The Gri Gri Project

23/05/2026

On Saturday, May 30, 2026 Rhyme and Lime STJ and the Gri Gri Project will host the next Rhyme and Lime at Bajo el Sol Gallery. Starting at 7 p.m., attendees can share their original works, works by a poet they admire, or they can sit and enjoy the poetry. The suggested theme is, “Truth, Power, and Satire”, and this month’s featured poet is Joeltica Rogers, the 2026 Poetry Out Loud Finalist who represented the U.S. Virgin Islands in this year’s national competition. The event will also feature jazz and R&B selections by Pam1Love.

Joeltica Rogers is a rising senior at Charlotte Amalie High School. Through her hard work and dedication, and the coaching of Wendy Bougouneau-Andrews, Joeltica became the 2026 U.S. Virgin Islands Poetry Out Loud Champion. She then advanced to the national competition in Washington D.C. in late April, where she competed amongst nine other finalists for the national champion title and a $20,000 grand prize.

Poetry Out Loud is a nationally held poetry recitation competition that began in 2005. The competition aims to engage students in literary history, improve their public speaking skills, and build their confidence. The competition begins at school level or through non-profit organizations, and then those winners compete at the state or territorial level to qualify for the national competition in Washington D.C. Prizes are awarded to the student champions, their coaches, and their school. Poetry Out Loud on the national level is made possible by a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, and it is hosted by the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts on the local level.

For this edition of Rhyme and Lime, works inspired by truth, revelations, power, resistance, and satire are encouraged, but not required. For more information please email the host Raven Phillips at [email protected], or call Bajo el Sol Gallery at 340-693-7070.

29/04/2026

April is Poetry Month, and although we will not be hosting our monthly Rhyme & Lime Poetry Event, we’re still celebrating the beauty of words, rhythm, and expression with our wide selection of poetry books!

Poetry is powerful—it gives voice to our stories, preserves our culture, and connects us through shared emotion and experience. It captures the spirit of who we are and keeps traditions alive for generations to come.

From timeless Caribbean classics to fresh new voices, there’s something for every poetry lover to discover and enjoy.

Join us next month on May 30th for Rhyme & Lime as we resume our unforgettable evenings of poetry, community, and Caribbean vibes here in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

16/04/2026

Thanks to the Daily News for the coverage!

On Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 4 p.m. Bajo el Sol Gallery, the Gri Gri Project, and the St. John Film Society will host a screening for multiple films by filmmaker and artist Vashni Korin. Attendees will have the opportunity to view Korin’s films, “You Can’t Stop Spirit”, “Negra, Yo Soy Bella”, and “RATHER THAN A POWER”, and engage with the filmmaker in a Q&A session following the screening. There is a suggested donation of $5.

Part of the mission of the St. John Film Society is to present independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean. The upcoming film screening will feature Korin’s works that depict multiple Afro-diasporic perspectives including that of the women of the Baby Doll Mardi Gras masking tradition, an Afro-Puerto Rican woman healing through the Bomba dance tradition, and more.

Vashni Korin is a filmmaker and artist who works with time-based media blending auto-ethnography, documentary, fiction and sound. Her practice explores public and private ritual through beauty, symbol and rites of passage with emphasis on feminine power. She earned a BA in Journalism from Xavier University of Louisiana and is best known for her cultural documentary work “You Can’t Stop Spirit”(New Orleans, LA) featured in the New York Times, Peréz Art Museum Miami and New Orleans Film Festival Prospect 5 (2021). “Negra, Yo Soy Bella” (Puerto Rico) is a short featured on BET + and screened at film festivals in Latin America and the Caribbean. Other works, such as A Prayer (2022), were shown at The Kitchen and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Awards and accolades for her works include Best Documentary Short at the 2021 London Independent Film Festival, Best Documentary Short at the 2021 New Orleans Film Festival, as well as the 2021 Reel South Award, the 2021 Best Documentary Short Indie Memphis Film Festival & Audience Award, and a Best Documentary Short Nomination in the 2021 Blackstar Film Festival.

Bajo El Sol Gallery is also home of the Gri Gri Project. The Gri Gri Project’s mission is the creation of interpretive exhibitions, critical writing, events and archives related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region.

Bajo el Sol Gallery is located In Mongoose Junction on St. John, USVI. For more information about the film screening and about future events can be found by contacting the gallery at 340-693-7070 or [email protected].

