Royal Caribbean brings back its Artist Discovery Programme

Royal Caribbean announced that its Artist Discovery Programme returns to the Caribbean, calling on brilliant artists across the region to showcase their work on the next combination of the best of every vacation, Star of the Seas. 

Set to debut in Port Canaveral in Orlando, FL this August, Star will provide a dynamic canvas for up-and-coming artists to capture and share the rich Caribbean spirit onboard with vacationers from all over the world for generations to come. 

Introduced aboard the Icon of the Seas, the programme highlights rising stars among local Caribbean artists featured in Star’s curated art collection, giving budding artists the opportunity to share their talent. 

Likewise, it aims to celebrate the destinations and people that make vacations with Royal Caribbean the vacation of a lifetime.

Chief product innovation officer Jay Schneider said: “We are excited for this next edition of the Artist Discovery Programme and can’t wait to be awestruck by visionary artists across the Caribbean. Last year, our first-ever call to artists received an overwhelming response with more than 140 artists across 25 Caribbean countries submitting pieces that told a unique story and captured the allure of the region.”

What will selected artists do?

The Artist Discovery Program’s next group of budding artists will be commissioned to paint large-scale murals in four highly visible locations including the Royal Promenade neighborhood representing the heartbeat of the new vacation, Star’s embarkation area which will be among the first sights guests see, and in the Suite Sundeck Lobby, and Suite Sundeck. 

Joining a collection onboard that includes an array of pieces created by local artists and inspired by the region, each creation will invoke the vibrancy of the Caribbean.

Every artist will receive a grant from the vacation company, ranging from $20,000 to more than $100,000, to see their vision through. 

As artists in residence, the winners will work closely with Royal Caribbean’s team later this year to bring their concepts to life in Turku, Finland, where Star is currently under construction.

This year’s selected artists will join the 2023 inaugural cohort that created iconic murals that are featured throughout Icon of the Seas. 

The distinguished artists in-residence include Angelika Wallace-Whitfield in The Bahamas, Phillipe Dodard in Haiti and Jason Hospedales in Trinidad & Tobago. 

To date, millions of guests embarking on Icon have had the privilege of experiencing these captivating works of art firsthand, celebrating the essence of The Bahamas.