This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
On Wednesday, ArtCaffe, a popular restaurant in the city, announced a revised set of prizes for the #ARTofthecity competition following widespread criticism from the public.
The initial competition, which aimed to give Kenyan creatives a platform to showcase their work, sparked outrage on social media when it was revealed that the main prize was free coffee.
Netizens took to Twitter to express their discontent, arguing that exposure alone does not pay the bills of artists.
One user, Peter Oketch, said, “So how many exposures and cups of coffee does the Marketing Manager get paid? Or you dear Social Media Manager... Do u get paid in coffee cups? The artists won't feed on exposure... It is all noble and commendable what you are trying to do... But pay the artists the equivalent of those cups of coffee…Good, no great idea... Poorly executed.”
Francis Macharia echoed similar sentiments, saying, “Why is there an emphasis on the free coffee which is redeemable. You are basically paying artists in coffee all in the name of exposure. As if 2020 isn't hard enough. Withdraw all supposed prizes because defending it doesn't make it any better.”
Under the revised guidelines, the winner will receive a paid internship with the Artcaffe Design Team for two months, a cash prize of Ksh 100,000, or free daily coffee for a year at the artist's choice.
The best runner-up will receive a cash prize of Ksh 50,000, or free daily coffee for six months at the artist's choice, while the second runner-up will receive a cash prize of Ksh 30,000, or free daily coffee for three months at the artist's choice.
Additionally, all winners will have their unique artwork and name printed on ArtCaffe's take-away cups, and will receive an artist profile on the company's website and social media platforms.
