2016 OSI Community Fellow, Jermaine Bell recently had the opportunity to work with the organizers of the Red Bull Amaphiko Academy, a 10-day event providing mentorship and skills training for social entrepreneurs to allow them to develop and expand their projects.
Bell, whose fellowship at Exit the Apple helps to create programming for the unsupported–primarily African- American–artist community, helped design the space at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center for the Open House and Gallery show pop up shop and breakout rooms on opening night. Bell worked with other local artists from Open Works and Section 1 to create the spaces.
Bell’s relationship with the organizers of the Academy extends back to 2015, when he put together a panel of local artists and creators to showcase the city, then again helped develop the initial campaign for the first installment of the Amaphiko Academy US.
Also participating in the Academy is 2014 OSI-Baltimore Community Fellow Shawn Burnett and his organization Walks of ART. Burnett is collaborating with author D. Watkins and photographer Devin Allen to bring a two-day journalism master class to Baltimore City youth, which begins tonight. Workshop final presentations will be showcased at the Red Bull Amaphiko Festival at the Impact Hub Baltimore in Station North from 3pm to 8pm on Sunday, August 20.
Walks of ART, which Burnett started in 2011 and expanded during his fellowship, aims to have a positive impact on the cognitive development, emotional health and social lives of underserved youth in Baltimore City through arts education, recreation and mentoring.