Mbabane Art Space – a platform for creative expression and learning exchange in Eswatini

  • Amount funded: £8,000
  • Year: 2023
  • Duration: 10 months
  • Locations: Kingdom of eSwatini
  • Grant stream: Creative grants
Issue

In Eswatini there is a need to address the development of fine arts and the lack of overall arts education and creative opportunities. There is also a gap in the number of opportunities available for paid creative work and networking opportunities for local artists.

Project partners
Yebo Art Gallery
ArtReach
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How we are helping

The grant will provide start-up capital needed to secure an available space to establish a platform for creative expression and learning exchange which will re-centre community arts projects and bridge the opportunity gap in Eswatini for local artists and creative endeavours.

About the project

Mbabane Art Space will be a small, dynamic, collaborative and sustainable art-space within the city centre that hosts manageable micro-creative events, artist meetings and a social working station. Events will vary from art exhibitions and onsite-residencies, to public talks, recitals, performances, readings and recordings, with a strong emphasis on themes related to creative entrepreneurship, freedom of speech, social justice issues, gender rights and environmental or climate action.

The space, together with its programming, will be a safe, independent, youth-focused and non-judgemental zone of inclusion for all participants and visitors, providing an important incubation area for alternative cultural development in the capital city.

Crucially, it will also act as a much needed, and long overdue, part-time office and meeting space for the collaborating entities, providing a reliable, secure and creative environment (with Wifi and other necessary amenities) for both strategic planning and action purposes. This will significantly boost overall organisational stability, impact and growth for the long-term to support arts and culture development.

Project Partners
Yebo Art Gallery

Yebo! Art Gallery, founded in 2011, is the only contemporary art centre in Eswatini, and has curated over 55 exhibitions (both locally and internationally) whilst working with over 100 local artists. It is an art-space that regularly hosts micro-creative events, artist meetings and is a social working station with a youth focus. In addition to the main gallery space, Yebo also hosts a series of workshop spaces for production and training, an artist’s library, and a gallery shop (for locally designed and handmade design products) – as well as an online retail space.

ArtReach

Yebo! Art Gallery established ArtReach in 2012 as a non-profit organisation to address the development of fine arts in Eswatini, and the lack of overall arts education and creative opportunities. It provides a critical space for local art in Eswatini, with a particular focus on youth inclusion and creative learning exchange.

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