Outreach

Placing art in community . Placing art in public spaces.

2005 has been designated the "Year of Socially Engaged Art" at Kuona Trust. Exhibitions, residencies and workshops will all emphasis this and Kuona will help artists to identify public, community, landscape and intervention art projects. Kuona hopes to encourage artists to broaden the definition of art and help them receive funding for these ideas and get publicity for the events. Alongside these programmes Kuona plans to organise events such as seminars, presentations and talks designed to enhance art appreciation among an ever-increasing number of Kenyans and East Africans.

Kuona outreach programmes use art as a tool for communication, change and social commentary on current social and political issues.

: : Children's Project: Watoto wa Kwetu

: : Prison art project

: : Rhino care youth program

Children's Project: Watoto wa Kwetu
Our outreach programme exists with the vision of making art an integral part of every day life by giving opportunities to various groups and communities to interact with art. We encourage this in all segments of society and believe that creativity is a vital aspect of life. In our experience, we have found that well thought out outreach projects play a much larger role than just adding art and creativity to a society, but can also strengthen sense of identity, give expression to deeply held social issues; unify and build up the peoples involved. The various projects we have done include: children’s art workshops; prison art sessions; public art projects; artist presentations and talks amongst others. We invite artists and others to suggest projects that are meaningful to their communities and to visit us and see how we can work together to reach various groups in our society. If you would like to learn more about our outreach programme kindly email us on admin@kuonatrust.org. “Watoto wa Kwetu” Watoto wa Kwetu is a Kuona Trust weekend art project for children – 4 to 12 years – in Mathare that is creatively charged, fun-filled and artistically inspired. The project was initiated by artist Jacob Wachira who lives in Mathare 4A. Kuona Trust, a not-for-profit visual arts organisation, supports this project in line with its mission of making art an integral part of the society and nurturing artistic talent in all segments of society. The project involves hosting art workshops for children every Saturday where they make art using various media, taught by Jacob Wachira and a team of other artists from Mathare. The project was started as an opportunity to offer children in Mathare the alternative of being creative and responsible in the face of some of the antisocial activities available in the day to day life in Mathare as well as to help develop any and all artistic talents. The long term effects on the children include building confidence and responsibility and helping the children realise they can be something. The children will have an opportunity to showcase the art work they have been creating at an exciting exhibition at Java Downtown on Sunday 20^th November 2005. We see this as an opportunity to further empower these creative and gifted children; for them to see their work appreciated by people even beyond their community will bolster their sense of ability and creativity. On display will be a selection of works from acrylics painting and pastels to watercolour paintings. To learn more about the project and to see the work the children have been creating, do come to the exhibition or contact mutheu@kuonatrust.org
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Prison art project
With a population of over 400 inmates, Lang’ata Women’s prison is the largest of its kind in Kenya. To most Kenyans, the women there are just statistics amongst the many incarcerated in Kenya’s densely populated prisons. Inmates do not have much contact with the outside world, although this is changing due to recent reforms in the programme. Kuona Trust has been allowed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to carry out the first visual arts program within the Kenyan prisons system. This involves a series of sessions with established artists where the inmates learn various art making techniques. This is based on the belief that visual art is a powerful tool for marginalized individuals to express themselves, to explore and build an identity and to make fun in otherwise difficult situations. At the end of the 10 week project, the Trust intends on having an exhibition within the prison to expose the inmates to the arts as well as a second exhibition outside the prison to showcase the work. This is an attempt challenge the stereotypes commonly held about people in prison as well as to showcase the vibrant creativity of the inmates. Rhine Care Youth training project
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Rhino care youth program
The poignantly named project is based in Mukuru kwa Reuben, a part of the sprawling Mukuru slum near the Godown Arts Centre. Supported by Kuona trust, it was initiated by artist John Silver as a means of improving the youth’s skills through a series of workshops. From June to December 2005, the workshops which run every month were taught by established artists from a variety of artistic backgrounds. Apart from the skills they learned, the workshops fostered mentoring relationships between the artists which last to date. The students continue to visit the artist’s studios and to learn from them. At the end of the workshops, Kuona trust invited the youth to make Christmas cards which were sent to local partners, collaborators and friends. In conjunction with a senior artist the youth have also created a mural at a community hall in their home area.
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