Appeal to establish community arts centre in PMB
The Bishop Colenso Art Hub will provide artists with a space to work, get professional development and a way to market their work.
A group of committed local artists and activists is appealing to the KZN Midlands community to help them establish a dedicated community art centre in Pietermaritzburg.
The Mindful Art Society is a non-governmental organisation which aims to promote and support emerging artists.
They have previously partnered with the Keep Pietermaritzburg Clean Association (KPCA) Group to turn local infrastructure, including bridges, into works of art.
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Speaking to The Witness, co-founder of the organisation, Siyanda Baijoo Motau, said: “Pietermaritzburg’s local art scene is facing a quiet crisis.
“While neighbouring municipalities, like uMngeni, leverage thriving cultural destinations like The Old Mushroom Farm to boost tourism and support creatives, Msunduzi Municipality currently lacks any dedicated communal art spaces.”
Motau said that was why he and fellow-founder, Khethiwe Kunene, were determined to transform the historic Bishop Colenso’s House in Bishopstowe into a vibrant, self-sustaining community art centre.
The Bishop Colenso Art Hub will provide artists with a space to work, get professional development and a way to market their work directly to clients.
The Mindful Arts Society believes this kind of facility is vital, given that the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for the Visual Arts (CVA) is currently the only fine arts provider in the City and unaffordable for many local artists.
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Motau added that a lack of formal workspaces and storage mean artists have to work from cramped homes, leaving valuable artworks vulnerable to damage.
The lack of local galleries also means that creators cannot connect with regional or international art collectors.
“The Mindful Art Society has already proven that there is a local appetite for art through our successful grassroots programmes, which will now find a permanent home at the Hub,” said Motau.
Future plans include art pop-ups which will act as fundraising events and market-testing platforms that showcase local art; and providing art workshops for the youth and under-resourced public schools.
Artists will also be given business skills and help with portfolio building, professional photography, biography writing, and pricing consultations.
To get the transformation under way, the Mindful Arts Society is hosting a Mandela Day event from 9am to 4pm on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18.
We need hands on the day or support in the form of donations of gardening equipment, cleaning equipment and any other items that can help us build the art hub that Pietermaritzburg deserves.
If you would like to get involved can WhatsApp 064501 6446 or email [email protected]
