(Ayanda
Mjekula National Arts Festival Chairman, Hazel Chimhandamba Head of Group
Sponsorship for Standard Bank, Tony Lankester CEO of the National Arts
Festival, Dianne Graney Sponsorship Manager Standard Bank, Ashraf Johaardien
Executive Producer of the National Arts Festival)
Standard Bank has renewed their sponsorship
of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, one of the country’s longest and
highest profile sponsorship investments, for a further three years. Standard
Bank’s partnership with the iconic event will run until the end of 2020.
“Our partnership extends back to 1984 and
has endured ever since – most recently as the title sponsor of both the Jazz
Festival and the Young Artist Awards, two flagship properties in the Festival
stable,” said National Arts Festival CEO, Tony Lankester. “The new agreement will
see a deepening of the existing relationship, will bring a new project to life,
and will help reinvigorate an established project.”
From 2018, in addition to their sponsorship
of the Jazz and Young Artist Awards, Standard Bank are partnering on the creation
of a new mini Festival that focuses on the digital arts and “the spaces where
technology and the arts converge,” Lankester said. “Technology is changing the
way we experience art, and it is giving artists new freedoms in the way they
create and promote their work. Grahamstown is the perfect place to explore this
new digital frontier, and it will add a whole new dimension to the National
Arts Festival.”
Standard Bank will also be acquiring the
naming rights to the Festival’s new Craft Market as it moves to its new home
and undergoes a facelift, Lankester added. Among the changes planned for the
market are the introduction of performance spaces; extended trading hours for
the popular beer tent on certain nights; a layout redesign; the inclusion of
visual artists in the market precinct; and a greater emphasis on children’s
entertainment and activities. “We’re working with our various partners,
including some of the traders and crafters to design the new market. Standard
Bank’s investment will give the market a solid business partner, while also
giving us the space to create a unique and memorable experience for our
visitors,” he added.
The renewal of the partnership was
applauded by the Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, who thanked
Standard Bank for their ongoing investment in the sector: “It is pleasing to
note that there are companies and organisations who are upholding and uplifting
the arts in South Africa. This support is a vital lifeline for the many artists
and creatives in the country and we look forward to building the arts landscape
with Standard Bank and the National Arts Festival.”
Hazel Chimhandamba, Head of Group
Sponsorship at Standard Bank, said that the sponsorship had evolved
significantly over the years, and the changes planned for 2018 were part of an
ongoing reinvention of the relationship. “Standard Bank is truly part of the
DNA of the National Arts Festival and our partnership ensures that it continues
to not only provide a significant, credible platform for artists and audiences,
but also that it makes a major contribution to the economy of Grahamstown and
the Eastern Cape.” The most recent study, conducted by Rhodes University’s
Department of Economics, credited the Festival with making a R377m contribution
to the GDP of the province and R94m to the city, predominantly through
employment and visitor spend.
Standard Bank’s sponsorship covers just
under one-third of the Festival’s operating budget, with the balance coming
from other Presenting Sponsors – the Eastern Cape Government; the National
Department of Arts and Culture; the National Lotteries Commission and
independent sources such as ticket sales and commissions.
The National Arts Festival Chairman, Ayanda
Mjekula, thanked Standard Bank for their ongoing support of the Arts. “One
would be hard pressed to find a corporate sponsor with more passion for, and
commitment to, the Arts than Standard Bank. Whether it is the staging of the
country’s leading Jazz Festival or the support for generations of Young
Artists, Standard Bank brings a sharp focus to their partnerships and makes
sound investments that help the industry flourish and thrive,” he said.
The National Arts Festival will take place
in Grahamstown from June 28 to July 8, 2018.
(To
link direct to the NAF site click on the large banner that runs across the top
of this blog)
Posts
