Tuesday and Wednesday 21-22 June, Lago and Foundation lettera27 will host two inspiring appointments at via Brera 30 to mark the end of our (Art)AtWork crowdfunding campaign for AtWork Addis Ababa.
Two days dedicated to art, education ad creativity will be organised by lettera27 on the occasion of the closure of the crowdfunding campaign aimed to fund the next chapter of AtWork Addis Ababa. On 21 June at 18:00 (by invitation only), a conversation between Maria Sebregondi and Daniele Lago “Never stop learning” will take place.
“The letters of the alphabet, like atoms or bits, like molecules o memes – bricks of the Babel tower where languages meet and come together in search for the twenty seventh letter, the one not yet written, the empty space, the window to the future. On its windowsill an open notebook: its blank pages to be covered with experiences of AtWork protagonists…”
An incipit by Maria Sebregondi. The conversation will be focused on sharing and analysing experiences which are dedicated to the creativity of the young artists, with AtWork being the main example. We live in a world in which fragmentation of competences and relations is also causing fragmentation of the outlook. That’s where the role of the artist might once again become key. Therefore, nourishing creativity, stimulating it, providing it with space for growth, constitutes a necessary act in preparation for this change.
On 22 June, selected artists’ notebooks created during the AtWork workshops will be exhibited and displayed for public. The works created by artists and young creatives coming from Dakar, Cairo, Modena, Abidjan and Kampala will be presented to friends and public, providing them with an opportunity to see and touch the fruits of the four-year work. In addition, art pieces generously donated by artist friends (among others: Erminia De Luca, Maurice Pefura, Enzo Umbaca, Luca Vitone, Giorgio Vigna) in support to the crowdfunding campaign will be on display.
Claude Bunny Massassa is a contemporary artist from Gabon. She created Bunny Studio in 2016, a start-up dedicated to photography production, which became DWABI Studio in 2021. As an artist, she has represented Gabon in many international exhibitions in Senegal, Uganda, France, the United States, and Italy. In her art, she denounces social stigmas around issues of identity and mental health, and explores themes of traditions and myths.
Executive Director Kimberly Aceves- Iñiguez has been passionately committed for over 20 years to social justice organizing and advocacy efforts that bring voice and power to youth, LGBTQ people, people of color, and working-class communities in the Bay Area. Before coming on as the Executive Director for RYSE, Kimberly served as the Executive Director for Youth Together, the founding organization of the RYSE Center.
Kanwarpal Dhaliwal is one of the co-founders of RYSE and currently acts as the Associate Director. She supports and guides the implementation and integration of healing-centered practices, grounded in racial justice and liberation, and also develops, promotes, and advocates for policies, investments, practices, and research that enliven healing, justice, and liberation. Kanwarpal believes that the purpose of her work and life is to contribute to movements, communities, and legacies of liberation that honor the ancestors who fought for her existence and survival, and to forge a world that is just and gentle for future generations.
Sagal Ali is the founder and executive director of SAF. After a few years in her career in heritage protection in the cultural sector, she decided to develop the initiative to directly support young creatives in Somalia by launching her own foundation. She hopes to bridge the social gaps and inequalities women face in Somalia, both in society and in the arts scene.
Co-founders Catherine Dunga and Marleen Palmaers created Kitambo to bridge the gap between the African diaspora in Colombia and the narratives from the continent. From Kinshasa and Antwerp respectively, they work to connect African artists from the continent and their peers from the Colombian diaspora.
Martha Kazungu is a curator, art Historian and Founder of Njabala Foundation, an organization that curates periodic exhibitions and organizes a public program of activities to create a safe space for female artists to thrive and blossom.
Alicia Hansen is a photographer and teacher from New York. She founded NYC SALT in 2008 and, beyond teaching valuable creative skills to her students, has developed a long-term support system to uplift them through school and into their early artistic careers.
