TRANSFORMATION | OPPORTUNITY | GROWTH
CONFERENCE ON THE VISUAL ARTS IN SOUTH AFRICA 2006
VANSA

National and International Speakers
Cape Town 8 -11 February 2006

The Visual Arts Network of SA (VANSA) will be the hosting the TRANSFORMATION
| OPPORTUNITY | GROWTH national visual arts conference from 8 to 11 February
2006 at the UCT Hiddingh Campus, Orange Street, Cape Town.

The conference is supported by the Department of Arts and Culture, The CAPE
Africa Platform through NAC and ACT grants, Business Arts SA (BASA), the
British Council, Pro Helvetia, Cape Town Partnership and Artists Network.
The conference runs over three days and is followed on a fourth day (11
February) by VANSA's first national AGM.

The conference hopes to invite key visual arts practitioners: artists,
gallerists, academics, educationalists, curators, critics, collectors,
administrators and bureaucrats, amongst others, to discuss the state of
visual arts since 1994. Speakers and guests will come from all the nine
provinces of the country and will include some international delegates. A
special artists’ workshop will run alongside the formal ’talkshop’.
Throughout the conference there will be a host of optional social events’,
tours and presentations/displays including a special Art Night (10 Feb 2006
from 18h30).

VANSA is an organisation established by and for South African artists and
arts practitioners to represent and lobby for the interests of all active
practitioners in the South African visual arts sector. Focused largely on
issues of art and social development, VANSA foregrounds existing historical
imbalances and deals with concerns around access, opportunities and
coherence within the visual arts sector. Formed in 2003, it is an emerging
national voluntary body that is establishing a broad membership base, which
includes leading figures from the visual arts community nationally.

The 3 days of the conference cost R300 in total, or R150 for VANSA members.
Bursaries are available for paid up VANSA members who cannot afford the
conference fee. VANSA membership costs R50 for individuals and R200 for
institutions. Contact Gouwa at Merle Falken inc at
receptionmerlefalkeninc.co.za for bookings, phone 021-447 9108.
Places are limited and are offered on a first come first served basis.
See www.vansa.co.za for more details.
There are a number of sessions opened to the public (these are marked), all
others are closed for delegates only. The main conference venue is Hiddingh
Hall, Orange Street, UCT.

The VANSA conference is supported by The Department of Arts and Culture
(DAC), CAPE Africa Platform, The National Arts Council, Arts and Culture
Trust, Business Art SA, British Council, Pro Helvetia, Artthrob, Artists
Network (UK), Cape Town Partnership.

ENDS
Issued on behalf of VANSA

For further media information, media accreditation and interviews please
contact Berniece Friedmann 021 434 4951 / 082 892 5877

PROGRAMME : 7 - 11 FEBRUARY 2006

Tuesday 7 February

Pre-conference event. Open to Public

18h30
Topic: Visual Arts, Crafts and Design: Where are the differences?
Confirmed speakers: Mel Hagen (CPUT Design), Sandra Klopper (Univ of
Stellenbosch) (Chair)
Venue: Hiddingh Hall

21h00 Optional Social Gathering: Café Du Sud (Bree Street)

Wednesday 8 February

11h00
Formal registration begins for Conference

14h00 - 15h30 Opening of Conference
Topic : Opening and VANSA
Speakers: Moleleki Frank Ledimo (Bus factory/VANSA Chair), Joseph Gaylard
(independent/ VANSA Gen Secretary), Zayd Minty (independent/VANSA Conference
convenor), Steven Sack (Chair - tbc)
Venue: Hiddingh Hall

15h30: Tea

16h00 - 16h45
Topic: The Department of Arts and Culture and its Visual Arts policy
development programme
Speakers: DAC Speaker: Lindi Ndebele
Venue: Hiddingh Hall

16h45 - 17h00
Closing remarks: Moleleki Ledimo

17h00 - 19h00: Snacks

19h00 for 19h30 - 20h30
Keynote Session and Formal Opening. Open to Public
The Minister of Arts and Culture : Dr Pallo Jordan David Koloane
(artist/curator)
Keynote speaker : Transformation and the Visual Arts: SA Visual Arts 12
years on.
Venue: Hiddingh Hall

21h00 Optional social gathering spot: Joburg Bar (Long Street)

Thursday 9 February,

Closed to Registered Delegates

An overview of the Visual Arts Sector: Local and International
Venue: Hiddingh Hall

09h00
Reflections on the previous day: Yvette Dunn (African Arts Centre, Dbn)

09h15 - 10h15
Chair: Emma Bedford (VANSA/Iziko SANG)

1 Financing and Resourcing: examining the state of the visual arts
economy as it stands (Susan Glanville/ CAPE)

2 Promoting and Presenting: looking at the ways in which visual arts
is collected, displayed and disseminated (Bongi Dhlomo-Mautloa/artist and
curator)

10h45 - 11h45
Chair: Khwezi Gule (VANSA/JAG)

3 Education and Training: the state of education in the visual arts
from primary to tertiary levels, formal and non formal (David Andrew /
Wits)

