A sort of Lonely Planet for Contemporary Art in the Caribbean, the publication mixes a travel book and toolkit. As she travels and engages with artists, Dees reflects on her own path to a career in the arts—what she did, what she wondered about, and who she met—giving the reader a sense of who she is and why she is a reliable voice on the subject. She selected quotes from the transcripts of the interviews that reflected issues relevant to her, with the goal of encouraging a continuous discourse. The many anecdotes and conversations with artists and art professionals included in the book are engaging and draw us into her journey.

“I traveled to Curacao for the first time with a friend visiting her family three decades ago. It quickly disabused my naive idea that I would naturally blend into its culture. Understanding the language, dancing to the music from Curacao, and eating the island’s traditional dish funchi (similar to polenta) with Caribbean friends in the Netherlands were not enough preparation. The deep memory of my experience of culture shock is still part of me, even now.”