The Barbados Registry of Artistes and Cultural Workers
The Barbados Registry of Artistes and Cultural Workers is a programme of the Government of Barbados and it is managed and operated by the Cultural Industries Development Authority (CIDA), an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
The Registry serves the purpose of facilitating the access of artistes, cultural practitioners, cultural entrepreneurs and cultural workers to the benefits provided in the Cultural Industries Development Act. The Registry also serves as a database of all participants in the cultural industries in Barbados and will facilitate the development of the cultural industries, through continuous research and updated information.
Registration of cultural practitioners is designed to make investment in their enterprises more attractive to the private sector.
To access the benefits outlined in the Cultural Industries Development Act and to access funding for cultural projects, cultural practitioners must first register as an artist or cultural worker. The Barbados Registry is the mechanism through which they must register.
It is expected that through the Barbados Registry of Artistes and Cultural Workers cultural practitioners would be able to expand their businesses through the benefits offered in the Cultural Industries Development Act. It is also expected that their clientele would increase due to the free exposure on the Registry’s website, since the Registry provides an online platform where artistes can showcase their work to investors and consumers of the arts.
The Barbados Registry of Artists and Cultural Workers' total implementation costs, including hosting the website and all related technical components is approximately US$ 24, 000. However, the creation and hosting of the Registry was heavily subsidised through in-kind donations and goodwill on the part of a Barbadian digital firm based in Canada. The cost was therefore reduced to US$ 5,000.