Wabwire Joseph Ian is a Culture Producer, Creative Economy consultant, and Arts writer working at the intersection of creative arts and civic engagement. He has worked in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) for over 10 years supporting artists, creatives, and arts organizations in Uganda and East Africa to develop and strengthen their opportunities and growth.
Currently he is the full-time Founder and Cultural Producer at KQ Hub Africa, a Ugandan based non-profit media, culture and arts organization + creative studio. At KQ, he works across visual, digital, and performing arts to produce meaningful culture programs, facilitate capacity building, and create platforms for skills and knowledge sharing.
He also offers monthly networking opportunities, as well as knowledge sharing experiential and imaginative events like artist exhibitions, workshops, concerts, film labs + screenings, fashion and design incubators etc. KQ focuses on social issues around climate action, peacebuilding, democracy, immigration, gender equality, among other themes.
As a Creative Economy consultant, Wabwire Joseph Ian draws upon his wide-ranging knowledge of contemporary arts practices and networks to provide specialist advice, in addition to participating directly in project design, implementation, research, and evaluation. He has worked on projects together with The Open Society Foundation, British Council, European Union, UN Women, Arts Council England, Nesta UK, among other organizations.
As an arts writer, he works as a Visual Arts liaison with Artsy and ArtNews, contributing articles featuring Africa’s talents in the visual arts scene. His writing focuses on how African creatives are changing the narrative of a continent often misrepresented, producing powerful art and displaying hand dexterity.