(Richard Cock, winner
of the ACT Lifetime Achievement Award for Music. Pic Gareth Jacobs)
On November 25, The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) announced
the 2014 winners of the ACT Lifetime Achievement Awards and ImpACT Awards for
young professionals at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg.
In a double celebration of 20 years of the existence of ACT
and the Nedbank Arts Affinity and 17 successful years of the awards, Maseda Ratshikuni,
Head of the Nedbank Arts Affinity Programme reflected on the successes of the
partnership between Nedbank and The Arts & Culture Trust: “As a bank for
all, Nedbank is honoured to be able to support and recognise talented South
Africans who are telling our history, our present and future narratives through
different forms of art.
“One of the reasons we can reflect and celebrate 20 years of
a democracy,” he continues, “is because of the wealth of artists which
contribute to the preservation of our history, our national heritage and
cultures. The winners join this rich lineage of men and women who have
committed themselves to being the guardians of nation. Our 20 year partnership
with ACT is testimony of our commitment to making the arts happen.”
It was an elegant event, hosted by Sun International’s The
Maslow Hotel, and sponsored by Nedbank Arts Affinity. Guests were entertained
by dancers, singers and actors such as Gloria Bosman, Arlin Bantam, Kamogelo Nche
and Tankiso Mamabolo, all of whom are previous ACT Scholarship Award winners.
Each year, for the past 17 years, the ImpACT Awards has
acknowledged young professionals in the arts who have promising careers ahead of
them, already having made a fine imprint on the arts and culture on home soil,
and are within five years of their professional careers. The finalists are
nominated by the public, and adjudicated by a chosen panel of expert judges,
the following winners received an award: Jade Bowers for Theatre, Thabo
Makhetha-Kwinana for Design, Bevan de Wet for Visual Art, and NomfundoXaluva
for Music.
“We never cease to be inspired by the ImpACT Award winners
each year,” says ACT CEO Pieter Jacobs. “They follow in the footsteps of
remarkable artists who have continued to soar to greater heights, not only
locally but internationally as well. We are privileged to have had the
opportunity to, at a crucial juncture in their careers, encourage them to
continue pushing boundaries and testing limits. We wish this year's winners
well in their future endeavours while watching in anticipation as their careers
unfold.”
The Judging Panel for the 2014 ImpACT Awards was headed by
ACT Ambassador and creative professional Caroline Smart, with judges: visual
artist David Koloane, arts education and heritage activist Nadia Virasamy, 2013
Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre Prince Lamla, culture and craft mentor
Eugenie Drakes and jazz music legend Herbie Tsoaeli.
Caroline Smart commented: “Every year the Arts & Culture
Trust honours four ImpACT Awards to young professionals on their
achievements. The judges look for
impressive progress and excellence in both the individual and the impact that
they have made in their communities. ACT
is committed to supporting their development path and ultimate success.”
ACT also honours those who have had a lifelong commitment to
the arts and five deserving Lifetime Achievement Awards have been awarded this
year. The awards are nominated by the ACT Board of Trustees and selected by
current and previous ACT Trustees. Categories including Theatre, Music, Visual
Art and Literature are awarded to recipients who have had a major impact on the
arts, culture and heritage of South Africa. This is the first year a special
award has been made for Arts Advocacy.
ACT has honoured Sam Nzima for Visual Art, Richard Cock for
Music, Andre P Brink for Literature and Richard Loring for Theatre. The
Lifetime Achievement Award for Arts Advocacy, honours patrons in the arts who
have devoted a lifetime of work to supporting the arts, and this year this
award has gone to Mandie van der Spuy.
The 2014 ACT Awards ceremony was sponsored by Nedbank Arts
Affinity and hosted by Sun International and presented in association with the
Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), the Dramatic, Artistic and
Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO), Media24 Books, and is supported by the
Distell Foundation, Classicfeel Magazine and Business and Arts South Africa
(BASA).
For more information about the Arts & Culture Trust
(ACT) visit www.act.org.za
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