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

东非的艺术与工作：艺术策展的新参与

• 批准号: AH/T007672/1
• 负责人: Andrew Burton
• 金额: $ 11.72万
• 依托单位: Newcastle University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FT007672%2F1
• 关键词: Art; Work; East; Africa; New

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.

这一影响和参与项目侧重于实际干预措施，以支持视觉艺术界的可持续生计和东非创意产业的能力，这是国际发展的优先事项。它将通过响应视觉艺术专业人士和支持他们的组织所阐明的需求、抱负和优先事项的活动来实现这一目标。英国文化协会委托编写的东非创意经济政府政策和发展报告中也列出了这些优先事项。广泛的证据收集表明，艺术策展的技能、经验和能力的缺乏是视觉艺术生态繁荣和可持续发展的重大制约因素。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，记录和宣传创意艺术家的作品，协助艺术家实现专业发展的基本要素。他们是就业机会的创造者和市场推动者。它们引起了对艺术家的关注，否则一些艺术家可能不会被认可，或者无法克服进入专业艺术世界的障碍。他们向潜在买家展示艺术家并给予他们重要的曝光度。经验丰富的策展人资源不仅会提高展览的数量，还会提高展览的质量。因此，策展技能的缺乏限制了视觉艺术在文化经济中的作用和能力。与此相平衡的是，年轻策展人渴望机会。对实际举措的热情和活力证明了视觉艺术界的新生代——已经将自己视为创意经济未来的关键参与者，将热情地响应所提供的帮助其专业发展的机会。该项目是在作为 AHRC-GCRF 资助的研究网络“东非艺术家网络新机会”的一部分举办的研讨会。这汇集了来自不同背景的视觉艺术专业人士，包括生活和工作在贫困地区的艺术家，共同开展干预措施，支持他们生计的可持续发展。该网络的活动重点是确定解决共同问题的务实方法和切实可行的举措，这些措施将直接影响现实生活体验，并为创意经济中视觉艺术活动的能力建设做出明确的贡献，从而努力实现东非共同体和国际发展目标。项目团队由马凯雷雷大学和纽卡斯尔大学组成的视觉艺术组织 32 Degrees East、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合作制定了计划，这些计划不仅有利于策展人，也有利于包括艺术家在内的广泛视觉艺术界，作家、技术人员、画廊主以及广大公众。该项目的特色是培养策展人的创业和商业技能的试点项目。这种创新方法旨在培育视觉艺术中的新兴声音、培养新一代艺术策展人并为他们提供一个公共平台，其围绕为期一年的活动计划构建，其中包括展览制作、研讨会、指导和观众参与。视觉艺术界的成员将具备目前所缺乏的关键技能、知识和经验，这将有助于他们发展可持续的生计。该项目的影响力是在通过《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的背景下实现的，但政府的支持仍然很少。因此，该项目产生的影响是紧迫而重要的。

项目成果

Developing Creative Economies in Africa - Spaces and Working Practices

发展非洲创意经济——空间和工作实践

• DOI: http://dx.10.4324/9781003191681
• 发表时间: 2021
• 作者: Hracs B