By Rebecca | Executive Director
Wow. Thank you SO much for supporting our fundraiser, helping us succeed in the GlobalGiving accelerator programme, and enabling us to continue our programming and cover a shortfall in funding for the first few months of this year. We were truly blown away by the generous support that poured into our call from all over the world. Former member artists, artists in residence, friends, family, and supporters all chipped in to show us that you appreciate the work that Nafasi does in supporting artistic creation and community and that you want us to keep on. On behalf of our members, staff, and board, thank you so much for your support.
Your contributions have helped us start the year strong. Over the course of just a few months, we managed to build a beautiful new space on our grounds to be home to the Nafasi Academy, an art curriculum and programme that we developed over more than a year, based on input from artists, curators and educators, and on the many lessons and experiences we've gathered from our first decade of existence. We saw many of our long-time studio members leave their spaces at the end of 2019 to make room for the next generation of young artists. We are developing an Alumni Network and Space at Nafasi so that we can stay in close contact with the amazing artists who have passed through the centre. It was a lot of work to refresh the 12 emptied studios and prepare them for their next occupants. The team worked hard painting, sanding, building, repairing and cleaning.
We have also had the time to continue our efforts to bring in more revenue so that we can continue our work, through proposals to potential partners and even taking over the running of the Nafasi refreshment point so we can earn revenue of our own.
Below I've shared a report on the first intensive workshop we hosted at the Nafasi Academy. I hope you'll enjoy! Thanks again for believing in Nafasi, and please do continue your support in whatever way moves you -- by sharing our links and stories, donating when you have the means, and participating in the conversations sparked by the art and culture created and shared in this magical space. Asanteni sana.
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If you haven’t noticed… Change has been in the air… and on the grounds … at Nafasi over the past months.
2020 HAS MARKED THE BEGINNING OF NAFASI ACADEMY FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, EXPRESSION, AND INCLUSION – BRINGING NEW SPACES INTO OUR WORLD.
The opening weeks of the Nafasi Academy for Contemporary Art and Expression have been the culmination of months of intense building, a year of intense planning, several more years of learning, and over a decade of dreaming.
This new chapter of Nafasi’s story really kicked off on 2nd February with our first intensive week for the first cohort of our Student Members. The week was facilitated by artist, Gadi Ramadhani, and arts manager / social enterprise director, Agnes Senga Tupper, and consisted of lectures, assignments, discussions, and ice breakers.
It offered a frame for examining bigger questions about art, history, and culture:
“What is Nafasi? Why does it exist? What is Contemporary Art? Why does it matter? Why do you want to become an artist? What is the role of art in society? What is the goal of Nafasi Academy, and what do we hope will be the outcomes at the end of this year for students, the academy, and Nafasi as a whole?”
… the first of five question-guided modules that will form the basis of the Nafasi Academy’s theoretical curriculum.
Guests helping us to explore this subject included renowned Artist and Professor, Elias Jengo, former Nafasi Director Jan Van Esch, and Nafasi members past and present – such as Amani Abeid and Harriet Kwetukia. At the end of week, the students were afforded a walk-through Tanzania’s rich art history with a guided tour through the National Museum and visit to the studio of Hendrick Lilanga, a grandchild of the great George Lilanga whose legacy he carries both stylistically and technically.
Following this week-long theory intensive, the Student Members will now undertake six weeks of part-time technique mentorships across various artistic disciplines led by artists Gadi Ramadhani, Safina Kimbokota, Paul Ndunguru, and others. In between will be another week of intensive theoretical grounding and more focused technique sessions to be led by Vilma Pimenoff, the first of three Nafasi Academy Artists in Residence.
The format of Nafasi Academy curriculum is designed to provide both a transnational, long form arts experience whilst retaining Nafasi’s artist-led spirit and the flexibility to adjust in process. Even in isolation, the first week, culminating in a community event and exhibition of Student Member self-portraits, has provided ample hope for an exciting future for both the Academy and the very talented members of its first cohort.
Nafasi thanks everyone who has been involved in the journey so far, and looks forward to months and years of more learning, growing, and dreaming within these colourful walls.
We welcome you for a visit!
In the meantime read more about Nafasi Academy here.
Links:
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