Emerging arts collective Maokwo is set to host its official launch event ‘We Are Maokwo’ at the Belgrade Theatre, in Coventry, with a day full of workshops and artists’ networking opportunities.
Spearheaded by Zimbawean artist and activist Laura Nyahuye, Maokwo was founded with the aim of shining a spotlight on the work of marginalised and underrepresented artists, particularly those from BAME, refugee and migrant backgrounds.
Since 2017, it has been building up a network of artists in Coventry, working with them to identify and understand the challenges they face. With support from the Belgrade Theatre’s Springboard talent development programme, which it joined in 2019, it hopes to bring these artists together with key industry figures, in order to raise awareness of and find solutions to some of those challenges.
Building on work with communities that dates back to 2007, Maokwo also aims to create opportunities for marginalized artists, and find ways of disrupting systems that may be creating barriers to better representation.
Maokwo’s launch event celebrated and showcased works by artists from a range of different disciplines, combining workshops and discussions with spoken word performances and visual art on display. There were also opportunities to purchase some of the artwork exhibited on the day.
The Belgrade’s Weston Learning Space host an open, drop-in art workshop, while in the Burbidge Room, visitors had the chance to try their hand at a range of activities including drumming, dance and poetry and creative writing.
The workshops was followed by an invite-only panel discussion titled ‘Not Another Tick Box’, which aimed to inspire creative solutions for marginalized artists within the arts industry, as it explored ways of working towards meaningful diversity and inclusion.
Maokwo collaborator, Nia Cerise, said: “Maokwo’s events are not simply about performing, they are about the community just as much as they are about the artwork.
“Her events bridge an intimate bond between the performer and audience; done through the intimate spaces she uses and the fasciation of dialogue between artists and audience members throughout that connect us.
“The role of artist and audience member always becomes interchangeable at her events because performers are not hidden behind a curtain, they watch the other artists and are all allowed to be an observer.”
The ‘We are Maokwo’ day-long workshops and artists' networking opportunities, taking place on Saturday March 14, is supported by Counterpoints Arts, coordinators of Refugee Week and Platforma Arts, Refugees Network and the Belgrade Theatre Coventry as part of its Springboard programme.
Launched in 2015, the Belgrade’s Springboard initiative was established to support emerging artists and newly formed performing arts companies to develop their work, offering tailored support over a three-year period. This includes advice and guidance from experienced Belgrade staff, marketing and PR support, and space to create, rehearse and showcase their work, among other benefits.