Kingston Creative is a nonprofit arts organisation founded in February 2017. Our vision is that Kingston is a Creative City. Our mission is to enable Caribbean creatives to succeed, so that they can create economic and social value, gain access to global markets and have a positive impact on their local communities. We believe in collaboration and work with a public-private and third sector partnership, a team of organisations that are committed to empowering creative people and transforming Downtown Kingston. We want to develop a vibrant, inclusive Art District and a Creative Hub for training and development and in the long term, achieve sustainable national development through growing our creative economy.
Reggae music is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Jamaica, because this small island of 2.9 million people has given rise toof eight new genres of music and a rich, diverse cultural landscape stemming from a large population of creatives, artists and cultural practitioners. In 2015 it was declared a UNESCO Creative City of Music and in Kingston you will find people skilled in literature, music, dance, fashion, crafts, culinary arts, film and more. Kingston is the nation’s capital and the epicentre of its vibrant cultural heritage and creative production. “Downtown” is the name for the old city and it is the home of cultural communities that are integral to Kingston’s development, like Trench Town, Rae Town, Tivoli Gardens, Parade Gardens and Rose Town, which all have huge potential to leverage their culture for the benefit of their residents. Downtown Kingston features unique Georgian architecture, national museums and art galleries and is also home to intangible cultural heritage, as it is the birthplace of many musical icons, forms of dance and a globally recognised culture.
The United Nations declared 2021 the “Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable National Development”, and globally, the creative or “orange” economy is recognised as a critical sector for the promotion of economic growth. The creative economy includes diverse activities such as music, festivals, tours, architecture, visual arts, digital services, film, fashion, dance, graphic and industrial design, crafts, gaming and even software design. Jamaica is well known across the world for having an abundance of creative talent, but like the majority of developing countries, Jamaica has not yet fully tapped into the power of its creativity and culture to create much needed jobs, revenues and export earnings. Growth in the creative economy is a natural outcome of leveraging Kingston’s place-based, cultural intellectual property and technology. Kingston Creative’s mission is to place a focus on the creative economy and to partner with others to develop a healthy creative ecosystem in Jamaica and have a positive impact on the country.
Over the past three years, Kingston Creative and its team of 100 volunteers have created a movement to transform their city and the lives of local creatives. They host monthly art events like the Artwalk, Meetup and Market Street that have brought thousands of visitors and commerce into Downtown. The team has developed 59 new murals through the Paint the City Project and has trained hundreds via online and in-person sessions. The organisation also opened a shop – the Artisan Collective Store – and a Coworking Space and digital studio space called the Creative Hub. During Covid-19 they have funnelled millions in grants to creatives, masks for communities and training to help creatives to use technology to pivot.
Our vision is not just about Kingston, we want to create a replicable model that can work in other cities and towns across Jamaica and the Caribbean region. Contact us to see how you can get involved or donate and become a part of the positive transformation happening in Kingston, our Creative City.
