Visual Collaborative

Last updated
Visual Collaborative
Visual Collaborative Corporate Identity.png
Logo since 2011
Status   Active   
Genre   Conference, Pop-up exhibitions and digital properties   
Frequency   Seasonal   
Venue   Various locations, Online   
Headquarters New York City, New York, U.S.
Years active18
Inaugurated2007   
Founder    Olufeko   
Organized by   Visual Collaborative, LLC
(Minneapolis) (2007–2023; dissolved)
International joint venture; Publishing only
(2024-Present)   
Electronic Publishing
CategoriesLifestyle
Innovation  
First issueApril 5, 2019  
LanguageEnglish (Some articles in French or Spanish)  
ISSN  2642-9780  
OCLC 1096432925  
Website visualcollaborative.com

Visual Collaborative is an American festival and publishing platform highlighting the intersections of people, commerce, and innovation. Acclaim for its social impact in humanities, it was featured by VOA, for advancing the cause of humanities and the creative economy. The platform organizes exhibitions that feature talks, art, technology, development, and live music performances. [1] Over the years, the initiative has grown in scope and size, aligning with sustainable goals. [2] [3]

Contents

History

In 2006, inspired by the open collaboration movement, designer and technologist Ade Olufeko founded Visual Collaborative to bridge the gap between creative professionals and their commercial value. [1] [4] Since originating in Minneapolis, Visual Collaborative has showcased collections and talks in Minneapolis, Miami, New York City, The Mission San Francisco California, Columbia Maryland, and Washington D.C. [5]

In 2007, the group's inaugural event featured international artists Miko Simmons and Linda Zacks, which took place at the original Center for Independent Artists, inside Instituto de Cultura y Educacion located in a community of South Minneapolis. In 2011, in Washington D.C., Visual Collaborative produced an exhibition featuring emerging and established artists with a collection described as vibrant new art. [5]  In 2015, the platform collaborated with the Arts District Hyattsville Master Association in Hyattsville, utilizing the Lustine Center to host a group exhibition themed Vanity. [6]

Operating model

Up until 2015, the platform's exhibitions occurred as disruptive innovation in a traveling formatted pattern. [7] They have been held in reputable galleries, lofts or donated spaces by private owners who include art enthusiasts and lifelong patrons of the arts. [6] They are executed through joint ventures with other arts and humanities organisations [4]  which have in the past included Arts District Hyattsville Master Association in Prince George's County and Voices for Children Miami. [8] In April 2019, Visual Collaborative launched an open access online collective called Polaris, also documented as North Star by the Library of Congress, ISSN 2642-9780. [9]

A month-long pop-up exhibition featuring emerging artists and creatives took place in Adams Morgan, Northwest of Washington, D.C., 2011 Aerial View of 18th St.jpg
A month-long pop-up exhibition featuring emerging artists and creatives took place in Adams Morgan, Northwest of Washington, D.C., 2011

Visual Collaborative is a platform that represents artists and works of diverse backgrounds. Its past emerging and notable features include: Aniekan Udofia, Tiphanie Brooke, Dawn Okoro, Danielle Eckhardt, Eugene Ankomah and music recording artist TolumiDE. [10]

In 2008, Visual Collaborative adopted an outreach model, partnering with Voices for Children Miami-Dade, a Children Foundation that raises funds for abused and neglected children in Miami-Dade County—The organisation gave their proceeds to charity to help build the bridge between the community and the arts. [11] [12]

Exhibitions

Events held in U.S. cities before publishing expansion:

Publishing

In April 2019, Visual Collaborative launched an open access online collective called Polaris, also documented as North Star by the Library of Congress, ISSN 2642-9780. [9] The project commenced in the winter of 2019 for a period of three months. The interdisciplinary collective featured 26 practitioners from various disciplines from the United States, Europe and African metropolitan cites such as Lagos and Cairo. Articles from the catalog received coverage from various news media for highlighting the intersections of people, commerce and innovation. [14] [15] [16] The Polaris catalogue explores creative disciplines, perspectives and intrinsic value of the featured practitioners and how they interact with society. [17] [18]

French musical duo Helene and Celia of Les Nubians featured in TwentyEightyFour, the collective's fifth publication. Les Nubians 4.jpg
French musical duo Hélène and Célia of Les Nubians featured in TwentyEightyFour, the collective's fifth publication.

Polaris features both established or emerging people in the creative industry, intersecting with anthropology and humanities. Its subtopics may include health and wellness, architecture, fashion, entertainment news and non-partisan political themes. In addition to covering professionals from regions around the globe, the content aims to boost literacy in various socioeconomic circles. [19]

In June 2019 bringing in the summer equinox, the second volume of the Polaris series featuring 25 people was released under the title Voyager. Exploring life journeys of the invited participants in long form interview format, topics and subjects related to influence, economic disparities, pragmatism, self awareness and youth leadership among others were covered. [20] Grammy-nominated music artist and performer Seun Kuti, the youngest son of legendary afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti appeared as one of the main features. [19] Other features included Pan-African activist Aya Chebbi, the first ever African Union Youth Envoy, Marcie Rendon an Award-winning playwright, poet and writer of native American Ojibwe ancestry and Minneapolis Civil Rights Commissioner, Anika Robbins.

