Susan Mains
P.O.Box 3633, St George's Grenada' Telephone: 473-440-9772 email susanmains@gmail.com
Self-taught artist lives and works in Grenada with 35+ years capturing Caribbean light, ritual, and cultural synthesis through painting, mixed media, installations, and video. Collected Internationally.
Founder and director of Susan Mains Gallery (established 2002), a regional center for contemporary Caribbean art. Together with Asher Mains founded Art House 473 in 2018.
Curator and commissioner of multiple Grenada Pavilions at the Venice Biennale (2015–2025).
Awarded the British Empire Medal in 2020 for services to art in Grenada.
Educator by background (M.Ed., D.Ed.), she brings keen insight into cultural dynamics and community engagement.
CV
Born in the USA in 1958. Dual Citizen, USA/Grenada
EDUCATION
Berean Christian Academy, Secondary, Grenada
Cedarville College, OHIO, USA BA., Biology, 1979
Freedom University FLORIDA, USA M.Ed., 1985, D.Ed., 1987
ART
Self -Taught artist. Strong colours and contrasts characterize the paintings.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
1987 Roseau, Dominica ,Dominica Artists Guild Group Exhibit 1987 Aquarella Gallery, T’dad
1991 Solo show, Roseau Dominica
1993- 2017 St. George's, Grenada, Annual Art Council Show
1996 Queen's Park Gallery, National Cultural Foundation Barbados, Group show Grenadian Artists
1996 Museo de Arte, 3rd Bienal, Dominican Republic
1997 Organization of American States Gallery, Washington D.C Group show Grenadian artists
1997 Exhibit with Oliver Benoit at Art Grenada, Fine Arts Gallery, Grenada
1999 Organization of American States Gallery, Washington D.C., Group Grenadian
2000 Solo Exhibit at NCB House, St. George's, Grenada online at www.spiceisle.com/ mains/art
2000 Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami Fl USA "Sierra Leone Series" and Residency
2000 Aalan City Gallery, Germany Group Show from Grenada Arts Council
2001 Group of 4-Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami FL USA--"Immigration and Boundaries"
2001 Group Show, DVG, Miami Herald--"Black History Month"
2001 Miami-Dade Com. College, Miami FL USA "Sierra Leone Series"
2001 DVG "Africanado" Exhibit at Port of Miami, FL USA
2001 LaCrit Law Conference, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA "Sierra Leone Series"
2001 Spice Jazz Festival, Grenada, "Art of Jazz" Susan/Asher Mains
2001 IV Bienal Del Arte Caribe, Museo de Art Moderno, Santo Domingo Dominican Republic
2002 University of the West Indies Country Conference, Grenada, "Beyond Walls"
2002 Washington DC, OAS Gallery-28th Anniversary of Grenada's Independence
2002 "Rude Awakening" Manhattan, New York; Group Show Diaspora Vibe Gallery
2002 Grenada Spice Jazz Festival "The Art of Jazz" Group Show Caribbean Art Exchange
2002 Art Basel Miami, Group Show "Inter/Sections" Diaspora Vibe Gallery
2003 Gallery of Caribbean Art, Barbados, Two Person show with Oliver Benoit "Parallel Disparity"
2003 Diasporavibe Group Exhibit "Parallel Horizons" , Institute of Culture, Aruba
2003 V Caribbean Bienal, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2003 Art Basel Miami, Group Show "Strata" Diaspora Vibe Gallery
2004 "Exit Inside Out" University of the West Indies, Grenada-Group
2004 Grenada Arts Council Annual Exhibit
2004 "Habitat" Solo Exhibit Barbados
2004 "Visages" Solo Exhibit, Alliance Francais, Grenada
2004 "Off The Main" Group Exhibit with Diasporavibe Gallery, New York
2005 "Art After Ivan" With Oliver Benoit at Gallery of Caribbean Art, Barbados
2005 Galerie Nader, Coral Gables, FL USA, Group from Grenada
2005 Art Creators, Trinidiad, Group from Grenada
2006 "Ties that Bind" Group of 4 from Grenada at Brooklyn Public Library, USA
2006 CLICO Gallery "Women Arts of the Caribbean", Trinidad, CLICO Calendar 2006
2006 Museo Arte Morderno, Dominican Republic, 1st ACP Countries Festival
2007 Caribbean Studies Conference, Victoria University, Melbourn Australia, "Jouvert"
2008 "Between" Benoit, Froehlich, Mains and Mains, Group at the Rex Grenadian in Grenada
2008 Salon de Dibujo, Fundacion de ARte Arawak, Inc, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, DR
2008 “Collage” Gallery of Caribbean Art, Barbados, Two person show with Asher Mains
2008 Best of Grenada, Group Exhibit Caribbean Art Project
2008 “Vienna Actionists Grenada Jouvert “Caribbean Studies conference, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
2008 Artist Residency, Babayan House of Culture, Cappadocia, Turkey
2008 2nd International Caribbean Art Fair, Chelsea New York USA
2008 Runaway Reaction Diasporavibe Gallery Miami USA
2009 4th International Conference on Society & Arts, Venice, Italy
2010 Solo Exhibit Gallery of Caribbean Art Barbados
2010 World Expo 2010 Shanghai, China, Grenada Pavillion
2010 1 Trineal Internacional Caribe, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domminigo, Dominican Republic
2012 Solo Exhibit Gallery of Caribbean Art, Barbados
