Nuusbrief / Newsletter Augustus / August 2011

We are more than half way through 2011 and indeed Stellenbosch Arts Association has been offering a wide spectrum of activities, not only for artists but also for art lovers of all ages. Our monthly member meetings were very well attended, one of the highlights being Barry Gibb’s talk on Auguste Rodin-film snippets from Camille Claude were shown and reference was made to greats such as Michelangelo and Henry Moore. Daniel Louw presented a series of six talks on Icons: windows into eternity, during which the focus shifted from spirituality to corporality, from the sublime to the ridiculous and from life to death. We recently had the opportunity to watch the graffiti artist’s, Banksy's, first film (Exit Through the Gift Shop) billed as "the world's first street art disaster movie". The film was released in the UK on 5 March 2010 and in January 2011 it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Our first workshop was presented by Marieke Kruger from Paarl with the theme, female figure studies. This was followed by Lorraine Blumer’s painting course and Lenie Harley’s cement sculpturing courses. What is more, we co-sponsored a holiday art project during the June school holiday for children aged 6 to 14 years in collaboration with Sasol Art Museum.

We also presented a second workshop on comic art for teenagers, presented by Vernon Fourie. This was even attended by two fathers accompanying their sons! There was a special request for a follow- up of the comic course during the September school holiday. Die Kunsvereniging se algemene jaarvergadering (AJV) het in April plaasgevind waartydens die volgende uitvoerende komiteelede (ampte of portefeulje in hakies) gekies is:

Margot Steyn (Voorsitter), Hettie de Klerk (Ondervoorsitter), Lenie Harley (Ondervoorsitter), Belinda Jacobs (Tesourier), Sona Buys (Sekretaris), Olga Basson , Lydia de Waal (US Kunsmuseum), Roena Griesel, Marianne Hölscher (Media-skakeling), Wilma Lamprecht (Lede-uitstalling), Daniel Louw , Dirkie Offringa (SANAVA), Roelof van der Merwe.

‘n Groot onderskeiding het ons in Mei te beurt geval toe ons Vereniging opgetree het as die gashere vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Vereniging vir Visuele Kunste (SANAVA, geneem van South African National Association for the Visual Arts) se algemene jaarvergadering in Stellenbosch. SANAVA is ‘n sambreel- organisasie vir kunsverenigings in Suid-Afrika waarvan ons Vereniging ‘n ledetak is. U kan ook hulle webwerf besoek by www.sanava.co.za Dirkie Offringa, een van Kunsvereniging Stellenbosch se lede, is vanjaar SANAVA se President. Op die foto links bo, geneem tydens die Kenmekaarfunksie van die SANAVA se AJV, is Anton Loubser die Vise - President van SANAVA saam met Dirkie Offringa, die huidige President. Op die volgende foto sien u vir Barry Gibb, kunshistorikus en afgetrede hoof van die Belgrave Kunssentrum in Oos Londen, Daniel Louw, een van ons UK-lede en Margot Steyn, die huidige Voorsitter van ons tak.

Daar is talle voordele vir ons om aan SANAVA te behoort waarvan die bekendste die voordeel vir kunstenaars is om vir drie maande teen minimale koste verblyf in ‘n woonstel in Parys te bekom. Behalwe vir die geleentheid tot deelname aan nasionale kompetisies en uitstallings, is ons indirek lede van IAA (International Association of Arts) deur wie Suid-Afrikaanse kunstenaars en kurators o.a. vry toegang tot internasionale galerye en museums kan bekom.

Die hoogtepunt vir 2011 kom nog! Ons jaarlikse ledeuitstalling, is om die draai. Dit gaan op Donderdagaand, 8 September in die P J Olivier Kunssentrum met dr Dawie de Villiers as openingspreker afskop. Ons lede gaan uitstal, asook vier genooide kunstenaars, nl Marieke Prinsloo, Niël Jonker, Nora Newton en Nicolaas Maritz. Inskrywings word tot 19 Augustus ingewag. Die aansoekvorm en voorwaardes om uit te stal, ‘n vrywaringsvorm asook 'n lys van die besonderhede wat vir elke kunswerk voorsien moet word, moet by die kantoor van die Kunsvereniging afgehaal word of versoek dat die kantoor dit aan u sal e-pos ( [email protected]). Verlede jaar het 71 van ons lede uitgestal, met ‘n totaal van 300 gehangde werke, en ons hoop ons gaan vanjaar weer ