Art for social transformation has been the driving philosophy behind the Teaching Artist Institute(TAI) movement as its gears up for the 6th Artizen Conference slated for Nairobi Kenya from the 4th to the 7th of November 2022 at the National Museums of Kenya Kipande Road Nairobi.
The TAI Flagship event dubbed Artizen conference which has been held consecutively for the past 5years, journeying through almost all the regions of Africa in the process and connecting artists of different practice and cultural backgrounds together in its aim of ensuring that Art impacts our living and collective human experience on earth, is here again.
The 2021 Artizen was held in Southern Africa at Constitution Hill, Braamfontein Johannesburg, South Africa and this year’s conference will be taking place in East Africa on the theme: Connecting sustainable development to Artizen and Art Culture. Though the Conference is to be held at the National Museum of Kenya, other activities during the 4 day conference will include Art Tank Pitch Competition, and Artizen Day of Service at Shangilia Education Center.
Vibrant voices cutting across the Americas and the African continent comprising of Artists, activists, culture experts who are leading different forms of artistic expressions, gets together in search of meaning in their works aimed at elevating cross-culturalism and social coherence regardless of the diversities and socio-cultural compartments of the participants.
Dr Susan Laimaru of Kenya, Minister of Information of the Gullah Geechee Nation; Elder Carlie Towne, Bernard Mornah of Ghana and Dr Barryl Biekman from Netherlands are the Keynote Speakers of the 6th Artizen Conference, other personalities to enrich discussions and lead presentation at this year’s event includes Board President Teaching Artist Institutes Haki Ammi , National Vice Chair Black United Front Swatara Olushola ,Jennifer Folayan of Turtle Island USA ,Nkosinathi Mcnube of South Africa and Chief Visionaire Artizen Conference Kim Poole.
The Conference is designed to engage all sectors in society into artist-led exploration and inquiry; arts culture has the ability to reactivate the “art possibility” needed for practitioners of every sector to stimulate innovation and growth.
Ultimately, this conference provides an opportunity for the Artist class to stretch beyond the limitation of art as only the aesthetic to facilitate learning and community development to join the decision makers in their community as the “Artizen.”
The event is powered by Teaching Artist Institute(TAI) a socially engaged arts/cultural advocacy and training organization that plays an important role in the promotion of art for social transformation and development of platforms focused on cross-sector/cultural community engagement and sustainable development.
TAI specializes in training Artist to develop outlets for socially engaged art and mutual understanding, however, has guided many sectors interested in using Art culture beyond its aesthetic value in cultivating innovation and the “art of possibility.” Currently, headquartered in Washington D.C. with satellite locations throughout the USA and internationally in Ghana, Uganda, Jamaica, Liberia, and The Gambia, TAI is creating the world’s first model in Art for Social Transformation Master Planning.
Other organizational support for this year’s conference includes International Civil Rights Center and Museum, National Museum of Kenya.
You can visit https://ARTIZEN2022.EVENTBRITE.CO.UK to participate.
