The Chewstick Foundation will be taking 17 artists for a cultural exchange and artistic development tour of New York City next month.

Executive Director and Founder of The Chewstick Foundation Gavin Djata Smith said: "This has been a dream of ours since the very beginning and we are excited to finally bring it to fruition. As far as we know this is the first time a tour of this magnitude has ever taken place."

The Chewstick Foundation will be travelling with a full band that shall support an artist line up that ranges from genres such as spoken word, reggae and hip hop.

Kase Neo Griot, a staff member at the Foundation added: "This is an opportunity like never before for Bermudian artists to show people outside of Bermuda that there is a lot of talent here."

The tour will be taking place from May 5 to May 9 at three venues throughout the city including, The Shrine on May 5, Galapagos Art Space on May 7, and the Nuyorican Poet's Café on May 8.

In preparation for their upcoming tour the Chewstick Foundation will be hosting a series of exciting fundraising events starting this Saturday.

In an effort to further their commitment to breaking down barriers, for the first time ever they will be hosting events at visual arts spaces.

The weekend starts at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation (Old Elliot Schoolhouse, near Ocean View Golf Course) with 'The Dahnce to NYC' starting at 9 p.m., which is an old school style party to celebrate this exciting venture.

Continuing on the weekend, they will have an enlightening poetry night entitled, 'The Push: A Night Without Armor' taking place at The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art located within the Botanical Gardens.

The finale fundraising event will take them back to Kaleidoscope on April 24 to give Bermuda a look as to the showcase that the Chewstick Foundation will present in New York City.

To also help raise funds they be packing groceries at Whites Supermarket in Warwick on Saturday from 3 p.m. - 9 p.m. and sharing information about the upcoming tour and the Foundation's community outreach initiatives and after school programmes.

If you'd like to donate to the fundraising efforts of the New York Tour or find out more information please contact info@chewstick.com or call 292-2439.