Contact the undergraduate researcher: Aime Mulungula, School of Business


Aime Mulungula ’25 knows firsthand that artistic talent needs support and resources to succeed. Now in his second year at UConn, the young artist is aiming to give back to the community he grew up in by creating a brand and support system for other young creatives using his skills and business acumen.

Mulungula boasts everything the successful young UConn entrepreneur has done, including working as a research assistant at the Werth Institute and managing professor Ryan Coles, who helped raise money for black entrepreneurs in Connecticut. But he was an artist first.

Mulungula says he started painting when he was in Tanzania, where he was born. “Ever since I can remember, actually. But in my community in Tanzania, art wasn’t taken seriously.

His intense involvement with the visual arts came after his family moved to Connecticut when he was 11 years old. Mulungula found such openings after settling in New Haven NXTHVNAn arts incubator that offers paid internships to high school students (among other resources for creatives of all ages). NXTHVN nurtured Mulungula’s creativity and gave him an annual gallery space Apprentice exhibition.

Mulungula was forced to use his art to combat the stereotypes about Africa and Africans that he encountered with his classmates in high school. During his internship, he visited local classrooms to give presentations about modern life on the African continent. His gallery exhibition is featured Portraits Prominent African artists and thinkers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lupita Nyong’o, and the likes of himself.

Self-portrait of the artistThese portraits are now pieces of wearable art, the latest expansion of the Mulungula brand Libon Studio. nice, French for “good,” was also Mulungula’s name (it became “Aime” during the paperwork that accompanied his immigration to the United States). In the year In 2021, the title of his own painting “The Philanthropist” returns to this name, which reflects the good that Mulungula sees as his work registers in the world.

Through Lebon, Mulungula hopes to provide young artists with a mentorship structure and income opportunities. The brand features a social media presence, an art gallery online space, and an art prints and apparel e-store.

“I’m trying to show that you can make money from art,” says Mulungula. “For young artists, many people think, ‘I can’t make art, it doesn’t make much money.’ So I’m trying to break that mentality.”

UConn’s Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation supports LeBon, as do courses in the business school. After a New Year’s immersion in the business world, Mulungula has found it exciting to focus on his art once again, while his business acumen will complement his career.

Lessons learned in the classroom often lead to immediate business changes, he says: “I apply what I’ve learned to what I’m doing now. I will learn something and go to Instagram, change my life now. I change what I post for the week based on what I learn in class.

His studio art minor felt like an important addition to being in touch with creativity throughout college. Finally, Mulungula sees these twin interests unite under NXTHVN to make Libon a hub for young people – connecting them to real-world studio and gallery spaces, promoting their artworks on social media and the creative world.

Aime Mulungula standing outside the house a "nice" T-shirt.
Aime Mulungula combines his artistic skills and business acumen at Libon Studio. (Contributed photo)

Giving back to the community is another goal for Libon.

“I know that artists like myself, in my community, don’t have the opportunity to really explore and grow creatively because of the lack of resources. It is not fair. What if I could be a resource for these young entrepreneurs and artists?” I thought. Mulungula says. Give them whatever they need to truly grow as creative individuals.

As the brand continues to grow, it will continue to prioritize social consciousness and focus on empowering young creators of color.

“This is where everything that’s good about who you are shines through,” says LeBon. He promised..

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