Art and Work in East Africa: New Engagements in Art Curating

这一影响和参与项目侧重于支持东非地区视觉艺术界的可持续生计和创意产业能力的实际干预措施，这是一个国际发展优先事项。它将通过参与来回应视觉艺术专业人士和支持他们的组织所阐述的需求、雄心和优先事项。这些优先事项也列在英国文化协会委托编写的关于东非创意经济的政府政策和发展报告中。广泛的证据收集表明，艺术策划方面的技能、经验和能力不足是繁荣和可持续的视觉艺术生态发展的一个重大制约因素。除了为东非艺术提供知识框架和背景外，策展人还为展览提供资金，记录并宣传创造性艺术家的作品，协助艺术家进行职业发展的基本要素。他们是就业的创造者和市场的推动者。他们吸引了人们对艺术家的关注，其中一些人可能不会被认可，或者无法满足进入专业艺术世界的门槛。他们向潜在买家展示艺术家，并为他们提供至关重要的曝光率。经验丰富的策展人资源将不仅导致展览数量的增加，而且还将导致展览质量的提高。因此，缺乏策展技能限制了视觉艺术在文化经济中的作用和能力。与此平衡的是，年轻的策展人渴望获得机会。对实际行动的热情和能量证明，视觉艺术界的新兴一代--已经将自己确定为创意经济中未来的关键参与者--将热情地响应提供的机会，以帮助他们的专业发展。该项目是在AHRC-GCRF资助的研究网络“艺术家在东非的网络新机会”组织的研讨会上共同设计的。这使来自不同背景的视觉艺术专业人员聚集在一起，包括生活和工作在贫困地区的艺术家，共同制定干预措施，支持其生计的可持续发展。该网络的活动集中于找出解决共同问题的务实方法，将直接影响现实生活体验的实际举措，并为创意经济中视觉艺术活动的能力建设做出明确贡献，从而努力实现东非和国际发展目标。由马凯雷尔大学和纽卡斯尔大学、视觉艺术组织32度东、乌干达艺术信托基金、英国文化协会和坎帕拉艺术信托基金组成的项目团队合作制定的计划不仅将使策展人受益，而且将使包括艺术家、作家、技术人员和画廊老板在内的广泛视觉艺术界和更广泛的公众受益。IF以一个试点项目为特色，该项目在策展人中培养创业和商业技能。这种培养视觉艺术新声音、培养新一代艺术策展人并为他们提供公共平台的创新方法，是围绕一项为期一年的活动计划构建的，其中包括展览制作、工作坊、指导和观众参与。视觉艺术界的成员将掌握目前所缺乏的关键技能、知识和经验，这些技能、知识和经验将有助于他们发展可持续的生计。该项目是在这样一个背景下产生影响的：通过通过《创意和文化产业法案》(2015)等措施，认识到支持视觉艺术专业人士和发展创意经济的重要性，但政府的支持仍然很少。因此，该项目将产生的影响是紧迫和至关重要的。

This impact and engagement project focuses on practical interventions that will support the sustainable livelihoods of the visual art community and capacity in the creative industries in in East Africa, an international development priority. It will do this through engagements that respond to the needs, ambitions and priorities articulated by visual art professionals and the organisations that support them. These priorities are also set out in government policy and development reports on the creative economy in East Africa commissioned by the British Council. Extended evidence-gathering has identified that a deficit in skills, experience and capacity in art curating is a significant constraint to the development of a flourishing and sustainable visual art ecology. As well as providing an intellectual framework and context for East African art, curators source funding for exhibitions, document and bring publicity to the work of creative artists, assist artists with essential elements of professional development. They are job creators and market movers. They bring attention to artists, some who might otherwise not become recognised, or are unable to meet the barriers to entry to the professional art world. They present artists to potential buyers and give them vital exposure. A resource of experienced curators will lead to an increase in not just the quantity but also the quality of exhibitions. A deficit of curatorial skills therefore constrains the role and capacity of the visual arts within the cultural economy. Balanced against this, young curators are eager for opportunities. The enthusiasm and energy for practical initiatives is evidence that emergent generations in the visual art community - already identifying themselves as key future players in the creative economy, will respond enthusiastically to opportunities offered to assist their professional development.The project has been co-designed during workshops organised as part of the AHRC-GCRF funded research network 'Networking New Opportunities for Artists in East Africa'. This has brought together visual art professionals from diverse backgrounds, including artists living and working in deprived areas to collaboratively scope interventions that will support the sustainable development of their livelihoods. The network's activities focus on identifying pragmatic approaches to shared problems, practical initiatives that will impact directly on real life experiences and make definable contributions to building capacity for visual art activity in the creative economy, thus working towards EAC and international development goals.The project team comprising Makerere and Newcastle Universities, visual arts organisation 32 Degrees East, Ugandan Arts Trust, the British Council and Kampala Arts Trust have collaborated on plans that will benefit not just curators, but the wide visual art community including artists, writers, technicians and gallerists and the wider public. If features a pilot project developing entrepreneurial and business skills in curators. This innovative approach to nurturing emergent voices in the visual arts, fostering a new generation of artistic curators and providing them a public platform is structured around a year-long activity programme that includes exhibition making, workshops, mentoring and audience engagement. Members of the visual art community will be equipped with the key skills, knowledge and experience which are currently lacking and which will assist them in the development of sustainable livelihoods. The project develops its impacts within a context where the importance of supporting visual art professionals and growing the creative economy has been recognised through measures such as the passing of the Creative and Cultural Industries Bill (2015), but where government support remains minimal. The impacts that will derive from this project are therefore urgent and vital.