UK New Artists Receives British Council Catalyst Grant to Ignite UK-Kenya Creative Partnerships
Kim Thompson and Ellen Ranson at UKNA Weekend Celebration of Creativity, Lincoln 2023. Artwork by Kim Thompson. Photo by Tom Morley.
UK New Artists is proud to announce that we have been awarded the British Council Catalyst Grant, Igniting UK-Kenya Creative Collaborations.
The British Council has selected 19 innovative projects to receive Catalyst Grants. These grants mark a significant step toward the upcoming 2025 UK/Kenya Season. They aim to catalyse new connections, exchanges, and collaborations between artists, creative practitioners, and cultural organisations in the UK and Kenya.
UKNA will collaborate with Jukwaa Arts Productions (JAP) based in Mombasa, Kenya. Jukwaa Arts is a creative greenhouse which voices social issues through creation and presentation of performing and visual arts. Through community theatre, street art installations, and artist’s hangouts, they trigger conversations on pertinent social issues and injustices affecting their community.
Jukwaa Arts - Bahari Huru Festival.
Central to this initiative is the vision for an International New Artists Collective (INAC), designed to create inclusive spaces - both online and in person - where artists can engage with the society and culture of each country. Through observing, experiencing, and sharing working practices, artists will have the opportunity to forge new international connections and explore how intercultural dialogue can invigorate their creativity.
Together with JAP, we will undertake the development of an International New Artist Collective (INAC), to open the door for a group of early career artists from UKNA (UK) and JAP in Kenya to work together in exciting new ways. Our objective from this Catalyst Grant is to develop a unique network and a model of a global community of new artists who collaborate and learn from each other.
Michelle Bowen, Director of UKNA, commented, ‘’We are hugely proud and privileged to be one of the selected UK organisations and are grateful for this opportunity to contribute to the vibrant artistic exchange between the UK and Kenya. We are excited to see what the future holds for this partnership.’’
To view the full list of the Kenya and UK grantees and their projects click the button below
About Partner Organisations
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 190 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 1922–23 we reached 600 million people.
Jukwaa Arts Productions is a performing arts company based in Mombasa Kenya. We are a creative greenhouse which voices social issues through creation and presentation of performing and visual arts. Through community theatre, street art installations, boardroom theatre and artists’ hangouts, we trigger conversations on pertinent social issues and injustices affecting our community. Our objectives are: to nurture performing artists and create opportunities for artists; to use performing arts as a tool for communication on social issues in community; and to use art as a vehicle to transport culture locally, globally, now and in the future.