“Art Education is essential for building innovative thinkers who will be leaders for tomorrow.” Barack Obama, 2010:

"We know that countries are more likely to prosper when they encourage entrepreneurship and tap the talents of all their people.” Barack Obama, U.S. Global Development Policy of 2010.

 "Everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life, to enjoy the arts and to share its advancement and benefits." Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 27.

"Learning of arts and creativity is indispensable for the growth and sustainable development of societies and of individuals." UNESCO.  read more on the UNESCO's website

 "A sustainable, balanced model of growth can only be ensured by integrating culture with economic and social development." The Commonwealth, read more on Commonwealth Statement on Culture and Development. 

“1) This Constitution recognises culture as the foundation of the nation and as the cumulative civilization of the Kenyan people and nation.  2) The state shall: a) Promote all forms of national and cultural expressions through literature, the arts, traditional celebrations, science, communication, information, mass media, publications, libraries and other cultural heritage.” Chapter 2, sections 11. The Kenyan Constitution of 2010.

WHY ARTS ARE CENTRAL IN EDUCATION FOR CREATIVITY?

MASK teachers for creativity through the arts.  Creativity is more than the arts, but the arts are the central in education for creativity. 

Why?

1.  Creativity is emotional intelligence and the arts in education give the feelings and emotions form and meaning through self-expression. 

2.  Problem-Solving.  Developing young people’s abilities to solve problems is fundamental to preparing them for an independent life. Creative education can contribute directly to problem-solving abilities in all disciplines and fields of work. 

3.  Developing children’s human resources. Creativity is a basic capacity of human intelligence.  Present tendency is that schools think of children as ‘able’ or ‘less able’, primarily on the basis of academic performance. But it is neither accurate nor responsible.  When children discover their real strengths, there can be a dramatic change in their overall motivation in education.  Discovering individual strengths. can enormously increase self-esteem, confidence and achievement as a whole.

4.  Creative development is intimately related to cultural development.  Creativity is sometimes seen as an entirely individual process.  But focreative achievement always draws from the ideas and achievements of other people: from the books, theories, poems, music, architecture, design and the rest that mark the trails of other people’s creative journeys.   In these ways, creative development is intimately related to cultural development.

Reference to the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education, NACCE.  Report to the UK Secretary of State for Education and Employment and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, May 1999

OUR AIMS

• To provide practical opportunities  for young people in Africa to access creative education.

• To utilize the socio-cultural and economic dimensions of creative education, and encourage peace-building practices and development of creative industries.

• To organise and help build local, national and international art exhibitions, competitions, and festivals, and to build a network of galleries, debates and discussions around the arts education.

• To play advocacy and lobbying roles within local and national regions in Africa  in support of creative education in schools.

• To become a sustainable NGO representing creative education interests of the young people in Africa.

HISTORY

MASK was established by artist Alla Tkachuk who believes from her personal experience that the arts are the most powerful tool to improve quality of live and assist development. 

While painting in Kenya, she got involved in teaching children in local schools and noted that there was a considerable potential to establish a NGO to provide children with the opportunity to acess creative education.

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR

In 2006 we began with nothing but a desire to bring creative education and human development to children in Kenya. 

Now we:

