Follow the link below for the new edition of the UCASDR journal
28th Feb 2020
Blurring the lines between what is art and what is craft
UCASDR takes innovation and skills development to Kalerwe and Bwaise
By Dominic Muwanguzi
Sitting crossed legged in the blistering sun, a man quietly hummers away a sheet of aluminum plate with finished metallic suitcases and two charcoal stoves (Sigiri) laying by his side. A small crowd of youth and children have surrounded him, with keen interest on learning the skills hes applying here as he welds the metals to produce the household items. A few meters away, in one of the classrooms of the community school, a group of young women are learning skills to make long rooms from sisal and wood materials. Theres also a skills class going on next door on making sandals from discarded rubber tyres and other synthetic materials popularly known as craft sandals. It all these different venues, the learners are paying immense attention to the facilitators of these practical workshops with a shared objective to acquire skills that will uplift their livelihood. This improvement of livelihood is critical in places like Kalerwe where a bulk of the youth waste away their productive time on engaging in illicit behavior like marijuana smoking, drinking cheap alcohol and burglary.
The workshop is the brainchild of Uganda Community Arts and Skills Development and Recycling, an institution that has a strong niche in working with the local community within the sphere of skills development and innovation. In the past seven years, UCASDR has largely fostered skills development in several suburbs communities- largely poor neighbourhoods- in Kampala. These include Kalerwe, Bwaise, Nassana, Mulago and Makerere- Kikoni. In these locales, hundreds of women, children and youth have acquired skills in various disciplines of shoe-making, tailoring, metal fabrication, tie and dye and pottery. The exhibition Art and the Community 2015, at Makerere Art Gallery, that showcased the artwork of these groups of people is a clear testimony to this collaborative approach to innovation and skills development. Nonetheless, such a community initiative could never have been complete without the collaborative support and engagement with Newcastle University, UK and Margaret Trowel School of industrial and Fine Art, Makerere. In the latter exhibition, Professor Andrew Burton, of Newcastle University, played a critical role through his participation with artwork that he made from objects he collected from these respective communities. This gesture underlined the idea of environment conservation that features boldly in the objectives of UCASDR.
In this particular edition of the workshop at both Kalerwe and Bwaise, similar traits from the past workshops where clearly visible. Firstly, the collaboration aspect was evident in the manner in which UCASDR worked with the local artisans who provided valuable skills to both the communities. Unlike in the past, where one or two artisans (facilitators) worked with the community, this time, artisans specializing in different art disciplines were elicited. As such, there were wood carvers, a stick artist, tie and dye artists, candle- makers, shoe- makers and a Batik artist. Each of these, worked with a specific group of people that was closely monitored and supervised by lecturers from Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Art. According to the director of UCASDR, the motive to have a diversity of facilitators working with different groups of people was to meet the different tastes and preferences of the public.
Different people want different things. Someone may want to acquire skills in shoe-making and another in batik art. When you have different specialists in different disciplines you can then meet the varied expectations of the public, remarked Mathias Tusime, Director of UCASDR.
The second form of collaboration was showcased by working with expert art writers. This is a critical aspect of any community based meeting because it primarily creates a possibility of documentation. Documentation through writing or film is one way of preserving what has been done for future research and assessment purposes. In this context, the documented material from the two workshops will be used as a platform to appraise the success of the workshop within the local community. More so, such writing in form of a review or feature provokes varied conversations about such a community arts projects in the wake of a renewed interest in the subject of art and the community at many art schools globally.
Through such engagements with different audiences like the local community in Kalerwe and Bwaise, University lecturers and art-writers, UCASDR is creating a precedent in provoking diverse discourses in art production, innovation and skills development. In all this, the institution is continuously challenging the notion that art exists for arts sake by blurring the lines between what everyone calls craft and what others call art. At the intersection of such disagreements and agreements is where the real objective lies: to incite conversations around art, because afterall good art is what makes everyone talk and think.
