Pan-African Creative Exchange as 2024 School of Social Work Artist Residency
January 23, 2024
The University of Michigan School of Social Work, in collaboration with the U-M Arts Initiative, proudly announces the selection of the Pan-African Creative Exchange (PACE) as the featured artist residency for 2024. This initiative, a part of the Arts Initiative’s Visiting Artist Integration Program (VAIP), is designed to infuse the University of Michigan’s engagement and learning processes with the dynamic creativity of artists.
About Pan-African Creative Exchange (PACE)
PACE, founded at the prestigious Vrystaat Arts Festival at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, serves as a biennial arts market and showcase for African and African-diaspora artists. The platform provides a gateway for presenting tour-ready work, showcasing excerpts, pitching new creations, facilitating producer exchanges, hosting workshops, and fostering critical debates—ultimately creating an invaluable network for artists and creatives. The 2024 U-M School of Social Work Artist Residency will feature a bi-coastal duo, Nike Jonah and Erwin Maas, who specialize in art consultancy across various creative sectors. Their residency, taking place during two weeks in February (Feb. 8-14) and April (April 10-15) will encompass masterclasses, workshops, and conversations aimed at enriching the U-M community and the Southeast Michigan region.
Nike Jonah and Erwin Maas
Jonah, a British Nigerian based in London, and Maas, a Dutch-American based in NYC, bring a wealth of international experience to U-M. Their diverse backgrounds and expertise promise a unique perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion matters, as well as the sustainability of performing arts professions in Africa and its diaspora.
“We are excited to partner with the U-M Arts Initiative to host these two residencies, which will explore the diversity of cultural expression and how the arts can drive social change. The intersection of social work, social justice and the arts is a vibrant and impactful area of study. I look forward to engaging in compelling and thought provoking conversations,” said Beth Angell, Dean and Phillip Fellin Collegiate Professor at the U-M School of Social Work.
The February 8-14 artist residency will include:
Feb. 8: Leading and Managing Global Majority Cultural Organizations (Class Visit)
Feb. 8: Theatre & Incarceration (Class Visit)
Feb. 8: ArtsEngine (Affiliate Event)
Feb. 9: Theatre Studies Forum
Feb. 9: Stamps School of Art & Design MFA program (Critique Salon)
Feb. 10: Prison Creative Arts (Workshop)
Feb. 11: PACE Luncheon of the Willing (Public event; U-M Detroit Center)
RSVP
Feb. 12: School of Social Work Art Collective (Dinner and Conversation)
Feb. 13: Essentials of Community & Organizational Practice (Class Visit)
Feb. 14: An Afrocentric Approach to Practice with African Amer/Black Indiv., Families & Communities (Class Visit)
Feb. 14: Unity Diversity Dinner hosted by DEI & Office of Global Activities
Feb. 14: Art-centered Social Justice Practice & Self-healing (Class Visit)
Additional Events in April
April 12: Global Networking & Idea Pitching w/ Pan-African Creative Exchange
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April 15: PACE Speed-Networking Pitching Session