Art has fed our families

Benon Lutaaya and Fred Kigozi used their passion for art to begin a business in Namanve.

"Our parents did not have money for further education," Lutaaya reveals, "so we decided to use what we had."

Lutaaya says his father gave him sh200, 000. "I used this to buy some of the materials l needed for my sculptures," Lutaaya recalls.

An art piece Lutaaya designed.

He got his first job and contract of sh8m. "The contract was to design a recreational centre with   sculptures of humans and animals," Lutaaya says. "With my first product, I was able to get more capital and come up with better designs."

Starting out in 2007,   Lutaaya and his brother have never regretted. Although they had dropped out of school in Senior Six, the two brothers got enough money and pursued further studies.

"We went for a diploma at Michelangelo College of Creative Arts and design in Kisubi," Lutaaya reveals, adding that there, they got skills to improve their products."

Both Lutaaya and Kigozi are currently trainers of fine art students from universities. "We take on interns from Kyambogo University and Uganda Christian University, Mukono," says Lutaaya. "Other students come for consultation on how to improve their work. We charge the students sh500, 000 per module."

Marketing

Lutaaya says their customers are mainly school owners, students, recreational centre entrepreneurs and individuals.

Benon Lutaaya with Jesus and Mary sculptures he made.

 
He says they have done marketing through giving out flyers, cards and a word of mouth from other satisfied customers.

Achievements

Kigozi says that they have been able to buy land, take their children to school and also build houses.

He says they can earn up to sh6m in a month. The art pieces go for between sh600,000 and sh1.5m each.

Lutaaya also designs fountains.

Challenges

Even if the business is lucrative; Kigozi says working under direct sunlight makes   their work difficult and during the rainy season, they get a lot of disturbance because rain breaks their pieces before they dry.

Advice

Lutaaya advises youth who want to take art seriously to be patient and to polish their skills through further education and learning from better artists.

Most importantly, the brothers advise those who want to earn a living in art to diversify their sources of income.

Benon Lutaaya making final touches on the art piece he designed.

 
"Don't stick to one thing: art changes all the time," he says, "you can also go into compound or interior designing so that you can earn from a variety of sources."

Lutaaya and Kigozi design  compounds,  make sand and wooden sculptures of humans and animals. They use cement, sand, wire mesh, iron bars and nails. All those help their products to be durable. In five years to come, the brothers hope to have an institution of art and sell their products abroad.