4 Art in the Public Sphere: looking at dynamic ways visual arts is
being taken to a broader public sphere (Sue Williamson/artist, Artthrob)

11h45 - 13h00
The International Sector
Susannah Sillver: Artists Network. (UK) Courtesy of The British Council
Michel Ritter: Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris. Courtesy of Pro Helvetia
(the Swiss Arts Council) SA Hilario Gemuce. Muvarts (Mozambique)

13h00 - 14h00: Lunch

14h00 - 15h30 Breakaway Sessions

Financing/Resourcing the Arts
Speakers : Nicola Danby (BASA), NAC (tbc), Stephen Hobbs (The Trinity
Sessions), Harroe Siertserma (Graskop Hotel)

Promoting and Presenting the Arts
Speakers: Melanie Hillebrand (Nelson Mandela Metro Museum), Gabi Ngcobo
(artist/ISANG), Gavin Jantjies (CAPE Africa Platform)

Art in the Public Sphere
Sipho Mdanda (Freedom Park, Public Eye (speaker tbc), Dorothee Kreutzveldt
(Joubert Park Project/artist), Clive van den Berg (artist/Northern Cape
Legislature)

Education and Training
Janine Allen (Dpt Fine Art, UFS), Market Photo Workshop, Jill Joubert (Frank
Joubert Art Centre), Jeff Rankin (Border Tech/E. London)

1530 - 16h00 Tea

16h00 - 17h00
Plenary and wrap up
Chair: Kim Berman (Artists Proof Studio)

17h00 - 18h30
Reception in honour of Michel Ritter (supported by Pro Helvetia)

18h30 - 20h00: Open to the Public
Race, gender and the rural-urban divide
Nandipha Mntambo (artist, CT), Arlette Franks (LACA, Limpopo), Michael Barry
(artist, PE), Vuyile Vuyiyo (artist/curator)

21h00 Optional social gathering spot: Joburg (Long Street)

Friday 10 February
Closed to registered delegates

Looking Forward
Venue: Hiddingh Hall

09h00 Reflections on the previous Day: Mario Pissarra (critic/educator)

09h30 - 11h00 Breakaway Sessions: Looking Forward

These sessions will attempt to connect their discussion with issues of
transformation, and each will engage with matters related to
funding/financing/resourcing, networking, infrastructure, and education.

Good Critic, Bad Critic - Art criticism and the media
Speakers: Sean O‘Toole (Art SA), Khwezi Gule (JAG/Gauteng), Robert Greig
(Sunday Independent), Jillian Carmen (art historian, SAVAH), Sophie Perryer
[Chair]

No Job, No Work, No Money: Job Creation & Training

Speakers: Storm Van Rensburg (ex KZNSA), Carol Lignitsky (Creative Inner
City Initiative - Jbg), Barbara Lindop (Renault Arts project/Gauteng)

Creativity and new directions in the arts

Speakers: Kathryn Smith (artist/Univ of Stellenbosch), Mustafa Maluka
(artist), Clive Kellner (JAG ), Virgina Mckenny (UCT) [chair]

Intellectual Property/Repatriation/Indigenous Knowledge System

Speakers (tbc)

11h00: Tea

11h30 - 12h30
Plenary and wrap up
Chair: Nathi Gumede (KZNSA/VANSA)

12h30 - 15h30 (with a 1 hour break for lunch - 13h00 - 14h00)
Closure : Looking Forward Visual Arts: Access and Transformation
Graham Falken (AMAC, WCape)

15h30 Tea

16h00 - 17h30
Way forward
VANSA, DAC input
Themba Shibase (DIT, Kzn)

17h30 - 21h00
Art Night in the central city

18h30: Speaker: Andrew Borraine (Cape Town Partnership) at AVA Followed by a
musical performance in Church Street. Mac McKenzie (Gtr and vocals/ex the
Genuines and Goema Captains), Boeta Kaatjie Davids (banjo) with the
Continentals Male Choir of Bridgetown. (organised by the Coffee Beans
Routes)

21h30 till late - Closing Party (venue tbc)

Saturday 11 February

9h00 - 11h00
Gallery Walkabouts : for delegates only (please book with Gouwa, places
limited)

9h30: Michael Stevenson Gallery, Hill House, De Smidt Steet, Cape Town:
Walkabout by Michael Stevenson entitled The Mechanics of the Art Market

10h15: What if the World Gallery, 11 Hope Street, Cape Town (near cnr of
Roeland St)

National VANSA AGM
11h00 - 16h30
Venue: Hiddingh Hall

11h00 - 11h30 Welcome

11h30 - 12h00 VANSA (2002 - 2006)
Speakers Vansa Exec

12h00 - 13h00 Group Discussion 5 Year Plan

13h00 - 14h00 Lunch

14h00 - 14h30 Plenary: 5 year Plan

14h30 - 15h00 Group Discussion: Constitution

15h00 - 15h30 Tea

15h30 - 16h00 Plenary: Constitution

16h00 - 16h30 Elections of National Exec Committee and National Chairperson

16h30 Closure and Thanks