Creative spaces supporting arts and talent development in Ghana
by spark · Mar 26, 2024
Growing talent in spaces that possess very little resources and direction is catastrophic for every young artist, designer, filmmaker and innovator at large. The creative arts industry in view is a very elaborate and colorful tapestry of ideas, expressions and outcomes that have come to shape our culture – especially as Africans, Ghanaians.
For such a rich industry, harnessing talents that can grow in local spaces for instance is so undervalued. And delving deep into the whys will mostly reveal causes like underfunding, non-existent public infrastructure and poor management of these systems. In the end, many creatives are left to create value with their work, and find meaning in their very own humble beginnings. Here
However, as a measure of encouragement for such artistic minds to thrive within their creations, these small and independent organizations have curated community wide experiences and resources for the audiences that fit their respective brand niche – a way to foster the existence of creative communities, incentivize art, and grow talents within Ghana.
01. Black Girls Glow
A community of women creatives undergoing transformation through a cluster of programs held by the team. In the Black Girls Glow space, participants can expect value in artist sound residency, concerts and a group project, album. Among other things, this initiative extends its reach to social conversations that affect girls and women in the society – YACF sexual health advocacy.
02. Vibrate Spaces
The vibrate space is a community focused initiative designed for the new Alté musician, pop star, and creative entrepreneur in the music business. As a collaborative effort between the team and big name stakeholders – Spotify. pgLang, Super Jazz Club, Oroko Radio etc.. the yellow themed vibrate space offers music production services, consultancy and a resourceful masterclass project for creatives in the entertainment space, seeking to learn more about industry wide topics.
03. Arthaus Ghana
This space is quite unique in its approach towards the creative industry and talents. Arthaus Ghana uses recreation and relaxation as a tool for the community. Through its curated Nixon game nights, sound healing, pottery classes, music and dialogue, the Arthaus clubhouse for creatives open up the community to a different level of fun, networking and creativity.
04. Spark Magazine
A creative community platform focused on talent development at the grassroot level. Spark highlights the work of young artists, creatives and entrepreneurs open to sharing their experiences with its digital magazine editions over the years. However, the new spark goes beyond content creation – the goal “is to build expertise in understanding the exact needs of young people in these areas and how we can support through educative content, informative posts, mentorships and feedback to help them focus on improving their craft” – Spark Founder. Learn more about the #sparkcommunity
05. Noldor Artist Residency
An art institution recognized for its artist residency program that has given many creatives a starting point or very structured direction into the local and international art industries. Through the Noldor Artist Residency program the likes of Kwadwo Preprah, Author Kobby Ben Ben and Nana Adwoa Frema Amoabeng get to explore their creative specialties – art, painting and writing.
06. New comma
The New comma £100 initiative is a very popular incentivised program open to creatives living Ghana and the diaspora. As a brand that believes in rewarding creativity, New comma, in addition to its creator job pool platform offers creatives £100 prize money each month to explore ideas and create very personal projects to kickstart their careers.
07. Dikan centre
An art centre extended as an educational and resource program for the next generation of creatives. With the Dikan curriculum, selected students are entered into programs like photojournalism and documentary practice to learn about visual storytelling. For change, Dikan is focused on imparting students to think, feel and engage the community as growing influential leaders.
08. Trybe Africa
The Trybe Africa initiative is equally geared towards creatives in the Ghanaian industry. However, going further as a brand, the organisation offers solutions to the limited creative opportunities out there. Through curations, Trybe Africa offers its audience multiple lists of opportunities and events beneficial to creatives in various fields.
In the end, through exploration and consistent community centered approaches, the ordinary creative in the country will have a levelled playing field to launch him/herself into the industry.
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