About us

Who are we?

The Youth Art Found (YAF) is a cultural platform that supports emerging art and cultural enterprises, with an emphasis on visual arts and music.

Launched in Cuba in January 2023, YAF has emerged as a strategic management channel to coordinate the cooperation of multiple donors and partners. It is an inclusive space for creation, reflection, and cultural debate, impacting a new generation of artists, entrepreneurs, institutions, and specialists. Additionally, it serves as a collaborative bridge between Global South countries, with experience in international academic residency programs.

Who are our beneficiaries?

Visual artists and musicians (in training, graduates, or self-taught) between 18 and 35 years old, guided by inclusive selection criteria (age, gender, geographical and social background, access to resources and opportunities).

Projects and cultural and creative enterprises focusing on participatory management of local development.

International cultural institutions (with an emphasis on visual arts and music).

Mission

To promote and develop creative processes of young artists and cultural enterprises throughout the country, offering them opportunities, knowledge, dissemination and infrastructure to move towards professional artistic development from Cuba. All this in order to use equitable and inclusive access to culture as a vehicle for sustainable development.

Vision

At the Youth Art Fund, our perspective is to be the leading cultural platform in the support and development of emerging Cuban art, with a positive impact at the individual and meso social level, insofar as cultural promotion allows a gradual leap towards the consumption and production of cultural products of higher quality and creative solidity. In addition, we seek to contribute to economic growth around culture as a function of sustainable development. Other cross-cutting themes of our work are gender equity, non-discrimination, protection of vulnerable groups and cultural diversity as pillars of human rights.

Objectives

Promoting the work of young creators and cultural entrepreneurs, their professional development, and access to culture as a vehicle for sustainable development. Supporting, encouraging, and accompanying the diversity of creative processes among young creators, their projects, and cultural enterprises. Facilitating young creators' access to specialized knowledge and national and international academic exchange programs.

Actions

We develop systematic programs of calls for proposals and awards, extensive to the entire Cuban territory, as well as cultural activities. In a single platform, we combine different incentives for youth art in Cuba, such as the availability of exhibition spaces, support for the production of projects and creative processes, opportunities for improvement and academic mobility, provision of equipment, dissemination and professional accompaniment.

Partners

We have an operational office in Havana that will respond to your questions and provide detailed information about our operating principles. If you wish to collaborate individually or through a project, organization, or associated company, please contact us via our email.

Visual artist (Pinar del Río, Cuba, 1971)

Aldo López-Gavilán

Pianist and composer (Havana, Cuba, 1979)

Alejandro Gómez Cangas

Visual artist (Villa Clara, Cuba, 1986)

Alessandro Stella

Pianist and record producer (Rome, Italy, 1979)

Alfredo Fuentes

Curator and art critic (Camagüey, Cuba)

Bárbara Llanes

Lyrical singer (Havana, Cuba, 1970)

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UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Cuba promotes and defends the rights of children in the country.

UNESCO Habana

The UNESCO Office in Havana performs multiple functions of great importance and impact on the continent, as Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, Cluster Office for the Latin Caribbean and UNESCO Representation to the Governments of Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Horns to Havana

The Horns Project / Horns to Havana is a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to instrument donation, repair and training, as well as education and cultural exchanges between Cuba and the United States.

Harvard Jazz Orchestra

Develops programs for college students, with performance opportunities at local jazz festivals, concerts and dances on campus, as well as theory sessions, listening and improvisation skills development.

Sala Teatro del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

Built in the early 1950s, it has been part of the central circuit of Havana's musical and cultural scene.

Museo de Arte Contemporánea de Panamá (MAC)

Institución cultural para la difusión del conocimiento y la apreciación del arte contemporáneo, promoviendo el desarrollo cultural y creativo, con sede en Panamá

Museo Biblioteca Servando Cabrera Moreno

It is a thematic museum, where part of the legacy of the visual artist Servando Cabrera Moreno, teacher, cultural promoter and collector, is preserved, studied and promoted.

Taller de serigrafía René Portocarrero

Simultaneously to the production of works in the serigraphic technique, a program of exhibitions, events and activities related to the visual arts is developed in its spaces.

Estudios Ojalá

Founded in Havana by Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez. Since its beginnings, Ojalá has provided services to musical projects of great transcendence.

Fundación Caguayo

It is a cultural, non-profit, public and non-governmental entity that promotes art through monumental sculpture, muralism, ceramics, among other manifestations.

Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana

Created in 1938 by Dr. Emilio Roig de Leuchsenring, for the protection of Old Havana. The restoration of the historical zone was maintained and increased with Dr. Eusebio Leal Spengler, Historian of the City.

