed to merging creativity, community impact, cultural exchange, and commerce. Creativity is at the core of East Yard’s work. Our initiatives span curating exhibitions and events, providing creative strategy consulting for nonprofits, book publishing, and co-producing the Joki One x East Yard Mas Band — a collaborative Carnival venture reimagining Sailor Mas through contemporary, fashion-forward, and reusable costume design.
October Publisher’s Note: Two Steps Back, Ten Steps Forward
“Sometimes you have to take two steps back to take ten forward." — Nipsey Hussle
A truer quote has never existed, or applied itself more aptly to work and life. Sometimes, that step back is forced by stumbles and setbacks. Other times, it comes from introspection and the need to reassess where we are and where we want to go. 2026 has certainly brought its fair share of slippery slopes that have made East Yard pause, take two steps back, and position ourselves for those ten steps forward that Nipsey spoke about.
My biggest challenge this year has been health, both my own and that of a few people close to me. As a solopreneur, I cannot stress enough the importance of having some form of health coverage, whether health insurance, critical illness coverage, or savings to fall back on. Doctor's visits and tests add up quickly! So, I am taking two steps back to take care of myself and my loved ones and I encourage you to do the same.
You may remember that back in August, Bocas Lit Fest hosted Bocas Arima right here at East Yard, and it was superb! Just last week, I was talking to someone about how much Bocas Arima reminded me why I started East Yard in the first place. The reason was simple. I wanted Arima, Arimians, and those in our surrounding communities to have a place where they could truly immerse themselves in arts and culture, but more importantly, in arts and culture that comes from the Borough and our environs.
So, we are taking two steps back to reinforce our platform and reinvigorate our creative community as we take ten steps forward, bringing our monthly group exhibitions centred on social themes back to Arima.
Our first exhibition is The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives, opening on Friday, October 23, and running until Saturday, November 21, 2026. Humanity is living longer than ever, but what does it mean to live a longer life? And what needs to change to ensure those additional years are lived with health, dignity, purpose, autonomy, opportunity, and connection? Submissions are still open, so read on to learn how to enter your work.
Our little hub has been here for nine years already, and what better time than now to take steps back, reflect on what we have achieved, and prepare to take those ten steps into our tenth year?
East Yard started as little more than a space from which I ran our nonprofit, the Caribbean Fashion and Arts Feature Festival, the Caribbean's first fashion-film festival. The festival brought local, regional, and international filmmakers, designers, artists, and industry insiders right into our backyard in Arima. This was followed by the successful virtual Arima x Louisville Arts for Social Change Exchange, supported by the U.S. Embassy POS.
Although the nonprofit has since been dissolved to make way for East Yard Enterprises as an independent creative social enterprise, cross-cultural exchange remains infused in East Yard's DNA.
This year, we took steps back to remind ourselves of just that. The result is AMPLIFY Connect: Creative Social Enterprise Exchange, a short-term literary residency hosted here at East Yard, with funding from the Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF).
The programme has invited two Caribbean spoken word artists and literary practitioners to spend a month each immersed in our culture, Borough, and creative community, developing new literary works informed by their experiences here. The residency extends the philosophy of East Yard's AMPLIFY Connect Creative Social Enterprise Fellowship, which supports creatives in developing socially impactful ventures that merge artistic expression with sustainable business practices.
Our first residency began on October 5 and is well underway! Last week, we welcomed our first artist-in-residence, award-winning Barbadian spoken word poet and writer Cyndi Celeste. Positioned as a creative exchange between Bridgetown and Arima, we kicked things off with a courtesy call to the Mayor of the Royal Chartered Borough of Arima, His Worship Alderman Balliram Maharaj. We also arranged one-on-one meetings for Cyndi with some of Arima's finest, including Carnival bandleader and artist Walda George-Waithe, environmentalist and journalist Tyrell Gittens, artist Bruce Cayonne, also known as The Sign Man, and visual artist Virginia Pacifique-Marshall.
Finally, when you stumble or need steadying, a hand to hold is essential as you take those steps back. For us, that means collaboration!
In fact we totally believe collaboration is the new currency.
