Kingston Creative’s 10 best moments of 2023

What a year it’s been! Kingston Creative, in reflecting on 2023, said just ahead of the new year that it was thankful for its partners who have worked with the organisation to create opportunities for Jamaican creatives. Here are just a few of Kingston Creative’s highlights that made 2023 an amazing year for artists, creatives and for downtown Kingston.

#10 THE ART WALK FESTIVAL

This free public art festival held every last Sunday in Water Lane celebrates the UNESCO Creative City of Music, highlights Jamaican culture, creativity, and of course, the country’s artisans.

The festival is held with the support of partners Red Stripe and sponsors Main Event, F&B Downtown, Catherine’s Peak, The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation, and the mayor of Kingston, making 12 Artwalk events possible this year.

From avant-garde ensembles that challenged the norm to timeless classics of Jamaican fashion, the ‘Fashion Ova Style’ staging in July was a mesmerising journey through sartorial brilliance.

Designers included Shades of Africa, Neahlis, and Mamayashi, and the pieces were worn by models from Deiwght Peters’ SAINT International.

Kingston Creative enjoyed a wide selection of local and international dishes in August, especially from Chef Simone Waller-Barrett of Street Food Saturdays, who curated a cooking demo and tasting of traditional sweet treats, and the Colombian Embassy, who brought a South American flavour to the festival.

Hollywood megastar Kerry Washington visited the Downtown Kingston Art District during the summer, solidifying the impact that the Jamaican arts and culture scene has on the world stage with its massive appeal and global reach.

#9 BANKS SUPPORT CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS

In May, Kingston Creative was formally appointed as a business support intermediary in partnership with the Development Bank of Jamaica, managing funds of J$9 million to support creative entrepreneurs Kaiel Eytle (Watooka Films), Glen Henry (Spritewrench Studios) and Sherando Ferril (Yaadbridge Entertainment).

#8 ARTISTS RECEIVE TRAVEL GRANTS

Travel is an essential part of building international networks and learning to do business across borders. As part of the IDB Lab programme, visual artist Suzanna Missenberger was able to visit an incubator in Berlin, Germany, in July to collaborate with Urban Artists Berlin on a mesmerising mural.

Under the Travel Grant programme, dancers Racquel Monteith and Nicholas Bennett also travelled to Medellin, Colombia, for an immersive trip in which they participated in Reggae Dancehall Fest. They held meetings with local artists, led dance workshops, and toured local cultural districts.

Windrush Portraits is a collaborative venture between Kingston Creative in Jamaica, and the John Hansard Gallery in the UK, which commemorates the legacy of the Windrush generation and gives voice to the challenges faced by communities on both sides of the Atlantic. Artist Michael Elliot travelled to the UK for a series of exhibitions and presentations. His work is now displayed on the streets of Southampton in large-scale prints.

#7 CREATIVE AND TECHNOLOGY HACKATHONS

One way to accelerate our natural creative talent is by infusing it with technology. ‘Hack The City’ was held in January 2023, and was an IDB Lab-funded event that focused on finding solutions that will positively impact achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The three-day hackathon brought creatives and techies together and resulted in the funding of three apps– Kris N’ Klean, addressing problems in waste management; Swaze, aimed at enhancing secure and safe travel; and Du Road, providing improvement in public transportation.

In November, the Banj Creative Tech Lab 2.0 hackathon focused on leveraging technology to accelerate the creative economy of the region, while collaborating beyond the boundaries of borders and language. Participants delved deep into intensive learning sessions hosted by Joel Nomdarkham, regional creative professionals and developers. The event closed with a Pitch Day, where the participants unveiled their projects before a panel of investors, industry experts and 500 Facebook Live viewers. This regional hackathon spanned across Jamaica, Haiti and Honduras.

