Deadline for submissions:
August 21, 2015
Some 17 developmental projects have been selected for ACT
Professional Development Programme support.
Funded by Nedbank Arts Affinity, the Arts & Culture
Trust (ACT) Professional Development Programme is designed to support the
development of a reliable, sustainable and vibrant arts and culture sector in
South Africa. The programme makes provision for support of activities that
increase job opportunities for and develop sustainability of South African arts
and culture organisations and artists with a range of once-off and multi-year
grants.
The projects that will add a splash of colour and a dash
of excitement to the country's creative landscape span across the artistic
vista – from visual arts, theatre, multi-discipline, music to literature.
Projects from Limpopo to the Western Cape, and the Garage professional training
programme from the Northern Cape; the Baxter Artists in Residence programme in
the Western Cape; the Midlands Meander's Artist Subvention Fund in
KwaZulu-Natal as well as a theatre piece based on Njabulo Ndebele's The Cry of Winnie Mandela novel will
receive ACT grants.
“These projects represent a spectrum of exciting and
progressive art voices that are in the vanguard of the South African performing
arts sphere. We also delight in the fact that they make things that really
matter happen by providing much-needed employment to our artists while creating
a sustainable platform for future growth, training and development,” says Faith
Phoshoko, Head of Sponsorships and Cause Marketing: Nedbank.
The diversity of the projects feed into the rich tapestry
of South Africa's multi-cultures and showcases some of the best in fringe
disciplines.
The Artists
Subvention Fund in KZN: The aim of this project is to double the
number of financially-secure artist members of the Midlands Meander by 2020 –
and to ensure that artist businesses are sustainable. The Midlands Meander
provides artists in the KZN Midlands with a powerful marketing platform.
Artists would benefit from all marketing activities offered by the Midlands
Meander.
Other projects with KZN links are as follows:
uHlanga New Poets (Western
Cape & KZN): While uHlanga and its editors have published magazines and
anthologies of poetry in the past to critical acclaim, the only thing that can
truly launch a poet’s career is the publication of an anthology. The careers of
young writers as bonafide poets will be launched through this medium.
Critter: Eastern Cape
(Western
Cape, Gauteng & KZN): Critter is online publication for arts reviews,
critique, analysis and news. This includes performing art, visual art,
literature and design. It seeks to unify disparate arts bloggers to create a
single creditable site for South African arts related content.
Prufrock Magazine (Western
Cape, Gauteng and KZN): This magazine publishes young and new South African
writers of fiction, poetry, journalism and personal essays, as well as
illustrations, photography and other media to illustrate the pieces. It
published in Xhosa, Zulu, Baca, Afrikaans and English, and will to continue to
publish more pieces in indigenous South African languages.
The Open_Theatre
Toolkit (Eastern
Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng & KZN): Currently working with Arts Township
International, the timeline is to have the Toolkit available by February 2016,
with weekly tweaks and monthly updates for optimisation. Considering the
potential of this software to allow small teams to work effectively, organise
their management and marketing systems and increase their footprint in their
local communities across borders, it will spark a new paradigm in arts
management.
"It is exciting to see how the programme has grown.
ACT is not only pleased by the diversity and quality of applications received
but also by the increased interest from applicants who are based outside the
urban centers. Seventeen projects have been selected by the ACT Trustees from
among more than 540 applications received in this funding cycle. We are
tremendously excited about announcing ACT and Nedbank Arts Affinity's support
for these projects,” says Pieter Jacobs, CEO of ACT.
The next funding cycle of the ACT Professional
Development Programme is currently open. The closing date for submissions is August
21, 2015. For more information visit www.act.org.za
Posts
