Welcome to Adisa Ancestry Artists Residency (AAAR)

Founder Opal Palmer Adisa is a writer, photographer, cultural and gender activist, who nurtured her 20-year vision to create a vibrant space for both emerging and established artists, particularly from the Caribbean. 

This residency provides two artists with time and space to

immerse themselves in their creative practice 

for a period of two weeks or two months.

The residency will always reserve one of its two spaces for a writer. 

The Claude McKay Suite honors the Jamaican writer and Harlem Renaissance figure, while the Louise Bennett-Coverley Room commemorates another influential Jamaican figure—poet, folklorist, and social commentator. 

Adisa regards both of these literary giants as spiritual and creative ancestors, whose influence deeply informs her work.

The name Adisa, meaning “one who speaks clearly” in Yoruba, was bestowed upon Opal by a Babalawo, or priest, in recognition of her connection to ancestral wisdom. This spirit of connection and legacy is embodied in the residency, which seeks to offer artists the opportunity to reflect on their heritage and engage with the community around them.