Painted wooden doors will stand across Redcliffe Quay, each featuring a different view of Antigua and Barbuda. Artists will open their studios. Painters will compete in front of a live audience. Food, fashion, poetry and visual art will spread across galleries and public spaces throughout the destination.
Antigua and Barbuda Arts Week returns from November 11th to 18th.It offers an expanded program of exhibitions and cultural experiences designed to connect visitors directly with artists from the twin island nation.
The fourth edition will feature a major public art installation, a retrospective honoring the late artist Maria Ross Iztueta, additional exhibition space and a broader itinerary that goes beyond traditional gallery tours.
that Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Board The unveiling of the program at the Quay Studios on historic Redcliffe Quay makes Arts Week a cultural celebration and an increasingly important part of the destination’s tourism calendar.
“Today’s visitors are looking for authentic experiences that allow them to engage and engage rather than simply observe,” said Charmaine Spencer, ABTA’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Antigua and Barbuda Arts Week provides this opportunity by connecting visitors directly with our artists, culture and communities.”
A public art exhibition built around 28 doors.
The center of the 2026 program is double thresholdA public art exhibition developed by Quay Barracks Art Galleries.
The project will transform recycled wooden doors into free-standing works of art inspired by the people, landscape, culture and daily life of Antigua and Barbuda. A completed installation includes: 28 double doorsEach was painted by an artist from Antigua or Barbuda.
Spencer and visual artist Dylan Phillips gave an early look at the project during its launch, unveiling two vividly painted doors created by Phillips and Heather Doram.
Using reclaimed doors, the exhibition physically connects to Antigua and Barbuda’s architectural history, while the double-sided format allows all participating artists to tell their stories across both surfaces.
The completed work will not be limited to existing galleries but will be displayed in public places. Visitors can walk between the doors and view each piece from both sides, engaging the installation as part of the wider Redcliffe Quay experience.
Dual thresholds will be revealed at Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.Antigua and Barbuda will be held from November 1 to 4. The installation will be open for public viewing during Art Week.
The international gathering will give the project an initial audience of visiting leaders, delegates and media before it becomes one of the defining exhibitions of the week-long arts festival.
ABTA is calling on businesses, contractors and the general public to provide suitable timber doors for their projects. Donated doors will be delivered to the gallery at Redcliffe Quay before being allocated to participating artists.
In memory of Maria Los Iztueta
Art Week also includes retrospectives celebrating the artist’s life and work. Maria Los IztuetaHe lived from 1934 to 2024.
The exhibition will be presented at: The Barracks Gallery It will serve as a featured gallery presentation for the 2026 festival.
Curator Stephen Murphy presented the retrospective alongside the artist’s daughter Amaya Ross during the media launch.
“Maria Ross has made tremendous contributions to the arts community in Antigua and Barbuda,” said Murphy. “This exhibition provides an opportunity to introduce her work to a new audience during Art Week.”
The retrospective will provide residents and visitors with the opportunity to consider Ross Iztueta’s work as part of Antigua and Barbuda’s wider artistic history. It will also place senior figures from the local arts scene alongside contemporary artists taking part in the festival’s new installations and live events.
The inclusion of a retrospective adds historical depth to a program filled with active studios, public installations and artist competitions. Art Week will look at the destination’s artistic past while creating a space for the current generation of painters, designers, poets and other creatives.
Art moves beyond galleries
The 2026 edition will expand across Antigua and Barbuda through a series of exhibitions and participatory events.
Art in the Keys Return to Redcliffe Quay, one of St. John’s most historic commercial districts. The area’s courtyards, stone buildings, boutiques and waterfront settings will once again be part of the festival experience.
that Art and Culture Village It will also return to bring multiple artistic disciplines into a shared public space. Open studios and galleries will be held Meet the Artist The sessions provide visitors with the opportunity to speak directly with participating creatives and learn more about the ideas and techniques behind their work.
coming back art trail Guides visitors to exhibitions, studios, and other participating locations. new addition Art Trail Passport The idea is to encourage people to visit more locations throughout the program rather than experiencing Art Week through one gallery or event.
The passport concept gives the festival a more exploratory character. Visitors can follow the route through St. John’s and beyond, discovering artists where they work and seeing more of Antigua through its creative community.
food, painting, fashion
Arts Week will also bring together the visual arts and culinary culture of Antigua and Barbuda.
Taste and Canvas By combining drawing and immersive food experiences, we create events where attendees can engage with both cooking and visual art.
This format reflects Art Week’s wider ambitions. The festival is designed around participation rather than passive viewing, with visitors able to draw, taste, meet artists and travel between venues.
that Art Battle We return with a live painting competition where artists create finished works within a limited period of time. The event adds a performance element this week, allowing audiences to watch each painting progress from its opening strokes to the finished work.
Fashion presentations will further expand the program with additional exhibitions to be announced before November.
The result will be a festival encompassing painting, sculpture, fashion, food, poetry and public art, each offering a different interpretation of Antigua and Barbuda.
A story told in color
The theme of this year’s campaign is: “Every destination has a story. Our destinations are told in color.”
This theme was introduced during the launch with the premiere of the first Meet the Artist video featuring Heather Doram. Poet O’dane Doyley also performed a dubbed poetry performance created around the campaign.
Artists Emile Hill, Stephen Murphy and Dylan Phillips spoke during the event and encouraged other creatives to get involved in the November programme.
The campaign puts local artists at the center of the destination’s story. Instead of presenting Antigua and Barbuda only through its beaches, resorts and sailings, Art Week will highlight those who interpret the island through painting, poetry, design and other forms.
The festival offers another way to experience St. John’s, Redcliffe Quay and communities across the country. A visit to a gallery can lead to a conversation with the artist. A walk through the historic district can be part of an art walk. Recycled doors can convey images rooted in village life, architecture, music or the sea.
Growing Culture Week
Antigua and Barbuda Art Week expands with each edition, giving artists more venues to display their work while adding new reasons to travel to the destination in November.
“(This) launch begins our journey towards Art Week in November,” said Maria Blackman, ABTA’s Marketing Communications Manager and Art Week Committee Lead. “Over the coming months we will continue to work with our partners to showcase participating artists, announce additional experiences and encourage participation from the creative community, tourism industry, business sector and the general public.”
