Programs
Material comes in, people come in, and the programs are how those two meet. Each one feeds the next.
Art is the entry point and confidence is the outcome. Every Saturday the studio opens to anyone in the neighbourhood, with no fee, no portfolio and no experience needed. Participants leave with a finished piece and a place to come back to.
We collect scrap metal, packaging, seed sacks, bottle tops and offcuts from markets, farms and workshops around Thika. Everything is sorted, cleaned and logged before it reaches a bench. What we cannot use is passed on to recyclers who can.
Finished work is sold through exhibitions, commissions and visiting buyers, and the larger share of every sale goes straight to the maker. We also produce small runs of homeware and signage for local businesses. The aim is steady income, not a single lucky sale.
Each new member is paired with a studio artist for a season of hands on training in cutting, stitching, painting and finishing. Alongside the craft we cover pricing, photographing work and talking to buyers. Mentors are paid for their teaching hours.
We stage shows in Thika, travel with work to Nairobi and further, and host visiting artists in return. Schools and community groups are invited in for tours and short workshops. The exchange keeps the studio connected and keeps the work moving.
Join one
Whether you want to learn, teach, donate material or commission a piece, the studio can place you in the right program within a week.
A program is only real when someone is paid at the end of it.