Mobile Art Ambassadors
MFA’s 2025 Community Art project supported by JKF is taking to the streets with our curator and artists joining forces with tuk owners who are ready to become Matara ambassadors by transforming their rides into mobile contemporary art canvases inspired by their city and lives.
Partners for Matara Dev Policy
Since 2024, MFA members have been in dialogue with the government on Matara’s development. On June 9, 2025, a cabinet memorandum they supported was approved in parliament, and by August 10 drafting began on the Matara Heritage & Development Foundation Act, with MFA members and recommended private sector experts working alongside public sector experts. The […]
SL Art History Exhibit for Matara Schools
From 15-21 July 2024, Freedom Hub (our parent org.) partnered with the Theertha Artists Collective to host a History of Sri Lankan Art in the 21st Century exhibit at Matara’s Rahula College. Not only did the school’s 500 students attend, but with the support of the Zonal Education Office Matara, so did students from around […]
A 5 month Community Art Journey
From October 2023 to the first MFA in 2024, 5 of Sri Lanka’s leading contemporary artists, led by curator Prof. Jagath, mentored 8 aspiring youth artists from Matara to collaborate on a community art project inspired by Municipal street staff and the need for plastic reimagining & recycling. The work, supported by JKF, became the […]
Freedom Sounds Reign in 2024
Via this one-of-a-kind USAID-supported opportunity, 60 Matara aspiring musicians and performers received mentoring and platforming from 6 diverse Lankan and international musicians and bands who have succeeded in finding their own freedom of expression and ability to have a livelihood through the arts. Over the course of 10 sessions, a final group of artists was […]
A Community Good Market
In 2024, the Festival launched its first Community Market via a partnership between Good Market, the District Secretariat, & National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA). The collaboration included training for 50 micro- and small-enterprise vendors, with 32 going on to the final market, supported by Commercial Bank. The event also prompted the government to open the […]
Rolex’s Carnatic & RnB Rhythms Captivate Youth
Tamil-American Carnatic and R&B artist Rolex Rasathy (Sharanyaa Pillai), supported by the US Embassy, was a festival highlight, drawing packed audiences during her visit, including two music education sessions for youth at the American Corner in Matara and Colombo, her feature at our Matara Women in Music listening session, and her final concert performance in […]