The African Art Centre is currently hosting the Velobala Mentorship Programme exhibition, which features the works of Dumisani Nzuza, Lindele Msweli, Sthenjwa Luthuli and Wonder Mbambo.
“The African Art Centre has always recognized the need to become more concerned in the role that we play in supporting art education in communities who do not have the means to further their education or develop their skills,” says Sharon Crampton, the African Art Centre’s director. “In 1994, we initiated an innovative programme, The Velobala Group, which offers visual art instruction and fine art education to young creative black artists located away from the traditional urban clusters of arts infrastructure.”
Each year, a group of 25 individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 are mentored on the premises of the Department of Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology. The classes and modules are coordinated by Development Officer at the African Art Centre, Nozipho Zulu, and are facilitated by post graduate Fine Art Students, professional artists and lecturers from the Durban University of Technology.
At the beginning of 2012, The African Art Centre received funding from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture for the Velobala Mentorship Programme. This exposed four visual artists, who previously attended the Velobala Group Programme and had demonstrated determination, initiative and potential to a more extensive programme of Visual Art.
The four young artists worked in a formal environment, together with students of the Department of Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology, an opportunity which allowed the young artist to collaborate with the students and experience tertiary level education in a formal setting. The group was mentored by Themba Shibase, artist and Fine Art lecturer at the Department of Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology.
The exhibition is a culmination of the work produced by the young artists over a period of four months. It includes paintings and drawings. The African Art Centre is situated at 94 Florida Road, Durban.
More information from the Development Officer, Nozipho Zulu, at 031 303 4634. Posted by ARTSMART
MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012
http://news.artsmart.co.za/2012/10/lifes-easy.html
