Kampala Arts Trust

Kampala arts trust is a collective of visual and performance arts practitioners living and working in public and private spaces within the precinct of Kampala. Kampala Arts Trust is run and managed by a board of trustees who are specialists in the fields of concept development, design, project management, marketing and communication, finance, fundraising and legal. We aspire to make the creative Arts an integral part of Kampala urban culture in order to put it at par with other metropolitan cities of the world.

KART does this by:

• • Developing and implementing concepts of public art as a tool for beautifying Kampala city.
  • Increasing awareness of the creative arts as a tool for social change through art education in communities and schools.
  • Empowering and inspiring practitioners of the creative arts working in Kampala through symposiums and workshops to realize their full potential so as to create self-reliance.
  • Promoting Kampala as the contemporary art capital of the region by organizing the Kampala Art Biennale every two years (kampalabiennale.org)
  • Documenting visual art activities in Uganda through an online journal (startjournal.org), this is a research resource for all who will ever want to know about art in Uganda.

The board of Trustees

• Simon Kaheru – Chairperson, Media Specialist 
• Daudi Karungi  – Creative director,  Arts manager
• Henry Mzili Mujunga – Artist/Art educator/Art researcher
• Elizabeth Mbabazi Kaggwa – Fashion designer/Art Gallery manager
• Jantien Zuurbier – Creative director Design Hub / Web designer
• Angela Kobel – Lawyer
• Fred Masadde – Public relations and communication specialist

Kampala Art Biennale is a showcase of contemporary art from Africa with the goal to display, educate and create debate about the value of art in society.
The Kampala Art Biennale is an initiative of the Kampala Arts Trust, a collective of visual and performance art practitioners living and working in public and private spaces within the precinct of Kampala City. It was born out of the need for inclusion faced by artists working on the African continent trying to reach the global art scene.

The Kampala Art Biennale has seen two editions;

• KAB’14 – Progressive Africa, directed by Daudi Karungi and Henry Mzili
• KAB’16 – Seven Hills, curated by Élise Atangana

“Our commitment to the arts seeks to acknowledge Africa’s artistic heritage, protect its legacy and contribute to shaping its future. Projects such as the Kampala Art Biennale have the ability to develop artists and new audiences and offer supporting organisations the unique opportunity to realise this commitment.” – Daudi Karungi, Director of Kampala Art Biennale

”START – A Journal of Arts and Culture” is a Kampala-based online journal covering visual arts, performing arts, literature, music and other creative possibilities on the African continent.  Start has been published by Kampala Arts Trust four times as a printed magazine between 2007 and 2010, and has been online since December 2010.

The website, startjournal.org publishes thematic editions filled with special analysis, art critiques, artist interviews and other stories about the arts and culture scene in Kampala and beyond.

Start targets artists, art promoters and other art professionals, or anyone else with a special interest for original African arts and culture.

With the move from a static, printed version to a dynamic, online website, Start offers a forum and a meeting place where different types of contributors present their views on the current art scene from an Afro-centric perspective. From good quality content written by regular contributors and invited authors, and out of the moderated discussion forums, you will hopefully be able to explore and learn about the talented artists originated in Africa.

Start is aiming at quarterly editions consisting of 5-7 articles. Subscribers receive an e-mail with highlights whenever a new edition hits the virtual streets of the net.

The current editorial team is lead by editor in chief Margaret Nagawa

The secretariat of Kampala Arts Trust is based at Studio’s on 7th, a new creative space in Kampala located at the upcoming trendy industrial area.