In the Voyager collective, some of the interviews are presented in both the French and English language, accommodating featured influencers from French speaking regions. [21] In the same month, during pre-coverage of Voyager's release, forthcoming issues were announced. [22]

"It’s refreshing to see younger people interested in creating, contextualizing, re-defining, preserving, and chronicling art, culture, and history." said Kaia Black, of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, who appeared in volume II of the collective. [23]

2020 TwentyEightyFour

In May 2020, international news outlets announced the release of the TwentyEightyFour series. The 5th volume of the Polaris catalog consisted of conducted and transcribed interviews, among the 21 participants featured French music sisters Les Nubians, Metal Gear music and soundtrack composer Rika Muranaka, Global strategist Busie Matsiko-Andan, Comedian Chigul, Electronic music artist Coppé and a reprised conversation of Nollywood actress Dakore Akande. [24] Themes of adaptability and empathy ran consistently across the collective, aiming as a reprieve and alternative to the COVID-19 pandemic media barrage. [25]

Polaris interviews

Selected features from over 150 guests from the Polaris catalogue Volumes 1–10. Credits from The Punch , This Day , Vanguard, The Guardian and Business Day news. [18] [15] [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Nubians</span> French musical duo

Les Nubians is a French musical duo, composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart from Paris, France. In 1985, the sisters moved with their parents to Chad. Seven years later, they returned to Bordeaux, France, and began singing a cappella, producing poetry slams in Bordeaux and Paris, and singing background vocals for various artists worldwide. The duo's debut album Princesses Nubiennes was released by Virgin Records, France, in 1998.

Jens Gad is a German producer, songwriter and guitarist of Danish parents. He started making music at a young age.

Dawn Okoro, is a Nigerian American artist who paints figurative art works, as well as practices photography and videography, all inspired by fashion and popular culture. She graduated from University of Texas-Austin in 2002 with a B.A. in Psychology and Fashion Design and graduated with a law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in 2009.

Rika Muranaka is a Japanese composer and music producer renowned for her songs in Konami’s Metal Gear video game series.

William Coupon is an American photographer, known principally for his formal painterly backdrop portraits of tribal people, politicians and celebrities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seun Kuti</span> Nigerian Afrobeat saxophonist and singer (born 1983)

Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known Seun Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer and the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Seun leads his father's former band Egypt 80.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coppé</span> Japanese musician

Coppé is a Japanese electronic music singer-songwriter and music producer. She has affectionately gained the title of "The Legendary Godmother of Japanese Electronica". She has released fifteen solo albums on her self-owned Mango + Sweetrice label. She released the most acclaimed album of her career, "8", in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nse Ikpe-Etim</span> Nigerian actress (born 1974)

Nse Ikpe-Etim is a Nigerian actress. She came into prominence in 2008 for her role in Reloaded. She was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 5th and 8th Africa Movie Academy Awards for her role in Reloaded and Mr. and Mrs., respectively. In 2014, she won the Best Actress in a Drama award at the 2014 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) for playing "Nse" in Journey to Self.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakore Egbuson-Akande</span> Nigerian actress

Dakore Egbuson-Akande is a Nigerian actress. She is an ambassador for Amnesty International, Amstel Malta and Oxfam of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antigirl</span> American artist (born 1981)

Tiphanie Brooke, known professionally as Antigirl, is an American multidisciplinary artist and graphic designer, best known for her series of heart paintings, street art and collages.

Polly Alakija is a British muralist, artist and children's book author. Born in Britain, she moved to Nigeria upon marrying her Nigerian husband and most of her works focus on Nigerian-themed concepts.

Remi Vaughan-Richards is a Nigerian filmmaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chigul</span> Nigerian comedian (born 1976)

Chioma Omeruah, better known as Chigul, is a Nigerian comedian, singer and actress who is known for her accents and comedic characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahia Shehab</span> Egyptian visual artist and art historian

Bahia Shehab is an Egyptian multidisciplinary artist, designer, historian, creative director, educator and activist based in Cairo. Her work is concerned with identity and cultural heritage, and uses Islamic art history and in particular Islamic calligraphy and graphic design to explore contemporary Arab politics, feminist discourse and social issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ade A. Olufeko</span> Designer, technologist, and entrepreneur

Ade Abayomi Olufeko, is an American-born designer and technologist primarily active in Lagos, Nigeria. He is known for his international contributions to the humanities, impacting regions like the United States, Africa, Asia, and Europe. His work evolved from direct interactions and collaborations with consortiums, advocacy groups, and artist collectives. He is the founder of Visual Collaborative, an American platform collaborating with diverse experts on socio-economic issues.

