We're Holding an Art Auction to Support Free Arts Education in Nakivale Refugee Settlement Uganda! ... And now Future Within CBO in Kibera Slums CBO!

Stand Up For Justice and Emily Kaminsky of The Creative Convergence are raising $2,500 through an original artwork auction to help fund the paint, canvas, and material needs for a youth refugee-led arts education program in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement of Uganda called Nakivale Young Talent Community (NYTC). In addition to supporting materials and supplies, any excess art auction proceeds will go towards completing their new Art Education Center.

All art for sale is original, painted or drawn by NYTC artists and teachers ages 14-20.

NEW: 9/23/2024 - we have added original art from Kibera Slums artists connected to Future Within CBO. Future Within CBO is joining us for our September 28th Art Expo. Original art sales will benefit Future Within CBO in Kibera Slums, Kenya which also provides free art education for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. To see some of the children's work, visit Supporting Dreams Facebook page, a page capturing the art of the FWCBO children.

Distribution of proceeds: All proceeds, net of shipping costs (which we hope to keep low by making one shipment from Uganda to the US with our trusted shipping partner Faces Up Uganda and DHL Express; or like organization in Kenya), will be split 50/50 between the artist and NYTC. That is, if you win a bid on a piece, you will know that you will be benefiting the artist and their family as well as sustaining the operations of Nakivale Young Talent Community! If you purchase a piece of art from a Kibera artist, it will be shared between the Kibera artist and Future Within CBO.

Artists and their designee retain rights to use and profit from the image of their art for prints/merchandising: bidder buyers, by participating in this auction, agree that the individual artists and NYTC, Future Within CBO (and/or their designee) will retain the right to use the image of their artwork to produce, sell and benefit wholely from the sale of prints or merchandise.

Shown below: Mansur Kabera, artist-teacher at NYTC (standing below at left in red sweatshirt) poses with other NYTC artist-teachers and his painting called "The Beauty of Africa" which was sold in July 2024 to Ubuntu International.

Background

In southern Uganda, in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement, live 15 young refugee artists who are determined to build their professional career as artists while providing a safe and supportive environment for refugee children and youth to learn art and express themselves creatively. Over 3 years ago, they came together to form Nakivale Young Talent Community (NYTC). NYTC is both an artist collective as well as a free arts education program providing 80 refugee children and youth Monday through Saturday with basic and advanced art instruction as well as creative expression opportunities such as singing, guitar, fashion shows/modeling, storytelling and illustration.

Shown below: Artist-teachers provide instruction in foundational art principles as well as facial and body construction. Every Sunday the artists gather in the afternoon to "expo" with each other, where tehy practice their public presentation and speaking skills.

All of the teachers (and their students) are in the Settlement because they fled with or without their families from the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo or from Burundi and other East African countries experiencing conflict, climate change disasters, and food insecurity.

Seeking their way in this new life, each of these young refugee artists turned to visual, creative expression as a way to express their emotions, to work through the trauma and pain of being a refugee while also expressing their hopes and dreams for the future.

Over several years, they started to find each other, cluster together, build new friendships and become each other's second family. Then in 2021, under the leadership of now 22-year old founder Akon Deograce, they formalized their efforts and started Nakivale Young Talent Community (NYTC). NYTC is now a registered community-based organization and they operate as an artist collective and arts education program.

Producing & Selling Art. This Spring 2024 was a turning point for NYTC. In partnership with Emily Kaminsky of The Creative Convergence and RainMaker Design, NYTC held its first ever virtual art expo showcasing the artwork of 10 of the artists to the world.

Through ticket sales and donations, including a donation from Stand Up For Justice, they raised enough funds to purchase paints, brushes, and canvases for the artist-teachers to produce new artwork for sale and to support their free art education programming. Within a month, the artist collective produced 30+ new art pieces. Check out this gorgeous short video of the artists creating with music from pianist and composer Antoinette Rootsdawtah of Ubuntu International and Stand Up for Justice.

They are ready to sell those pieces to raise funds to complete their center and purchase new paints, canvasses and other supplies!

September 28, 2024 Virtual Art Expo

Stand Up for Justice, a sponsor of the next virtual Art Expo (Saturday, September 28th) [purchase tickets at Eventbrite here], is hosting this Givebutter auction page to help raise funds for the artists through donations and original art auctions. This page is monitored and updated in partnership with Emily Kaminsky of RainMaker Design and The Creative Convergence.

For more information on NYTC including backstory, updates, and artist profiles, visit the Refugee Artist Support Circle on The Creative Convergence Substack.

New Art Education Center

Any proceeds received from the NYTC art auction above and beyond material and supplies cost will be added to the NYTC New Art Education Center Completion Fund.

In August 2024, the artists raised sufficient funds to move from their makeshift sticks-and-tin, exposed-to-the-elements art workshop and studio to a brick built Art Education Center.

For more information and updates as well as to make a donation directly in support of completing their Center, go to their GoFundMe campaign here.

We hope you will join us for the Auction! View the art, read the stories, Thank you for your support!

The artists are multi-talented. Enjoy this beauiful rendition of the NYTC theme song written and led by NYTC facilitator (and guitarist) Krehim Sharon.

Stigma by Wex (Wesley Otieno) [Kibera Artist]