We have put out a call for East Trinidad-based collaborators, and the response has been great. But we want more! From the people who have already reached out with ideas for events, theatre productions, courses, workshops, and more, we cannot wait to bring these collaborations to life.
We are excited to welcome new partners alongside our current collaborators, including the Women-Owned Media & Education Network (W.O.M.E.N.), the Nepuyo Toastmasters Club, Kim Bernard's Paint. Plant. Pour., and others to be announced in November.
As we welcome new partners, I must take the opportunity to congratulate another existing partner, Deneka Thomas of Bacano Leaf on the amazing achievement of opening Bacano Bookshop's new stand-alone location. I'm beyond thrilled for Deneka and happy that East Yard was able to provide a platform for incubating the venture and Deneka's mission to use stories to fund stories. Congrats!
Your next read awaits you at 📍 Campus House, 32 Eastern Main Road, St Augustine.
As we look toward our tenth year, we are reminded that taking steps back is not necessarily a retreat. Sometimes, it is the most important part of moving forward with greater clarity, intention, and purpose.
Here's to taking those two steps back when we need to, so we can take ten forward together.
Give thanks,
Kevon Gareth Foderingham
Founder and Cultural Director, East Yard Enterprises
L-R: His Worship Balliram Maharaj, Alderman Irene Medina, Cyndi Celeste and Kevon Gareth Foderingham
Cover Feature
Bridgetown Meets Arima: AMPLIFY Connect Welcomes Cyndi Celeste to East Yard
Our first residency is underway!
Cyndi Celeste is a celebrated Barbadian spoken word poet and writer whose work blends Bajan language and Caribbean storytelling with influences from R&B, soul, jazz and hip-hop. Since emerging from Barbados’ underground open mic scene in 2013, she has performed internationally, earned four NIFCA awards and been named the 2021 GineOn People’s Choice Poet of the Year.
This October, Cyndi joins us at East Yard for AMPLIFY Connect: Creative Social Enterprise Exchange, a literary residency bringing together the creative communities of BRIDGETOWN and ARIMA.
We kicked things off with a courtesy call to the Mayor of the Royal Chartered Borough of Arima, His Worship Alderman Balliram Maharaj, followed by conversations with four creatives whose work reflects the depth and diversity of talent in Arima and East Trinidad.
First up was Walda George-Waithe, multidisciplinary artist, Carnival designer and founder of the award-winning children’s mas band Joki One. With a practice spanning wire sculpture, costume design, crochet and mas, Walda brings creativity and cultural expression together in ways that connect with our communities. Her recent collaboration with East Yard on Joki One x East Yard’s Sailors in Denim also reflects her commitment to keeping Carnival creative and rooted in local culture.
Cyndi also met Tyrell Gittens, geographer, environmentalist and journalist whose work connects environmental conservation, storytelling and youth development. Through his journalism and work with the Cari-Bois Environmental News Network, Tyrell has helped bring environmental issues closer to home by supporting young people to tell stories about the places and communities they know.
At his workshop, Cyndi connected with Bruce Cayonne, better known as The Sign Man, whose hand-painted fete signs have helped shape the visual language of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival and party culture for more than three decades. From Arima’s streets to international art spaces, Bruce’s work demonstrates how a distinctly local art form can carry cultural significance far beyond its place of origin.
The final visit brought Cyndi to Virginia Pacifique-Marshall, visual artist, author and retired educator whose work celebrates Trinidad and Tobago’s heritage, traditional festivals and Carnival characters. Her book, The Carnival Suite, documents her paintings of traditional Carnival characters alongside historical information, helping preserve and share these cultural traditions with future generations.
Walda, Bruce and Virginia have each received the Arima Civic Award for Arts, recognising their contributions to the Borough’s cultural life. Their practices differ, but each offers Cyndi a window into the stories, skills and ideas that make Arima and East Trinidad such rich ground for creative exploration.
Over the coming month, Cyndi will immerse herself in the Borough, exploring its history, culture and creative landscape while connecting with local artists, writers, young people and community members. She will draw inspiration from her experiences here while sharing her own creative practice and experiences from Barbados.
