Deadline: March 31, 2016
“The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) experienced a busy and
rewarding year of supporting a range of arts and culture initiatives, awarding
Scholarships and Awards as well as sharing information and knowledge with a
view to enable, advance and inspire our beneficiaries,” says Pieter Jacobs, CEO
of the Arts & Culture Trust. “While it is important to reflect we also look
ahead and we are excited about what 2016 has in store for us.”
Through the Professional Development Programme, funded by Nedbank
Arts Affinity, more than R900,000 was disbursed to organisations, associations,
cooperatives, networks and individual artists across the country. ACT is
currently receiving applications for grants between R10,000 and R60,000 and
encourage especially projects from under-serviced areas (as set out on the ACT
website) and Section 18A entities to submit their applications by no later than
March 31, 2016.
In partnership with DALRO and Nedbank Arts Affinity, the
Trust presented the 7th annual Scholarships Awards in October and allocated a
combined total of R315,000 to aspirant performers to pursue undergraduate
studies in the performing arts at a South African accredited tertiary
institution of their choice. With support from the National Lottery
Distribution Trust Fund an additional 14 scholarships will be awarded in 2016.
This time around, students in their first and second years of study are also
invited to register to participate in the programme, which will make grants
available for dramatic arts, singing, dance and musical theatre studies.
The 2015 ACT | UJ Conference, presented in partnership with UJ
Arts & Culture and Connect ZA, attracted more than 350 delegates interested
in expanding their horizons regarding cultural entrepreneurship.
Plans for the 2016 conference entitled #creativeintersections – an interactive experience, is well
underway. The two-day conference, to be presented on March 16 and 17, aims to
provide a forum for developing and inspiring the creative community by
encouraging creative collaborations across disciplines. The focus of the
conference is to construct a new, creative road map where academic disciplines
can physically and figuratively cross boundaries, highlighting “intersections”
where new mediums, theories and connections can be identified and established.
Perhaps most prominent of the year’s memories is the 18th
annual ACT Awards that celebrated the remarkable lives of Thembi Mtshali-Jones,
Caiphus Semenya, Omar Badsha, Don Mattera, Johnny Mekoa and Alfred Hinkel.
Young professional artists who made their mark within the
first five years of their careers were also acknowledged. Jessica Denyschen, Lindiwe
Maxolo, Letlhogonolo Nche, Laurie Wiid van Heerden, PopART and Benon Lutaaya
all received ImpACT Awards for Young Professionals sponsored by Distell Foundation.
Sun International’s
The Maslow Hotel played host to the ceremony for the second year in a row. The
event was sponsored by long-time supporters SAMRO, DALRO, Media24 Books,
Nedbank Arts Affinity, Creative Feel Magazine and Business and Arts South
Africa. JTI came on board this year as sponsor of the inaugural Lifetime
Achievement Award for Dance.
“Finally, we are delighted to announce that a new
partnership with the National Arts Council will see ACT present arts management
master classes and mentorships in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West during
2016,” adds Jacobs. “ACT is currently accepting applications for these classes;
visit the ACT website www.act.org.za to
apply.”
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