13/04/2026

Vashni Korin, Film Screening & Q&A | April 19, 2026 | Bajo El Sol Gallery, St. John, USVI

On Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 4 p.m. Bajo el Sol Gallery, the Gri Gri Project, and the St. John Film Society will host a screening for multiple films by filmmaker and artist Vashni Korin. Attendees will have the opportunity to view Korin’s films, “You Can’t Stop Spirit”, “Negra, Yo Soy Bella”, and “RATHER THAN A POWER”, and engage with the filmmaker in a Q&A session following the screening. There is a suggested donation of $5.

Part of the mission of the St. John Film Society is to present independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean. The upcoming film screening will feature Korin’s works that depict multiple Afro-diasporic perspectives including that of the women of the Baby Doll Mardi Gras masking tradition, an Afro-Puerto Rican woman healing through the Bomba dance tradition, and more.

Vashni Korin is a filmmaker and artist who works with time-based media blending auto-ethnography, documentary, fiction and sound. Her practice explores public and private ritual through beauty, symbol and rites of passage with emphasis on feminine power. She earned a BA in Journalism from Xavier University of Louisiana and is best known for her cultural documentary work “You Can’t Stop Spirit”(New Orleans, LA) featured in the New York Times, Peréz Art Museum Miami and New Orleans Film Festival Prospect 5 (2021). “Negra, Yo Soy Bella” (Puerto Rico) is a short featured on BET + and screened at film festivals in Latin America and the Caribbean. Other works, such as A Prayer (2022), were shown at The Kitchen and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Awards and accolades for her works include Best Documentary Short at the 2021 London Independent Film Festival, Best Documentary Short at the 2021 New Orleans Film Festival, as well as the 2021 Reel South Award, the 2021 Best Documentary Short Indie Memphis Film Festival & Audience Award, and a Best Documentary Short Nomination in the 2021 Blackstar Film Festival.

Bajo El Sol Gallery is located in Mongoose Junction, St. John it is home of the Gri Gri Project. The Gri Gri Project’s mission is the creation of interpretive exhibitions, critical writing, events and archives related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region.

More information about the film screening and about future films can be found by contacting Raven Philips at the gallery at 340-693-7070 or [email protected].

04/03/2026

15/02/2026

The Gri Gri Project and St. John Film Society Host Special Screening of Award-Winning Documentary Freeing Juanita
Saturday, February 21 | 6:00 PM | Bajo el Sol Gallery, St. John

St. John, USVI — The Gri Gri Project, in partnership with the St. John Film Society, will host a special screening of Freeing Juanita, an award-winning documentary directed by the late Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers, on Saturday, February 21 at 6:00 PM at Bajo el Sol Gallery in Mongoose Junction. There is a suggested donation of $5.

Freeing Juanita is an intimate and powerful documentary that follows Ana and Pedro, a Maya C**j couple from the highlands of Guatemala, as they journey across Mexico to free their niece, Juanita, who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than seven years after being forced to confess to a crime she did not commit in a language she did not understand. The film sheds light on migrant criminalization, language justice, and the power of community-led activism across borders. The following link features the film’s trailer: https://www.freejuanitafilm.com

Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers, a Spanish-American filmmaker based in Brooklyn, had deep personal ties to St. John and was a regular visitor to the island. His aunt, Dr. Caroline S. Rogers, is a longtime St. John resident. Sebastián's life was cut short in an unfortunate surfing accident, making this screening both a celebration of his work and a tribute to his legacy as a filmmaker committed to social justice. The screening will be hosted by Raven Philips, Program Director, and all St. John film screening contributions will be donated to St. John KATS (Kids And The Sea) to support their youth sailing and ocean education program.

Freeing Juanita is Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers’ feature-length directorial debut and premiered in Mexico at the DocsMX Film Festival in 2024. It was awarded “Best Documentary Film” at the 2025 New Jersey International Film Festival and has screened throughout the USA and Europe. Drawing from his background in anthropology and grassroots advocacy filmmaking, Sebastián’s work centers migrant rights, solidarity, and the belief that collective action can dismantle injustice. Sebastián’s art can be viewed on his website sebastianlr.com and also on Prime and Apple TV with the documentary "The Art of Making It" which won the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival in 2023. This community screening invites audiences to honor Sebastián’s life, engage with a globally relevant human rights story, and support local youth through KATS.

