My first day as a creative placemaker
This is one of a continuing series of stories contributed by youth engaged in self-expression through the arts via programming at Kimball Jenkins in Concord.
A note from Yasamin Safarzadeh, Program Director at Kimball Jenkins:
I want to take a moment to share my continued support and excitement for this youth writing incubator facilitated by the efforts of Manchester InkLink. This partnership is lifting up the voices of our community’s youth and young adult population no matter what their background. These educational opportunities are integral in hearing the voices which are so important and so often overlooked in the state.
This piece is written by my friend Jufe whom I have known for four years now since he and his family have been rehomed here in the states and I am so thankful to have watched him walk through the brilliantly curated festival by Laura Zorawowicz and Sponsored by The Palace, Studio 550 and other awesome local organizations in order to interview so many brilliant artists and performers.
My First Day as an Art Vendor and Creative Placemaker
Story contributed by Jufe Karabundika
Photos by Yasamin Safarzadeh
Hey everyone! My name is Jufe Karabundika. I am here at an event called ManchesterArts Festival. We are celebrating art and dance. I got here with my mom, who walked me and my brothers and sisters from home to the Palace Theatre. My older sister and younger sister plus my brother are also participating in vending at this event. My friend Yaz invited me here and I’m really thankful for that. I am talking with you about how the event is going. The event took place September 17 and 18, 2022.
It is a long festival and we have been working both days. But it’s fun and we had good food and got to skateboard.
Anyway, when I was walking on the street, the first people I met were Jozimar and Chau. They work for Manchester Arts Commission. They also have a gallery space at city hall and their mission is to bring arts into the community. I make art too, so one day I am hoping to be in this gallery. Yasamin says it is a gallery for the city.
My brother and myself made some art for the event. We make art from old books- those do not sell so much. We also made paintings. I sold some but I lost my money. My brother thinks I spent it, but I know it was lost because I didn’t have a wallet. Yasamin gave us wallets the next day.
As I was walking around I met a person named Claire Provencher and she is a really great artist. She has an education in ceramics, but she does not use a machine to make her cups, instead she uses her hands to cut clay and fold it into the shapes we saw that day.
My other friend Amber Nicole made a big canvas for everyone in the event to paint and draw on. Many people came to see the painting and added to the work. My sister worked with one man who came. His name is Richard Haynes and he is very funny.
There were many cool people who I met. I saw a woman painting a picture of her children. She is going to be in a show at the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. Her name is Michelle Peterson. This is a picture of her working.
I met also Randall Nielson who is the president of Queerlective and he and his husband had many artworks for sale. There were too many people I met.
Theo Martey was there. Yaz tells me he is an artist laureate. This is a very famous artist in New Hampshire. Anyway, my sister loves music and drums. I am happy she played the drums with Theo. I loved the people who were on silk doing gymnastics. I hope one day I can dance like they do.
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About the author
Jufe Karabundika is a New American by way of the Congo and originally from Burundi. He is in 7th grade and speaks English, Swahili and French. He loves dancing and fashion and loves to play sports, and participates in programming at Kimball Jenkins in Concord.
About the Ink Link Inkubator
This Inkubator program is aimed at nurturing and growing New Hampshire’s local journalism ecosystem – support for educators, opportunities for students and creating pathways for future journalists. And beyond that, we want to engage our community in this process because together, we rise. The program is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36‐4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association. Make a tax-deductible contribution here.
