A group of ten artists from the Mukuru Art Club was at the heart of a day-long print workshop at The GoDown Arts Centre last Thursday.

 The event, facilitated by visual artist Peterson Kamwathi, was an introduction to the printmaking artform for most of the artists. In what the veteran artist says is a credit to the Mukuru Arts Club, the novice printmakers approached the artform with curiosity and confidence, moving from sketching to block-cutting, inking and printing with excitement and ease.

“This adds to their arsenal of skills and gives them new opportunities for exploration of a new form of self-expression. Learning a new skill and technique brings about a moment of joy for the artist. My job was to make an introduction. Now the artists can pursue the form further and work towards building mastery.”

The workshop was an invaluable opportunity for intergenerational conversation and learning. The occasion saw the participation of a wide range of artists – there were those who started their practice as recently as 2018; and then there was a doyen of Kenyan sculpture, Elkanah Ong’esa. The nearly 80-year-old artist who has worked with stone and wood throughout his career, and comes from a lineage of soapstone sculptors, took to the new medium with the same thrill and energy as the other artists. It was in this setting that the teacher became the student when a 19-year-old workshop assistant was the one offering the master tips in working in the new form.

 Kamwathi points out that this is the value of what he describes as ‘generational connectors’ – spaces of learning where the young and the elderly can come together to exchange skill and knowledge. Asked why he invests time and energy into mentoring and working with young artists, he says that he pours into other artists, young and old, just as others have poured into him over the years. “If I come across a hitch in creating an artwork, for example, I can call on a fellow artist like (Gakunju) Kaigwa and he offers his thoughts on how to resolve it.” Cultural centres like The GoDown, Mukuru Art Club and others across Nairobi play an important role as spaces of gathering and knowledge- sharing among artists.

Visual and Dance artist, James Mweu, who offered Kamwathi training support during the workshop, described the event as a ‘melting pot of curious people,’ eager to learn, hungry for the skill and the opportunities it holds.

Kamwathi adds that the workshop offered the artists value not simply in form of the joy and satisfaction of learning, but also as a new avenue for income generation, emphasizing the ripple effect of training opportunities on the entire community.

The workshop participants were drawn from The Mukuru Art Club located in Nairobi’s South B area and coordinated by visual artist Adam Masava.

The workshop was followed by an exhibition of the work of a selection of print artists curated by Thom Ogong’a. This follow-on event was an opportunity for the students to take in the work of seasoned print artists even as they showcased their own work. The artists participating in the exhibition were: Marie Endo; Peterson Kamwathi; Wanjohi Maina; James Mweu; Patrick Karanja; Dennis Muraguri; Becky Kapten; Akware Elena; and Thom Ogong’a, who recently curated another exhibition featuring different work from these same artists.

The workshop and print exhibition were part of the ArtXchange activities coordinated by The GoDown and supported by the AU-EU Youth Hub through our partner CISP Kenya.