STEPHANIE CHALANA BROWN

Stephanie Chalana Brown is a visual artist using the mediums of photography and cinematography. Chalana's work explores coloniality and identity in the Caribbean, especially in the Virgin Islands, where she was born and raised. Her first fine art collection entitled, The Madras that Binds All Ah We," inspired by the poem from Virgin Islands writer, Richard Schrader, received strong praise. The art series was used to advocate for Bill 33-0226 of the Virgin Islands legislature establishing an official Virgin Islands madras. As a documentarist, Chalana has produced several broadcast programs, including Griot and Foodie Insider, which currently air on local broadcast networks along with the Virtual Crucian Cultural Cuisine dialogues chronicling the Virgin Islands' traditional foodways. Chalana is presently working on a project exploring the evolution of Virgin Islands identity thru history, fashion, photography, and fabric entitled "E³: Exploration, Evolution, and Effectuation" as well as "Claiming Spaces: A Re-discovery of Virgin Islands Historic Sugar Mills and Spaces." Chalana is also the director of Sanctuary Festival Troupe which bridges the gap between traditional festival tradition and modernized costuming displaying the culture of the Virgin Islands.