The UCASDR workshops took place on 29th- 31 Dec at both Kalerwe and Bwaise on the outskirts of Kampala. They were supported and funded Newcastle University UK
1st 2/2020
Meet Your Artist: Jane Twinomugisha A textile designer specializing in Tie and dye fabric Decoration
Twinomugisha Jane. Graduate at Margret Trowel school of Industrial and Fine Art Makerere University .A textile designer specializing in Tie and dye fabric Decoration using different methods and materials to bring out master pieces of tie and dye fabrics.Have worked with this project with an experience of 14 years. Trained more than 200 students from different Universities and have conducted over 10 workshops with vulnerable groups of peaple like Kataremwa children's home. Luziira prisons female inmates department .Kampiiringisa rehabilitation center, Masuliita , done workshops with schools like St lawrence schools. Green hill .old kampala ss. Hope technical school.and the most recent is tie and dye workshop that was conducted during the UNCC Art and Cultural festival that took place on 1st ,2nd and 3rd Nov 2019 at National Theater. Have also conducted a number of Fashion shows show casing my fashion designs out of these fabrics both in gametes and drappery form.currently working with UNCC In the visual arts department- Nommo Gallery.
18/Dec 2019
Blurring the lines between what is art and what is craft
UCASDR takes innovation and skills development to Kalerwe and Bwaise
By Dominic Muwanguzi
Sitting crossed legged in the blistering sun, a man quietly hummers away a sheet of aluminum plate with finished metallic suitcases and two charcoal stoves (Sigiri) laying by his side. A small crowd of youth and children have surrounded him, with keen interest on learning the skills hes applying here as he welds the metals to produce the household items. A few meters away, in one of the classrooms of the community school, a group of young women are learning skills to make long rooms from sisal and wood materials. Theres also a skills class going on next door on making sandals from discarded rubber tyres and other synthetic materials popularly known as craft sandals. It all these different venues, the learners are paying immense attention to the facilitators of these practical workshops with a shared objective to acquire skills that will uplift their livelihood. This improvement of livelihood is critical in places like Kalerwe where a bulk of the youth waste away their productive time on engaging in illicit behavior like marijuana smoking, drinking cheap alcohol and burglary.
The workshop is the brainchild of Uganda Community Arts and Skills Development and Recycling, an institution that has a strong niche in working with the local community within the sphere of skills development and innovation. In the past seven years, UCASDR has largely fostered skills development in several suburbs communities- largely poor neighbourhoods- in Kampala. These include Kalerwe, Bwaise, Nassana, Mulago and Makerere- Kikoni. In these locales, hundreds of women, children and youth have acquired skills in various disciplines of shoe-making, tailoring, metal fabrication, tie and dye and pottery. The exhibition Art and the Community 2015, at Makerere Art Gallery, that showcased the artwork of these groups of people is a clear testimony to this collaborative approach to innovation and skills development. Nonetheless, such a community initiative could never have been complete without the collaborative support and engagement with Newcastle University, UK and Margaret Trowel School of industrial and Fine Art, Makerere. In the latter exhibition, Professor Andrew Burton, of Newcastle University, played a critical role through his participation with artwork that he made from objects he collected from these respective communities. This gesture underlined the idea of environment conservation that features boldly in the objectives of UCASDR.
In this particular edition of the workshop at both Kalerwe and Bwaise, similar traits from the past workshops where clearly visible. Firstly, the collaboration aspect was evident in the manner in which UCASDR worked with the local artisans who provided valuable skills to both the communities. Unlike in the past, where one or two artisans (facilitators) worked with the community, this time, artisans specializing in different art disciplines were elicited. As such, there were wood carvers, a stick artist, tie and dye artists, candle- makers, shoe- makers and a Batik artist. Each of these, worked with a specific group of people that was closely monitored and supervised by lecturers from Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Art. According to the director of UCASDR, the motive to have a diversity of facilitators working with different groups of people was to meet the different tastes and preferences of the public.
Different people want different things. Someone may want to acquire skills in shoe-making and another in batik art. When you have different specialists in different disciplines you can then meet the varied expectations of the public, remarked Mathias Tusime, Director of UCASDR.
