06 | 2024 Nakivale YTC Artist News
First Online Art Exhibit, A Trip to Kampala, Non-Stop Nakivale Art, & World Refugee Day Festivities
Welcome to the first installment of Nakivale Young Talent Community (NYTC) Artist News. The series is a “month-in-the-life” of a refugee artist collective called “Nakivale Young Talent Community” in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. This and related content is located on the Refugee Artist Support Circle section of The Creative Convergence.
Subscribe specifically to this section for free (click here to go to your settings for subscribing to The Creative Convergence to toggle on or off subscribing to the the Support Circle). As a subscriber you receive monthly digests full of stories, art, videos and pictures featuring the struggles and successes of 15 talented emerging young refugee artists living in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Upgrade to paid and you can become part of the Refugee Support Circle; 100% of your $8 monthly subscription goes directly to NYTC to support their material costs. Plus you receive artful perks! Learn more more about that here.
June 1st Young Artist Online Expo!
It happened! In just a month, after NYTC Director Akon Deograce proposed it, we organized and executed our first young artist online expo featuring the art of 10 young refugee artists.
For a full reflection on what it took to produce this event and the impact, check out this post.
Full Recording on YouTube
The full Zoom recoreded video (nearly 2 hours long!) of the Art Expo, glitches and all, lives on my YouTube channel. We also sent the video to FaceBook live. My first live streaming. While it’s hella long, the best part about this video (other than the artists presenting of course) is that it includes the questions from the audience and interaction. Artist friends from the United States actively participated on the Zoom call while other friends commented on Facebook. That was our primary goal in producing this event! Connect these young artists with people outside of their immediate world and give them a sense that they are part of a global community of artists and art appreciators.
Highlight Reel
Our talented co-host
of GoGreen Social Initiative (fka BioGreen) produced this short of the post-Exhibit reflections from three of the artists.Professionally Produced 16-Minute Version
The 16-minute version that my talented videographer friend Hannah Wehr edited and produced is now available!
Art Supplies Haul - A Trip to Kampala
While the primary goal of the Art Exhibit was to give the young artists a sense of broader community, the secondary goal was to raise funds for new art supplies. The artists had not painted in weeks and for some it had been months. Paint is not only affordable to these young artists who receive USD$5 per month from the Office of the Prime Minister and UNHCR as a living allowance, it’s virtually inaccessible. They have to travel by bus for 9 hours from the Settlement to Kampala where they can purchase paints. A trip like that requires a two-night stay and return fare. And, with the kind of art haul we were hoping for, they would need to hire a car to send the materials back. There’s no bringing bags full of paint on a crowded bus!
Thanks to $100 in net ticket sales plus donations, we raised sufficient funds to send two artists - Founder Akon Deograce and Program Director Krehim Sharon to Kampala to purchase supplies.
Arting on the Road
While Akon and Sharon were in Kampala, Sharon couldn’t help but start working in his sketchbook which was gifted to all Art Exhibit participants. Sharon explained on a Zoom call that not having a sketchbook has never stopped him from drawing. But, now that he has one, his ability to sketch concepts for his future art pieces has been elevated.
I can’t stop myself for not having a real sketchbook or one that accepts watercolor. I shall make it even if there is no way out. But this is a way out. The first thing is that I have a sketchbook that is mine. I have to work hard for it. I have to make it. - Krehim Sharon
Watch the full 2-minute sketchbook share here:
The Art Haul
It’s what they have been waiting for! More paint! They were able to purchase canisters of five colors of paint in bulk from Peacock Paints, acrylic paint known for it's high quality made in Uganda.
Check out this video sent to me by the artists while on the 9-hour bus ride home.
Once they returned home, there was still more to do! The canvas they purchased (which is material more like muslin) needed to be stretched over frames. It was time to visit the lumber yard to purchase the wood for frames.
World Refugee Day - June 23 2024
With the boon of paint and canvas, the artists were ready to start painting again. UNHCR’s World Refugee Day was around the corner. The artists decided that they wanted to work day and night for three days to prepare new paintings to bring to the celebration.
This check-in video highlights the artists “in process”. Many of the paintings featured in the below video went on to be sold in a future art exhibit/auction!
After three days and nights of non-stop Nakivale arts, the artists piled into a car and drove their precious artworks to the celebration.
What will July bring?
We can only imagine! So much art has been produced. Can we sell the art to help them raise funds for themselves and their families? What about their makeshift art center? It’s busting at the seams. Not enough space and not safe.
You can find out here at our July 2024 update!
Thank you for reading the June 2024 monthly installment of NYTC Art News!
If you prefer to support with a one-time donation, add your tip to the Nakivale Tip Jar here! Managed by me, Emily, of The Creative Convergence. Every penny helps. Funds pooled for the NYTC collective and arts program purchase paints, brushes, paper, canvasses, and fund a food program for the children that attend free art education Monday through Saturday year-round.
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