Bajo El Sol Gallery & Art Bar is home to thought-provoking monthly exhibitions, readings by award winning V.I. writers & poets, documentary screenings on some of the Caribbean’s most respected thinkers, as well as talks by local academics and visiting curators. The Gri Gri Project’s mission is to create and support interpretive art exhibitions, artist-centered events, archives, and writing related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region.

The screening is supported by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, & the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC.

09/07/2025

“We Are Taino”

Don’t miss two extended cut screenings of the documentary “We Are Taino” at Bajo El Sol Gallery & Art Bar on Wednesday, July 9th.

The first screening will begin at 6:30pm and the second screening at 7:30pm, followed by a panel discussion.

The film follows a Taino woman reclaiming her Indigenous identity and is directed by Emmanuel Phillips. This screening is brought to you by Friends of Virgin Islands National Park, the St. John Film Society, and The Gri Gri Project. Film Screening: We Are Taino

04/06/2025

Tonight, Wends. June 4th starting at 7pm, Bajo el Sol Gallery, the Gri Gri Project, and VI Crawl Inc. are partnering to present Views from the VI (6)—an interactive community event exploring the Virgin Islands’ 6th Constitutional Convention. Hosted by delegates Rudel A. Hodge, Jr. and Imani Daniel, the evening will feature dialogue and activities to engage residents in imagining the future of the territory.

This event kicks off a companion series to the upcoming podcast Views from the VI, led by Hodge and Daniel—two of the youngest convention delegates—aimed at making the constitutional process accessible to all. The initiative builds on VI Crawl’s past civic projects like The Fish Fry and Cocktails & Conversations, blending digital content with in-person engagement across the territory.

Delegate Hodge, a local attorney and entrepreneur, and Delegate Daniel, a nonprofit leader and justice advocate, bring diverse experience and a shared commitment to empowering Virgin Islanders through this historic process.

VI Crawl Founded by UVI alumni Khalarni Rivers and Nyaila Callwood, VI Crawl creates cultural programming focused on arts, professional development, and community building. Since 2019, VI Crawl has partnered with the University of the Virgin Islands and many local nonprofits to coordinate learning programs rooted in cultural exploration, performing arts, and professional development for a range of ages.

22/03/2025

On Saturday, March 22nd, 2025, at 6 p.m. the Gri Gri Project and the St. John Film Society will host a screening of short Caribbean films at Bajo el Sol Gallery in Mongoose Junction. Discover the art of storytelling through the lens of Vincentian filmmaker Akley Olton. Olton, the founder of Island Rebel Media, a premier film, audiovisual, and multimedia production company in St. Vincent and the Grenadines boasting over 15 years of industry experience, will be present for the screening and a Q&A session afterwards. There is a suggested donation of $5.

Part of the mission of the St. John Film Society is to present independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean.

A couple of the films that will be featured include Black Doll, a film about a grandmother’s adventures, finding a black doll on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Madulu, The Seaman, a film about a grandfather, the last of the Barrouallie whalers, teaching his grandson about the traditional practice of hunting “blackfish.”

Akley Olton is an award-winning filmmaker and visual artist from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, celebrated for his innovative storytelling that inspires and provokes. With over 15 years of experience in cinematography, directing, and producing, he has made a significant mark on Caribbean cinema. Olton’s notable works include the internationally acclaimed short film Black Doll (2018), Madulu, The Seaman (2022). A graduate of the University of the West Indies and Cuba’s prestigious International School of Film and Television (EICTV), he blends striking visuals with themes of resistance, cultural identity, and social transformation. Recognized with the 2022 Prince Claus Seed Award, Olton continues to elevate Caribbean narratives on a global stage.

Bajo El Sol Gallery & Art Bar is home to thought-provoking monthly exhibitions, readings by award winning V.I. writers & poets, documentary screenings on some of the Caribbean’s most respected thinkers, as well as talks by local academics and visiting curators.

The Gri Gri Project’s mission is to create and support interpretive art exhibitions, artist-centered events, archives, and writing related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region.

The screening is supported by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, & the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC.

Attached Pictures: Filmmaker, Akley Olton, Black Doll, Madulu, The Seaman.