Thursdays with AFA is an event held every other week by the Academy of Fine Arts.  The Academy provides the space free of charge to the artists, and opens the ensuing event up to the public to create stress-free entertainment with a tranquil ambience.  Open to the public from 7.30 - 9.30 pm, it's the perfect pit-stop to unwind and avoid rush hour traffic after a hard day's work.

The premise behind 'Thursdays with AFA' is to create a friendly and healthy environment for artists in Sri Lanka to perform and grow their talents in a relaxed and encouraging atmosphere.  The informal setting is the perfect opportunity for the less assertive artist to hone their skills and cultivate confidence in front of an intimate and welcoming audience.  The event is also a good occasion to network and meet other artists for a collaborative project.
The event was launched on the 24th of September 2015, and the opening act was a soulful original song by Kirk Michael, an acoustic guitarist and singer.  He followed this act with a catchy rendition of Walking on the Moon (originally by Police) with an experimental and rewarding reggae twist.    Kirk was followed by a walk-in artist, rapper Abadi, who decided to do a few impromptu raps to fill in a time slot.  The 3rd act for the evening was the young artist, Lara Modder,  enlivening the evening with her performance of Pumped Up Kicks (by Foster the People), Radioactive (by Coldplay), and Drops of Jupiter (by Train).  After ending her planned-performance, Lara bravely took requests from the audience including an impressive rendition of Zombie by the Cranberries.  The evening quickly dissolved into magic and mayhem with a happy mix of collaborations between the artists and sing-alongs by the audience.

This was exactly the atmosphere that the Academy of Fine Arts was striving for.  The Managing Director of AFA,  Ms. Shyamala Pinto-Jayawardena said, "An Artist needs the right atmosphere, an inspirational space to think and grow with self-confidence, and an abundance of encouragement.  AFA will always aim to provide a creative space for artists from various walks of life to blossom".
The Academy of Fine Arts is an Edexcel BTEC approved centre that offers a Higher National Diploma (UK), with the option of a top up Bachelor of Arts (UK) in Art and Design.  This course is the only multidisciplinary HND in Art and Design available in Sri Lanka, and includes the popular subjects Photography, Graphic Design, Digital Media, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Product & Package Design.  The UK qualification heavily emphasises practical knowledge and work-based experience to be undertaken as a core part of the HND.AFA's academic staff are professionals with overseas experience and a high aptitude in their chosen field.  In addition to the guidance provided by AFA lecturers, throughout the course the learners will work closely with proficient specialists in the industry gaining valuable work experience and building a professional network which in turn opens up opportunities in employment.
The HND course is designed to produce professional Artists with a dynamic set of skills and perspectives.  The concept of a career in the Arts is fairly new to Sri Lanka, due to main stream education being encouraged and the development of aesthetic education being considered a poor choice and also a last resort rather than the realization of a lifelong dream.  This has created a large vacuum in the corporate world for professional creatives with a set of fine tuned skills. Recognising this desperate need in industries, with an army of extremely talented students, AFA has risen to the challenge of filling this niche and providing highly employable professionals.

The free event on alternate Thursdays is a deliberate move by the Academy to give young creatives free use of the Academy space to encourage the arts be it for musical, dance, stand up comedy, poetry readings, skits, or just about any form of creative Art!   The Academy provides the cosy space for various forms of art with the aim of creating a platform to support and promote amateur artists, and a hub for like-minded people to mingle, and find inspiration.

The Academy of Fine Arts is committed to raising the profile and quality of the Arts in Sri Lanka, while simultaneously changing attitudes towards the Arts and creating exceptionally skilled students ready to take on the expanding job market.
If you would like to use the AFA open mic space to perform, hold a workshop, practice or just jam, contact the Academy on info@afa.lk or 077 920 8445.
More information on the Academy of Fine Arts, or to keep up to date with Thursdays with AFA, visit www.afa.lk and www.facebook.com/AFA.Colombo.