At its heart, this residency is about more than bringing an artist to a new place. It is about creating the conditions for people to exchange knowledge, learn from one another and develop new work shaped by the meeting of different cultures and perspectives. What might emerge when a Bajan storyteller spends time with the people and stories of Arima? We look forward to finding out!
Cyndi’s residency will culminate in a public showcase, giving Arimians an opportunity to engage with the work developed during her stay and add their own voices to the exchange.
Through AMPLIFY Connect: Creative Social Enterprise Exchange, East Yard continues to create opportunities for Caribbean creatives to connect across borders, deepen their practice and explore how creativity can contribute to meaningful social change.
AMPLIFY Connect: Creative Social Enterprise Exchange is a project implemented by East Yard Enterprises with support from the Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF).
Stay connected with East Yard for updates on Cyndi’s residency and details of the upcoming public showcase.
CURRENT CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives
East Yard invites artists, students and emerging creatives of all ages to submit work for The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives, an exhibition presented in commemoration of the United Nations International Day of Older Persons.
Exhibition Dates: Friday 23 October – Saturday 21 November 2026
W.O.M.E.N.'s in-demand, 4-Week Beginner Sewing Program continues at East Yard in November. Registration is open and spots fill quickly.
Designed for beginners, this hands-on course teaches participants the fundamentals of sewing, including how to use a sewing machine, take body measurements, draft patterns, cut fabric, and construct wearable garments. All materials are provided, and participants who complete the program will receive a Certificate of Achievement.
NOVEMBER WEDNESDAYS: 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th
🕓 Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: East Yard, Arima Investment: TT$800
Spaces are limited. To register, email womentt2022@gmail.com or contact Ms. Lucia Cabrera Jones via WhatsApp at (868) 358-0111.
On September 26, the Nepuyo Toastmasters Club x East Yard event, COMMON GROUND Networking Mixer, hosted at our AMPLIFY Studio Café brought together Toastmasters, spoken word artists, song writers, poetry enthusiasts, communicators and young leaders.
The evening followed an open mic format, welcoming spoken word performances, poets, musicians and Toastmasters to share pieces.
This is part of a broader initiative to expose audiences from Arima and environs to the benefits of various types of communication and leadership skills.
Toastmasters International (TI) is a 101 year old, US-headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide to promote communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.
By 2025, TI had over 265,000 members across 149 countries and 13,833 clubs worldwide.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Toastmasters operates through various chapters spread across the country.
Thanks Nepuyo Toastmasters Club for conceptualizing the event and were excited for part 2!
On October 10, Kim Bernard hosted the second edition of her Paint. Plant. Pour. series at East Yard. Kim's event is a fun take on a 'sip and paint,' but your plant pot is the canvas and you even get a plant.
Hats off to another fun-filled edition of Paint. Plant. Pour. and as usual, the attendees had a blast.
Follow Kim and stay tuned to our socials for updates on Pt 3.
The Gallery can be booked for workshops, classes, meetings and intimate gatherings. There's WiFi, a/c, a kitchenette, tables and chairs against a backdrop of local art.
For information and bookings email info info@eastyard.org or 868-750-3112.
The Gallery at East Yard
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AMPLIFY Connect is a series from East Yard Enterprises exploring the combined power of Creativity + Commerce + Community Impact. Through conversations, case studies and practical how-to episodes, we learn directly from Caribbean creatives, changemakers and entrepreneurs building businesses, initiatives and cultural platforms that create real impact in their communities.
From creative social enterprise and cultural entrepreneurship to community building, storytelling, tourism, design and innovation, this series highlights what it means to build meaningful work rooted in the Caribbean experience.
Whether you’re a creative, nonprofit leader, entrepreneur, student or aspiring changemaker, AMPLIFY Connect is here to help you think differently about creativity, sustainability and impact.
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Founded in 2017 as a creative community space in Arima, East Yard Enterprises evolved in 2021 into an independent creative social enterprise committed to merging creativity, community impact, cultural exchange, and commerce. Creativity is at the core of East Yard’s work. Our initiatives span curating exhibitions and events, providing creative strategy consulting for nonprofits, book publishing, and co-producing the Joki One x East Yard Mas Band — a collaborative Carnival venture reimagining Sailor Mas through contemporary, fashion-forward, and reusable costume design.
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