Networking New Opportunities for Artists in East Africa

这个跨学科的研究项目为东非的视觉艺术家提供了新的机会，吸引了来自乌干达，肯尼亚和卢旺达的视觉艺术家，艺术组织，资助者，政策制定者，学者和其他利益相关者。通过动手，合作研讨会和临时新艺术品的创作和展览，它将探索如何为在东非工作的艺术家开发新的机会和职业途径。目标是帮助他们建立可持续的生计，这是一个国际发展优先事项，并建设东非创意产业的能力。英国理事会最近的一份报告称，东非国家将在未来20年内成为中等收入国家。“创意产业是一个增长领域。“我们正在更好地理解和重视强大的创意产业部门的影响。以卓越和独特为基础。创意经济将在实现下一阶段的增长、促进繁荣和使更多的文化表现形式能够接触到新的受众以及使人们能够以其创造力谋生方面发挥核心作用。虽然消除贫困仍然是第一优先事项，但人们日益认识到，公民的创造性和文化愿望和需求不能永远等待得到满足“，《乌干达国家文化政策》（2005年）断言，”文化产业有可能促进生计.。在各级创造就业机会和产生经济收益，促进创造力，表达促进理解与和平的信息“。该政策的主要干预措施包括“促进和支持崭露头角的创意艺术家：视觉艺术如果有意识地提高其质量和数量，就有可能减少收入贫困“。“利益相关者之间的合作”和“建立文化网络”是既定的优先事项。东非共同体创意和文化产业法案（2015年）被视为对艺术家的推动，但此后几乎没有发生什么。拟议的创意和文化产业发展理事会尚未成立，该理事会将领导发展。对创造性文化产业的投资仍然很少：乌干达仍然没有在学校教授创造性艺术课程的规定。在这一背景下，该网络将解决想要建立可持续职业和体面生计的艺术家所面临的挑战。它将与在该领域工作的领先组织合作：东非英国理事会、非洲艺术信托基金、32度乌干达艺术信托基金和基层组织。它将与这些合作伙伴合作，开发一系列网络研讨会，以促进艺术家和艺术组织范围和确定有形的新机会和职业途径。该网络的组成及其活动的设计是通过在非洲与可能的参与者进行深入讨论而制定的，其中许多人将领导讲习班活动。每个研讨会将通过一系列临时艺术品委员会给予创新的重点，这些委员会位于靠近研讨会场地的公共领域的高调地点，每个委员会都由一位东非艺术家专门为此次活动创作。该网络将发展其参与者确定的主题挑战，从多个角度解决这些问题，分享东非学者，艺术家，艺术专业人士，政策制定者和观众以及国际研究团队的知识和经验。在两个城市的三个研讨会上，每个研讨会由不同的组织领导，带来了新的声音和方法来解决问题，参与者将设计，辩论和具体化可以对艺术家的生活和EAC创意经济产生真实的切实影响的机会

This interdisciplinary research project Networking New Opportunities for Visual Artists in East Africa draws together visual artists, arts organisations, funders, policy makers, academics and other stakeholders in the visual arts from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. Through hands-on, collaborative workshops and the creation and exhibition of temporary new artworks it will explore how new opportunities and career pathways can be developed for artists working in East Africa. The goal is to help them build sustainable livelihoods, an international development priority, and to build capacity in the creative industries in East Africa. A recent report for the British Council states 'East African countries are set on a path to become middle income countries in the next twenty years.' The creative industries are an area of growth. 'We are getting better at understanding and valuing the impacts of a strong creative industries sector... underpinned by excellence and distinctiveness. The creative economy will play a central role in delivering the next phase of growth, increasing prosperity and enabling a greater diversity of cultural expressions to reach new audiences and for people to make a living from their creativity. Whilst the extraction of poverty remains the No1 priority, there is growing realisation that the creative and cultural aspirations and needs of citizens cannot wait forever to be met'.The Uganda National Culture Policy (2005) asserts that 'Cultural industries have the potential to promote livelihoods...create employment opportunities and produce economic gains at all levels, promoting creativity and expressing messages that foster understanding and peace'. The policy's key interventions include 'promoting and supporting budding creative artists: ...visual arts...have the potential to reduce income poverty if their quality and quantity is deliberately enhanced'. 'Collaboration amongst stakeholders' and 'the setting up of networks in culture' are stated priorities.The East African Community Creative and Cultural Industries Bill (2015) was seen as a boost for artists, but very little has happened since. The proposed Creative and Cultural Industries Development Council that was to lead developments has not been established. There continues to be minimal investment in the creative cultural industries: in Uganda there is still no provision for teaching creative arts subjects in schools. Within this context, the network will address challenges facing artists who want to build sustainable careers and decent livelihoods. It will partner with leading organisations working in the field: the British Council in East Africa, the African Arts Trust, 32 Degrees Ugandan Arts Trust and grassroots organisations. Working in collaboration with these partners it will develop a series of network workshops which will facilitate artists and arts organisations to scope and define tangible new opportunities and career pathways. The make-up of the network and the design of its events has been developed through intensive discussion in Africa with its prospective participants, many of whom will lead workshop events. Each workshop will be given innovative focus through a series of temporary artwork commissions, sited in high profile sites in the public realm close to the workshop venues, each created by an East African artist specially for the event. The network will develop thematic challenges identified by its participants, addressing these from multiple perspectives, sharing the knowledge and experience of East African scholars, artists, art professionals, policy makers and audiences, and the international research team. Working together in three workshops in two cities, each workshop led by a different organisation, bringing new voices and approaches to bear on the problems, participants will devise, debate and concretise opportunities that can achieve real and tangible impacts on artists' lives and on the creative economy in the EAC