Tosin Oshinowo is a Lagos-based Nigerian architect and designer, creative entrepreneur, public speaker and author.

<i>Remember To Rise</i> 2018 derivative artwork by Ade Olufeko

Remember To Rise subtitled Black's Dream is a derivative work of the Iyasile Naa, a massive art collaboration. Observing innovation in developing countries, technologist of Ijebu descent Ade Abayomi Olufeko, known for his collective signature created the work as a cultural bequest for the African continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aya Chebbi</span> Tunisian diplomat

Aya Chebbi, is a Tunisian diplomat, and a pan-African and feminist activist. She became the first appointed African Union Envoy on Youth in November 2018. Appointed by the chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki in November 2018, as the youngest senior official in the history of the African Union and youngest diplomat in the chairperson's cabinet. She supports the Chairperson in addressing his thematic priority of working with and for young people and advocate to Silencing the Guns by 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcie Rendon</span> Native American author

Marcie Rendon is a Native American playwright, poet, author, and community arts activist based in Minneapolis. She is an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

Ade Adekola, is a Nigerian multidisciplinary conceptual artist. He is known as a photographer, painter, textile artist, digital artist, and writer. He lives in Lagos.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Visual Collaborative treats arts enthusiasts to an evening of performances". The Guardian. December 21, 2015. Archived from the original on Sep 3, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  2. ↑ Onyekwelu, Stephen (4 December 2019). "LIFE & ARTS Nse Ikpe-Etim, William Coupon, others drive creative sector SDG". Business Day . Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "Nse Ikpe-Etim, William Coupon and Nere Teriba in latest Visual Collaborative SDG publication". The Guardian. December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on Dec 5, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Makori, Vincent (host) (18 December 2015). "A technologist, Visual Collaborative". Africa 54. Voice Of America (VOA).
  5. 1 2 3 "Visual Grandeur, A Visual Collaborative Exhibition". African Digital Art. December 21, 2015. Archived from the original on Oct 1, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Visual Collaborative…redefining the essence of arts". The Guardian. December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on Sep 3, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  7. ↑ "About Visual Collaborative". visualcollaborative.com. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  8. ↑ "R&B Singer TolumiDE Serenades Guests at Visual Collaborative 'VANITY' Event!". Ladybrille.com. December 17, 2015. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Visual Collaborative in Periodicals database | OCLC WorldCat. OCLC   1096432925.
  10. ↑ "Artists & Speakers". visualcollaborative.com. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  11. ↑ Visual Collaborative Miami Florida HFA
  12. 1 2 "Visual Collaborative Art Exhibition, Miami 2008!". Ladybrille. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Diaspora Initiative continues its platform to push emerging artists". Entertaining Africa. December 19, 2014. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ade Olufeko speaks at Yale University, collaborates with Bahia Shehab, others in new collective". New Telegraph. April 2, 2019. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved Feb 1, 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Bahia Shehab, Bobby Yan, others feature on Visual Collaborative". The Punch. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  16. ↑ Agbana, Rotimi (2 April 2019). "Shehab, Bobby, Tosin Oshinowo, others featured on Visual Collaborative". Vanguard (Nigeria) . Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  17. ↑ Oreoluwa, Mayowa (2 April 2019). "Ade Olufeko speaks at Yale University, collaborates with Bahia Shehab, others in new collective". News Direct. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  18. 1 2 "Tosin Oshinowo, Remi Vaughan-Richards, and other Nigerians featured in online catalogue". This Day. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  19. 1 2 "U.S based Festival Platform Visual Collaborative features Seun Kuti & Other Africans". Bella Naija. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  20. ↑ Ganiu, Olaitan (17 June 2019). "Seun Kuti, Seun Kentebe, others featured on international platform". The Nation . Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  21. ↑ "Elozi Lomponda Interview by Visual Collaborative" . Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  22. ↑ "Seun Kuti, Chris Uwaje, Others to be featured on Visual Collaborative". No. Life & Style. This Day. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  23. ↑ "Kaia Black Interview on Visual Collaborative". Visual Collaborative. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  24. ↑ Onyekwelu, Stephen (6 May 2020). "Les Nubians, Rika, Chigul, Dakore feature in TwentyEightyFour". Business Day (Nigeria) . Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  25. ↑ "Les Nubians, Rika Muranaka, Chigul, Busie Matsiko-Andan, Coppé appear in TwentyEightyFour". The Guardian. May 3, 2020. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  26. ↑ Bankole, Idowu (17 June 2019). "Seun Kuti, Chris Uwaje, others to feature on American platform, 'Visual Collaborative" . Retrieved 6 July 2019.
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