2014 Grafted Narratives Gallery of Caribbean Art, Barbados, with Asher Mains
2014 Borderland the Entropy of Identities Museo de Almería, Almeria, Spain video
2014 -MECA Mediterráneo Centro Artístico, CAlmeria, Spain video
2014 Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Granada, Granada, Spain video
2014 Pixels of Identities, Venice, Italy video
2014 Contemporary Art in Grenada, Art and Soul Gallery group
2015 Present Nearness, Grenada National Pavilion, 56th Biennale di Venezia, Italy Curator
2015 Trio Bienal, Rio de Janiero, Brasil
2015 Contemporary Art in Grenada, 2nd Edition Curator
2016 Gallery of Caribbean Art, with Asher Mains
2016Rhy Art Fair, Basel Switzerland
2016 Art Medellin, Medellin, Colombia
2016 Contemporary Art in Grenada, 3rd Edition Curator
2017 Contemporary Art in Grenada, 4th Edition Curator
2017 Residency in Jodhpur, India, Curator Rekha Sameer
2018 Exhibition with group at Gallery of Caribbean Art, Barbados
2018 Westindian Squared Group show at Caribbean Gallery of Art-- Curated
2019 5th Grenada Contemporary at Art House 473 Curator
2019 Grenada National Pavilion Biennale di Venezia, Commissioner/curator
2020 January, Gallery of Caribbean Art Barbados with Catherine Forter Chee-a-tow
2020 Art House 473, Grenada 2020 Series of paintings — ongoing
2021 Artist Residency and online exhibition with Catapult
2021 Grenada Pavilion at Expo 2022 in Dubai
2022 Solo Exhibit at Gallery of Caribbean Art Barbados
2022 Grenada Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia with Cypher Art Collective of Grenada
2022 Calling the Magician, Art House 473, 6th Grenada Contemporary Group Exhibition
2023 Little Boats Installation for Grenada Pavilion Biennale di Venezia Architecture
2024 Rome Triennale group show with StArt
2024 Gallery of Caribbean art solo Barbados
2024 Dream Well Art House 473 group show Grenada
2025 Caribbean Brush Strokes, group show, Barbados
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Barclays Bank Plc, Dominica
National Commercial Bank, Grenada
Cable & Wireless, Grenada
Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada
Coyaba Beach Resort, Grenada
Flamboyant Hotel, Grenada
Young Sounds FM Radio, Grenada
Colombian Emeralds, Int'l, Grenada
Government of China on Taiwan
Texaco West Indies Ltd.
Bel Air Plantation Resort, Grenada
Blue Horizons Cottages, Grenada
Coral Sands Hotel, Barbados
AT & T Wireless Grenada
The Beach House Restaurant Grenada
CLICO Trinidad Headquarters
Grenada Representation at CARICOM Headquarters in Guyana
De Savary Investments in Grenada, Mt. Cinnamon
Paradise Beach Resort, Grenada
Grenada Co-operative Bank
Grenada Electricity Services, Ltd.
Beacon Insurance
Coyaba Beach Resort, Grenada
Bank of Nova Scotia, Grenada
Port Ferdinand, Barbados
Range Developments Grenada
Silversands Beach House Grenada
Various Personal Collections in the Caribbean, North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
President of Cuba, Mr. Raul Castro
Queen Elizabeth of England and Pope Francis presented by Governor General Cecile de la Grenade
PUBLICATIONS
Spicy, Discover Grenada, Catalogue of 3rd Bienal of Museo de Arte, Santo Domingo,
Greetings Magazine , Review Miami New Times, Mar 1, 2001
"Visual Art As a Sustainable Resource", Paper Presented at University of the West Indies Country Conference, Jan 2002
Cariforum Magazine, "Contemporary Art in Grenada" Article, Mar 2002Opened Art and Soul Gallery, Spiceland Mall, Grenada Oct 2002The Discover Magazine, "Drawing on the Spirit of the Kalinago" Article Nov 2003
Carib Beat Magazine, 2005 " Art after Ivan"
"Small Island Art-Potential Untapped", Paper presented at University of Vienna, Austria, Caribbean Conference, December 2005
"Vienna Actionist, Caribbean Jouvert" Paper presented at Victoria University, Melbourne Australia, February 2007
Grenada at a Glance—“The Art of Travel” Jan 2014
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Organizing committee group shows from Grenada to Barbados, Dominican Republic, Washington D.C., USA
President of Grenada Arts Council 1997-1999
Opened Art and Soul Gallery in Grenada 2002Curated Grenada Exhibit for V Bienal of Caribbean Art Santo Domingo 2003
Instructor of Studio Art at St. George’s University, Grenada, 2007-present
Curator for Republic Bank Collection, St. George’s, Grenada 2008
Expanded Art and Soul Gallery in Grenada 2012 artandsoulgrenada.com
Curated Grenada for Triennial of Caribbean Art Museo Moderno Santo Dominigo 2010 Curated Cuba-Grenada Exhibition at the Grenada National Museum 2013
Organised Grenada delegation to visit the Venice Biennale in Italy 2013
Curator for Grenada Pavilion for 56 Biennale di Venezia 2015
Rhy Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland 2016, Gallery Participation
Art Medellin, Medellin, Colombia, Gallery Participation
2015, 2017, 2019 Commissioner of Grenada National Pavilion at Biennale di Venezia, Italy
2019 Opened Art House 473, a space for Contemporary Art in Grenada