The local non-profit arts organisation Kingston Creative is celebrating five years into its journey to use art and culture to achieve social and economic transformation.

The Jamaica Observer caught up with the organisations co-founder and executive director Andrea Dempster Chung to get her thoughts on the organisation, it achievements, and plans for the future.

She explained that, in 2017, when the vision of catalysing national sustainable development, creative economy growth, and downtown Kingston transformation was first pitched it seemed an extremely daunting prospect. Dempster Chung recalled someone saying: “This is going to move faster than you think.” Upon reflection, she noted that they were correct. She listed a number of activities which she can tick on her to-do list, including building a loyal creative community, working with a team of over 100 volunteers, staff, and advisors; the delivery of 67 murals; hosting over 100 events, offering over 8000 training opportunities, and forging strong partnerships with Government, private sector and multilaterals.

“Kingston Creative has made strides in just five years and we are pleased with the projects that we have been able to implement, but even more so, we are pleased with the impact that we have had. All of the people employed and earning from the Artwalk and murals and entrepreneurship programmes are Jamaican creatives. We are very happy to see the job creation, urban regeneration, and even the goal of removing the stigma from downtown Kingston communities starting to take shape. It is encouraging to observe the more subtle shifts — that creativity is now being viewed more seriously as a path to development and that decision-makers are bullish on downtown, now more than at any time before,” Dempster Chung noted.

Despite the success, she shared that the past five years has not been without its challenges. This has been primarily focused on the mindset of Jamaicans on the role, composition, scope, and intent of Kingston Creative and those behind it.

“The biggest misconceptions are that we just paint murals, we only focus on Kingston, or that this is wholly an ‘uptown’ affair masterminded by a few with a secret agenda to gentrify downtown. Our focus is islandwide and regional as this model can be exported to cultural spaces across Jamaica and the Caribbean. The approach is community-centric and ground up. It’s a long-term conversation about sustainable national development, not short-term beautification. Finally, we are strongly opposed to destroying heritage and architectural assets and excluding or displacing the residents of downtown Kingston in the process of transformation.”

“Our approach to addressing these misconceptions has been two-pronged. We now have a greater focus on community outreach and inclusion supported by a community coordinator and a memorandum of understanding with the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s Community Renewal Programme. Secondly, we just do the work. There is a way in which only your results can tell the real story. There is often a lot of talk and promises, so we want to ensure that we are out there consistently doing the work and delivering tangible benefits to the creatives and communities that we serve,” Dempster Chung added.

While adamant that Kingston Creative does not just paint murals, Dempster Chung and her team at Kingston Creative readily admit that developing the “Art District” around Water Lane has been the very visible and impactful “tip of the iceberg”. She noted that, although it may be only 10 per cent of what they do, it is a very visible indicator of change and it allowed people to dare to dream about the city and its potential.

“Water Lane works because it makes artists visible and clearly communicates their value and the value of the downtown space. It works because it is not just a cultural tourism destination, but an economic engine. Artists can use this space to create higher value creative content and grow the ecosystem. When an emerging fashion designer, musician, or dancer shoots their videos there, performs, hosts events, or sells products there, they generate additional value. It has also played a big role as a catalyst, kick-starting creative places, making conversations not only across downtown, but in Black River, Port Antonio, and Montego Bay. We hope to see many more creative places that generate economic, social, and artistic value cropping up all across the island,” she told the Observer.

Dempster Chung, however, rued over the fact that, even now that there is momentum, and the possibilities can be seen, support for the core of what Kingston Creative does has been lacking.

“It has become standard in development to support short-term projects — everyone wants to fund a mural — but transformation doesn’t happen without a core team that stays in place from project to project, doing the research, building the partnerships needed to ensure that we have the long-term impact that we want to see. Young people and community members also want to be more involved and the reality is that only a very small percentage of our society can afford to volunteer. We hope to find a way to garner more support for the core of the organisation and not just for the projects.”

Despite this, Dempster Chung and her team are really energised, having attained the five-year milestone. She noted that the years to come will see a sustained drive to achieve Kingston Creative’s objectives with culture front and centre in the development plans, and Caribbean creatives thriving.

“Especially in light of the pandemic, I am particularly buoyed by the team’s focus on both community and Caribbean outreach. We are a small region, and Kingston Creative believes in collaboration, so you can look out for the launch of the Caribbean Creative Network, which will help us to scale our impact. We will also continue advocacy and international outreach. The establishment of the Kingston Creative Hub in 2020 [a partnership with the Tourism Enhancement Fund, the Development Bank of Jamaica, and the Hub Coworking] is a real game changer. We plan to develop it as a force for creative entrepreneurship, both as a base for training, mentorship, and support, but also as a content creation and working space. The murals on the hub and in Water Lane create a visible centrepiece, and we hope to build out the art district infrastructure from this point, east to the Institute of Jamaica and west to the National Gallery, and south to the new Rok Hotel and Victoria Pier,” she shared.