Muñequitos de Matanzas

Agrupación musical cubana, considerada por numerosos especialistas entre los principales exponentes del guaguancó y la rumba. En el año 2001, grabaron varias obras en el CD La rumba Soy Yo , que reunió a los mejores rumberos de Cuba en un "all around" de la rumba que obtuvo un Premio Grammy Latino

Los Güiros de San Cristóbal

Es una agrupación de rumba y música religiosa afrocubana, fundada en 1955 y con sede en el municipio de Regla, La Habana

Patio de Tata Güines

Proyecto comunitario con sede en en el pueblo de Güines, justamente el patio donde el mundialmente famoso percusionista Tata Güines nació. Su objetivo es salvaguardar el legado del músico y rescatar las tradiciones populares y musicales, en especial de la rumba

Soundwear by Dimbath

Soundwear is a family-owned company based in Erlangen, Germany, that manufactures instrument bags and cases of exceptional quality for the music market.

Selvi Artes Gráficas

Founded in 1961, the printing industry based in Valencia, Spain, has gained a special place in the art world in Cuba, in the production of catalogs for artists and exhibitions.

Aurelia Ediciones

Founded in 1996, Aurelia Ediciones is a publishing house specialized in Cuban literature.

i4films

Audiovisual production company founded in 2019 and directed by Inti Herrera and Reymel Delgado.

Vedado Films

Vedado Films is an international film and multimedia production services company with a solid base in Havana.

Di Havana

Dihavana is a multidisciplinary team specialized in design and graphic productions.

NAWE

Cuban brand dedicated to exclusive design based on patterns, cultural icons and universal art history.

H&Lab: diseños, rótulos e impresiones digitales

Estudio especializado en ofrecer servicios de diseño, impresión y ejecución de proyectos de alta calidad

Grupo Inmor

Claxon Hotel

A space for networking and promotion of young musicians, with live performances.

Tempo Habana

A space for networking and promotion of young musicians, with live performances.

Rick Swig

Fotógrafo y documentalista estadounidense. Su obra permite a los espectadores apreciar su visión tanto en acciones espontáneas, recreadas con gran naturalidad, ya sea desde el escenario de un concierto, paisajes urbanos o rurales, o desde la emoción de un campo de béisbol

Jorge Reyes

(La Habana, 1951) es un destacado contrabajista cubano, maestro de generaciones. Ha formado parte de las agrupaciones musicales Orquesta de Música Moderna, la Orquesta Riverside, la Orquesta del Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión (ICRT); el grupo Perspectiva y el mundialmente reconocido Irakere

Filip Novosel

(Croacia, 1986) es un músico croata, arreglista, compositor e intérprete de tambura

Germán Díaz

(Valladolid, 1978) es un músico español, compositor e intérprete de zanfona, considerado uno de los intérpretes de este instrumento más innovadores que hay en Europa

Yaroldy Abreu

(Holguín, 1977), es un percusionista experto en ritmos cubanos de origen franco-haitiano y el conocimiento del folklore afrocubano, con gran técnica y virtuosismo. Ha integrado importantes agrupaciones de baile como Pupy y los que Son Son, Irakere, Chucho Valdés, entre otros

Caridad Diez

Musicologist, music producer and cultural manager (Havana, 1962).

Afra Kane

Es una pianista clásica, cantautora, compositora y productora con una reconocida carrera musical y cultural. Ganadora del Montreux Jazz Talent Awards 2019 y nominada al Swiss Live Talents Award 2022, la artista ha compartido escenario con John McLaughin, Anne Pacéo y Snarky Puppy

Alfredo Sarabia

Visual artist, photographer and professor at the Universidad de las Artes (ISA) (Havana, 1986).

Helman Bejerano

Helman Bejerano (Havana, 1987) graduated in Graphic Design at the Instituto Superior de Diseño (ISDi) in Cuba. Photographer, editor and videographer.

Armando Osuna

(Ciego de Ávila, 1988), es un percusionista con experiencia en el set de multipercusión, compuesto por diferentes instrumentos, incluído el cajón flamenco, que le permiten mostrar en cada presentación la potencia, exuberancia y riqueza rítmica de la herencia cultural de la música cubana

Claudio Peláez

Graduated in Journalism at the University of Havana. Photographer and audiovisual producer.

Lilien Trujillo

Lilien Trujillo (Pinar del Río, 1988) graduated in Journalism at the University of Havana. Photographer, editor, television presenter, marketing and communication manager, and book editor and proofreader at Ediciones Cubanas.

Mercedes Muñoz

Communicator

Board of Directors

Team

Jurors

Collaborators

Board of Directors

Team

Jurors

Collaborators

Youth Art Fund

About us

Who are we?

Mission

Vision

Objectives

Actions

Partners

Lorenzo Suárez

Neida Peñalver

Nivaldo Carbonell

Marcos Madrigal

Mariela Mon

Paola Larghi

Neida Peñalver

Caridad Figueroa

Claudia Yilén

René Manuel Puig

Lorenzo Suárez

Neida Peñalver

Nivaldo Carbonell

Marcos Madrigal

Mariela Mon

Paola Larghi

Neida Peñalver

Caridad Figueroa

Claudia Yilén

René Manuel Puig

Youth Art Fund