By: Mercedes Muñoz.

The Youth Art Fund (YAF) has taken a major step forward in its commitment to support cultural entrepreneurs and emerging artists in Cuba. The first support meetings, held at the YAF’s headquarters in May, made it possible to interact with those selected in the First Call for Proposals Program YAF 2023.

In this way, preparations are underway to manage the first instances of support for the production or sustainability of each of the selected projects that YAF will carry out with its own resources. The First Call for Proposals Program YAF 2023 was announced within the framework of the “A Ritmo de Inclusión” project, co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the European Union (EU). It was aimed at visual artists, who submitted a total of 54 creative projects, and also focused on cultural enterprises, which presented 27 proposals from various Cuban provinces.

External Selection Committees were formed by modality (visual artists or enterprises) and after the deliberation published on YAF’s social media, we began a process of exchange to establish specific collaboration agreements with each selected artist or collective. The meetings respond to the fact that we try to customize each support to meet the specific needs of the projects presented by each artist or entrepreneur.

On this subject, Nivaldo Carbonell, president of the Los Carbonell Foundation and main partner in the field of visual arts, commented to those who were selected in this modality: “Perhaps it is not all the support you need, but the idea is to do our bit. It is difficult to make a living from art. The idea of the YAF is to kick-start your creative engine so that you can continue to grow. It is not an easy project, because it is innovative for its context and because it is tasked with overcoming the various obstacles so that entities can support art in Cuba. It’s a challenge we have decided to take on.”

Nivaldo says that living in Panama –living in Latin America– he knows the reality of art and artists in the region. Something very difficult in the region is precisely facing the commercial market. “Today, getting into the art market costs a lot and it revolves around many parameters. Cuban artists currently established at the international level have had the discipline and, although prices and sales are not the only important thing, working with competitive galleries and having a relationship with curators is fundamental,” he explains among other elements of the exchange.

As is well known, Cuba is one of the countries with the largest number of artists in Latin America, which reflects the country’s creative and cultural potential. However, artists and cultural entrepreneurs also face multiple challenges in developing their projects. In some cases, lack of resources, lack of access to financing and lack of support networks are obstacles to overcome. For this reason, initiatives such as the YAF can be an inspiring model for other countries in the region as well.

For Lorenzo Suárez, cultural, economic and political counselor of the Swiss Embassy in Cuba and Deputy Director of the SDC, it is necessary to continue supporting the creation and promotion of cultural and creative projects, an area in which the YAF is doing a great job, for which it would be worthwhile for this initiative to be sustained after its pilot phase (2023-2024). Through its cultural platform, the YAF promotes emerging Cuban art and supports cultural entrepreneurs who carry out their creative projects from Cuba, with a special focus on the visual arts and music.

Among the artists, the need for initiatives like this was recognized, especially for those who are starting their careers outside the academy, as Olivia Torres, beneficiary of the First Call for Proposals Program YAF 2023 with her creative painting and sound installation project Ataraxia, commented. In this regard, it should be noted that the idea of the YAF is not only to provide isolated instances of help to artists and entrepreneurs.

“It is of no use for the YAF to support them in a production and then not continue to develop. If they decide to devote themselves to art, this implies that they continue to grow in all aspects and the art world has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Today, the art market is a business like any other, but there are artists who stand out for their work, because they are always faithful to what they believe in and that is important. The idea is that our beneficiaries continue to develop as artists. If that is their passion, let them give it their all”, concluded Nivaldo Carbonell at the meeting with visual artists.

On the other hand, in the specific case of the exchange between cultural enterprises, in addition to these issues, the importance of supporting the sustainability of initiatives using creative and cultural potential in terms of local development, sound resource management and the implementation of strategic projections with elements of social, environmental and community impact was highlighted.

The issue of cultural self-management was discussed at this meeting through collective creation techniques. Representatives of the different initiatives selected identified their training needs in order for the YAF to design comprehensive support that is not limited to economic aspects but offers legitimacy and tools in a relatively new field in Cuba, such as the management of cultural industries through entrepreneurship.

The three support meetings held were unique opportunities for artists and entrepreneurs to get to know each other, share their experiences and work together to identify training and support needs for their projects. With the finalization of the support agreements for the First Call for Proposals Program YAF 2023, the actions are just beginning. In fact, the first edition of the malaYerba Contest, a new opportunity to present works in the visual arts, is expected to be launched very soon.

In short, the YAF has established itself as a key cultural platform for supporting artists and cultural entrepreneurs in Cuba. Its commitment to creative and cultural development in the country is an example to follow in the region or the world, which can generate partnerships.

Cover photo: Helman Bejerano