Art Jam — Building Community Through Live Art
Some projects are collaborations. Others become worlds.
Art Jam was Nico Matagne’s first fully self-produced event — from concept and branding to venue negotiation, artist curation, marketing rollout, and post-production content. What began as a simple compliment to a friend’s hand-painted shirt became a fast-moving community art experience: live painting, music, cultural connection, and a room full of strangers who left feeling like they belonged.
The Spark
Almaz Hochtritt is a Berlin-based artist with Jamaican roots, known for vibrant portrait work that carries emotion, nature, and multicultural identity in every brushstroke. When Nico first noticed her customized shirt — painted by Almaz herself — it triggered that familiar creative adrenaline: the feeling of discovering real talent in real life, not on a feed. Their conversation quickly turned into something bigger than a compliment. Almaz wanted more: more visibility, more community, more spaces to create with others. Nico didn’t hesitate — he offered to build the platform around her so she could focus on painting.
From Idea to Identity
That same night, Nico went home and started shaping the idea into something tangible. With almost no budget and no formal event-production background, he treated the process like a creative campaign: name, concept, tone, and a visual identity that could scale. Art Jam became the working title — a simple name with enough room to grow into a series. He launched a private Instagram page as a “creative sketchbook,” testing branding and building momentum before anything was confirmed.
The Venue Reset
Finding a venue on a tight budget is often the first real filter between a good idea and a real event. Nico initially secured a space that felt aligned — then lost it due to timeline and availability complications. Instead of dropping the project, he returned to what he does best: networking, reconnecting, and re-pitching. The goal stayed the same: a space that would respect the artists, allow community energy, and feel natural for people to walk into.
The Yes —
15 Days to Build a World
The turning point happened at Slap’d — a community-forward bar located in Berlin near the RAW-Gelände area. Almaz brought Nico to a lively event there, introduced him to the owner, and Nico did what he always does: shared the vision out loud. Slap’d had one opening… in roughly two weeks. Nico locked in immediately. With the clock now real, Art Jam shifted from “one day” to “this date.” Within hours, he was back at home designing logos, building a proposal, and mapping the event format around what the venue could actually host.
Artist Lineup and the Live Painting Core
With Almaz as the featured artist, Nico designed the event around live creation rather than passive display. Art Jam was never meant to feel like a static exhibition — it was built as a space where guests could witness the process unfold in real time.
To expand the vision, Almaz connected Nico with two additional artists whose practices deepened the cultural and emotional range of the event.
Kelvin Kioi Nganga, a Kenyan artist based in Germany, presented soulful contemporary portraits rooted in cultural narrative and everyday life, blending imagination with lived experience.
Satta Briama, a Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist, showcased powerful oil and acrylic works centered on Black womanhood, weaving emotion and storytelling into each piece.
Together, the lineup felt intentional and cohesive — diverse in background, unified in depth. Nico curated the flow of the space so the venue transformed into a moving studio, where guests could engage directly with the artists, watch canvases come to life, and experience art as something living rather than finished.
Marketing Like a Campaign
With only days to build awareness, Nico treated promotion like a rollout: Eventbrite page, QR codes, poster drops, social posts, TikTok/IG reels, word-of-mouth, and direct outreach to local businesses and community spaces. He pushed every channel available — not as noise, but as a clear invitation into a vibe. The goal wasn’t just attendance; it was the right crowd: creative people, culture lovers, and community-minded energy.
Mauerpark — The Mini Jam That Fueled the Main Jam
The Sunday before the event, Nico created a smart promotional moment: a mini live-painting session in Mauerpark. It wasn’t the same audience as Slap’d — but it was a crowd, and crowds create curiosity. Friends showed up. Strangers stopped. People asked questions. Flyers moved hand-to-hand. More importantly, it generated content that made Art Jam feel real before the doors even opened.
Show Day — Organised Chaos
Art Jam ran from 2PM to 10PM — and Nico hosted it like a creative producer: setup, playlists before the DJ, live painting flow, artist support, crowd energy, and constant problem-solving behind the scenes. With no budget for a videographer on short notice, he invested in a gimbal and captured stabilised footage while still running the event. The pressure was real — but the room didn’t feel it. People stayed until closing. Some attendees even travelled hours to be there.
The artists were happy. The venue was happy. Nico was exhausted — and proud.
Art Jam wasn’t just a one-night event — it proved a repeatable concept. The response continued after the night ended, with people asking about the next edition and the community growing beyond the event itself.
Impact (from Nico’s tracking):
~170 attendees • 117 tickets / 622 visits (11% CVR) • 12K+ Instagram reach • 7.9K TikTok reach • IG 0 → 89 followers • 150+ posters distributed
Art Jam is still young — but the foundation is real: a format built around live creation, cultural energy, and community-led collaboration. For Nico, it confirmed something important: when the vision is clear and the people are right, momentum can be built fast — and built again.