• work in 20 schools in Kenya, transforming local arts and raising children's self-confidence and motivation. More that 25,000 children have benefitted from MASK over the last 5 years, as well as teachers, schools, and local communities. 
• run Art for Peace, Art Teachers Training and Artists4Aid programmes.
•  have organised exhibitions in Kenya, France, the UK and USA.
• during the Kenyan post-election violence of 2008, organised exhibition of Peace Art by child victims of the conflict at the Russian Embassy in Nairobi.  National television channel, KTN, filmed the exhibition and reported on it in their daily youth programme, 'Str8up'; Kenyan radio stations recorded children's peace messages and broadcasted them nationally!
• In July 2009,  organised exhibition at the International Institute of Educational Planning (IIEP) UNESCO in Paris.   IIEP’s former Director Mark Bray hosted the event. For more, visit IIEP UNESCO website here.
• On 13 October 2009 displayed artwork during UNESCO’s General Conference. 
• Organised an exhibition at the Kenyan Embassy in Paris,19 January-18 February 2010.  The Kenyan Ambassador The Hon. E. Odembo together with IIEP UNESCO Director Mark Bray opened the event.
• In May 2010, the leading Kenyan newspaper, The Daily Nation, visited our art workshops and published an article about our work, “Lessons from Mobile Art School”. 
• In January 2011, another leading Kenyan newspaper, The Star, wrote an article about us (read in News).
• In 2010, held our first major exhibition of our children’s artwork at RaMOMA (Rahimtulla Museum of Modern Art) in Nairobi, Kenya.  
• From 3 February-3 March, showed children's work at the world's leading art gallery, the Saatchi Gallery in London  www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/schools/education_room.php.
• In March 2011 together with SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) and IOE (Institute of Education, University of London), organised a seminar, Art Education in Kenya.  It was very well attended.  http://www.soas.ac.uk/cas/africanseminar/10mar2011-art-education-in-kenya.html
• From 2012 run MASK National Art Competition for the Young in Kenya and Esta Africa, with the final shows held at the Nairobi Art Gallery and Saatchi Gallery in London.
• 28 November-5 December 2011, exhibiting at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Smithsomian Institute in Washington DC.  

MASK’s MODEL: practical and accessible way forward

Partnering with schools and the local and national educational administrations, MASK  has developed a practical and accessible model of non-formal* arts education.  

The Model 

1. 1. allows an immediate implementation 

2. 2. no need for governmental policies change, and

3. 3. requires minimum costs.  

4.  
5.  
6.  
7.  
8. MASK's model of non-formal arts education:
9. 1. MASK runs a series of after-school workshops at existing government schools, both primary and secondary, employing such teaching methods as the Kenya Institute's of Education textbooks and best international practices. 
10. 2. MASK trains teachers who then run after-school weekly workshops at schools.  Schools partially fund these clubs.  MASK mentors the clubs.
11. 3.  MASK teachers and mentors schools in putting on regular exhibitions in schools and local centers. 

*Non-formal' means outside the formal education system, outside the school curriculum, and outside school hours, that may or may not be directed to job creation in the arts.

MASK’S GOALS BY 31 DECEMBER 2012

ART FOR PEACE-BUILDING 

Creative Arts are the most effective and comprehensive way of educating children. It is also a powerful and low-cost tool in uniting communities and healing wounds of conflict. Yet, children living in conflict or extreme poverty are often the most deprived in terms of creative input.  MASK strongly believes that teaching children mutual respect and tolerance must be the first step towards a future of peace and prosperity.

MASK:

- Promotes peace and national unity amongst schoolchildren in our art workshops

- Gives a voice to children affected by conflict through our exhibition programme

- Organises exchange visits between schools of different ethnic groups, especially those in conflict, so children can learn empathy and work together in a creative way.

MASK has become an important link between children in the Nakuru, Narok, Laikipia, Samburu, Pokot, Naivasha, Maasai and Baringo regions.

We continuously collaborate in Kenya with local not-for-profit and non-partisan peace-building organisations (the Center for Conflict Resolution-Kenya), drawing on their experience and expertise.

We believe that with sufficient support and resources, MASK can become an important regional organisation providing an inexpensive but effective contribution to the prevention and management of conflict in Kenya.

ART CLUBS

To encourage continuity and growth among pupils, MASK sets up art clubs in the schools and provides art materials for these clubs.

The clubs organise weekly art workshops for pupils of the schools, put on exhibitions of children's art, stage dramas for local people and even produce films about local issues.

MASK's volunteers, pupils and teachers of the schools run these clubs.

MASK believes that the continuous learning of practical art skills can help children with further education and employment.

EXHIBITIONS

Exhibitions of children's art in schools and in communities are an important part of MASK's work. They promote art and demonstrate and encourage children's talent and aspirations.

Read more about ourexhibitions. 

ARTISTS FOR AID