Grenada marked an historic cultural milestone today with the formal presentation of Salt of the Earth, Daughter of the Soil (2026), a work by Grenadian artist Shervone Neckles-Ortiz, to the Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C.
Selected through a competition organised by Grenada’s Permanent Mission to the OAS in
collaboration with the Museum, the artwork becomes the first Grenadian entry into the Museum’s permanent collection.
Senator the Honourable Adrian Thomas, Minister of Tourism, the Creative Economy and
Culture, formally presented the artwork on behalf of the Government and people of Grenada.
The ceremony was attended by OAS Assistant Secretary General Her Excellency Laura Gil,
Museum Director Ms. Adriana Ospina, Grenada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OAS His Excellency Tarlie Francis, and the winning artist.
The artwork, a two-panel handmade paper assemblage, pays tribute to the women who have sustained Grenadian families and communities while preserving ancestral knowledge and cultural traditions.
The first panel, Salt of the Earth, incorporates sea salt and a repurposed table covering from the artist’s family archive, evoking domestic life and inherited memories. The second, Daughter of the Soil, incorporates Grenadian spices, including nutmeg, mace, clove and bay leaf, alongside a photographic image of the artist’s maternal grandmother in Grenada during the 1940s.
Together, the panels celebrate Grenada’s cultural and agricultural heritage, the contributions of women, and the transmission of family traditions across generations.
Addressing the ceremony, Minister Thomas highlighted Grenada’s deliberate establishment of a ministerial department with specific responsibility for the Creative Economy, reflecting the Government’s recognition of culture and creativity as important contributors to national
development and economic opportunity.
He also emphasised Grenada’s ongoing efforts to preserve its cultural heritage, historical artefacts, and Indigenous and Afro-descendant traditions, while creating greater opportunities for contemporary Grenadian artists.
Minister Thomas congratulated Ms. Neckles-Ortiz and commended the Art Museum of the
Americas, particularly Director Adriana Ospina, for its work in promoting the cultural diversity of the hemisphere and expanding Caribbean representation.
Ms. Neckles-Ortiz, a Grenadian artist based in Queens, New York, has exhibited internationally, including at Grenada’s Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale. Her achievements include major public art commissions in New York and the 2025 Brendan Gill Prize for contributions to the city’s cultural life.
Earlier in the day, the artist formally presented the winning work to Minister Thomas at the
Embassy of Grenada, ahead of its official handover to the Museum.
The initiative represents an important development in Grenada’s cultural diplomacy, securing a lasting place for Grenadian artistic expression within a major hemispheric cultural institution.
Minister Thomas is currently in Washington, D.C., where he will also lead Grenada’s delegation to the United States–Caribbean Dialogue on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