#6 WINNING THE EXPEDIA AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE CULTURAL TOURISM

In September, with the support of the Jamaica Tourist Board, Kingston Creative received an award from the Expedia Group through its Sustainability Giveback Programme, to support the NGO’s work in community tourism and the wider cultural and creative industries, a substantial international investment in Kingston Creative’s efforts to sustain culture-based tourism in downtown Kingston.

#5 UNESCO AND ACP-EU Fund CREATIVE ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME

Launched in November, the Go Global Accelerator Programme supports creatives to achieve sustainable levels of growth and to enter new markets, through training with local and international experts and one-on-one business coaching. The programme focuses on streamlining operations using technology, up-skilling to boost sustainability, and increasing operational capacity to meet greater market demands. This project was funded by the ACP-EU Culture programme and supported by partners UNESCO, CARICOM and UWI, Mona campus.

This follows on two previous cohorts of the Go Global Accelerator programme and demonstrates the emphasis that is placed on the business of creativity and empowering successful creative entrepreneurs.

#4 STREET ART PROMOTES PEACE IN DOWNTOWN KINGSTON

Kingston Creative joined forces with Crime Stop Jamaica for the creation of four murals as part of a new campaign to fight crime. Murals in the series were unveiled in Dunkirk (Greater Browns Town), Rae Town, Rose Gardens and Hannah Town by artists Anthony ‘Taoszen’ Smith, Deon Simone, Bonito ‘Dondadda’ Thompson, and Jordan Harrison. Art in these communities now bring positive messages of change.

Kingston Creative also partnered with the Colombian Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade to support the creation of a new mural focused on strengthening the international relationship between Jamaica and Colombia. A Home Called Love, a collaboration by Jamaican artist Yanque Yip and Colombian artist Jota can be found on Water Lane.

In December, the final phase of ‘Paint the City’ was launched. This is an innovative Tourism Enhancement Fund and Ministry of Tourism-funded street art project that creates the attractive murals in Water Lane, connecting the museums at the Institute of Jamaica on East Street with the National Gallery of Jamaica on Orange Street. This is completed with the support and partnership of Mayor of Kingston Delroy Williams and The KSAMC. The murals are expected to be completed in January 2024.

#3 CREATIVE PITCH COMPETITION INJECTS CAPITAL INTO VENTURES

Kingston Creative, in partnership with the IDB Lab, JAMPRO and the Development Bank of Jamaica, hosted the fourth annual Best Pitch Forward Competition in November. This is part of an ongoing commitment to fostering innovation and investing in creative projects. This year, Shawneil Bailey, founder of Zarabelle, emerged as the first-prize winner, securing a prize of $250,000, along with mentorship opportunities and a bespoke package to propel her onto the global stage. Second-place winner Kristofferson Nunes, founder of Career Doc, landed a prize of $150,000, while Daniel T. Edwards of The 180 Vision LLC secured the third-place prize of $100,000. Capital for creative businesses is critical to the growth of the creative economy.

#2 LAUNCH OF THE KULCHA CONNECT ECOMMERCE APP

Kulcha Connect, a new app funded by the Inter-American Development Bank, the Development Bank of Jamaica and the Tourism Enhancement Fund, aims to generate sales for Jamaican creatives by allowing customers from across the globe to shop for uniquely crafted Jamaican art, craft, books, paintings, home and beauty items. It also boasts a map of cultural spaces in downtown, lists live events in Kingston, and facilitates the booking of tours and cultural experiences centred in downtown Kingston and Port Royal. The app has the potential to help creatives to monetise their talent and access global customers.

#1 KINGSTON WINS WORLD’S BEST CREATIVE DESTINATION

The city of Kingston was elected World’s Best Creative Destination in March by the jury of the ninth Creative Tourism Awards, made up of international experts in tourism marketing and creative economy, who selected the winners among 152 applications from 28 countries. The application for Kingston was presented by Kingston Creative and the award was delivered to Edmund Bartlett, the minister of tourism, by Caroline Couret, director of the Creative Tourism Network, on behalf of the international committee in Berlin.

What a year!