The second form of collaboration was showcased by working with expert art writers. This is a critical aspect of any community based meeting because it primarily creates a possibility of documentation. Documentation through writing or film is one way of preserving what has been done for future research and assessment purposes. In this context, the documented material from the two workshops will be used as a platform to appraise the success of the workshop within the local community. More so, such writing in form of a review or feature provokes varied conversations about such a community arts projects in the wake of a renewed interest in the subject of art and the community at many art schools globally.
Through such engagements with different audiences like the local community in Kalerwe and Bwaise, University lecturers and art-writers, UCASDR is creating a precedent in provoking diverse discourses in art production, innovation and skills development. In all this, the institution is continuously challenging the notion that art exists for arts sake by blurring the lines between what everyone calls craft and what others call art. At the intersection of such disagreements and agreements is where the real objective lies: to incite conversations around art, because afterall good art is what makes everyone talk and think.
The UCASDR workshops took place on 29th- 31 Dec at both Kalerwe and Bwaise on the outskirts of Kampala. They were supported and funded Newcastle University UK
1st 2/2020
Meet Your Artist: Jane Twinomugisha A textile designer specializing in Tie and dye fabric Decoration
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Twinomugisha Jane. Graduate at Margret Trowel school of Industrial and Fine Art Makerere University .A textile designer specializing in Tie and dye fabric Decoration using different methods and materials to bring out master pieces of tie and dye fabrics.Have worked with this project with an experience of 14 years. Trained more than 200 students from different Universities and have conducted over 10 workshops with vulnerable groups of peaple like Kataremwa children's home. Luziira prisons female inmates department .Kampiiringisa rehabilitation center, Masuliita , done workshops with schools like St lawrence schools. Green hill .old kampala ss. Hope technical school.and the most recent is tie and dye workshop that was conducted during the UNCC Art and Cultural festival that took place on 1st ,2nd and 3rd Nov 2019 at National Theater. Have also conducted a number of Fashion shows show casing my fashion designs out of these fabrics both in gametes and drappery form.currently working with UNCC In the visual arts department- Nommo Gallery.
18/Dec 2019
ART AS AN AVENUE
FOR THERAPY AND OPPORTUNITY AT REFUGE AND HOPE INTERNATIONAL
Today I had an opportunity to visit Hope and Refuge International at
Kabalagala, Mitala Road.
Having come from countries that do not use English as
a language of instruction, refugees find it really hard to settle in Uganda and
find means of earning a living.
Apart from that, many have fled their countries
because of war and conflict, so they carry both physical and emotional wounds
which hinder them from achieving their dreams and living a normal life.
With this in mind Refuge and Hope International
started an art program for their youth, who are between the ages of 12 to 25,
who are the most affected by war. This program has youth from different
nationalities and religions and its main aim is to provide an opportunity for
the youth to earn a living through sales of their art pieces and also use the
art for therapy.
This program has had a very positive reception and
successes, seeing some members sold some pieces and also the fact that through
the training they are steadily recovering from the trauma that they went
through. many have also learned English through the sessions as the language of
instruction is English.
Throughout this program Refuge and Hope
International hopes the youth will be able to tell their stories and
impact the world positively as they spread the message of peace and
togetherness.
They teach the
young people about Art at Refuge and Hope because, it is an avenue for therapy
and an opportunity for them to express themselves.
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| Director UCASDR with Cissy a Staff at Hope and Refuge International |
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| Sample of work done by refugees at Hope and Refuge International |
Congratulations on a wonderful issue of UCASDR Journal. The writing by Dominic Muwanguzi is excellent, and I was really glad to see the featured work of Jane Twinomugisha. Her fabric designs are beautiful. Thanks Mathias for making sure this journal got published. Good work, everybody.
ReplyDeleteThis was an inspiring issue of the journal. I am grateful to see how art and craft are helping young people heal from past trauma in their lives. Good work!
ReplyDelete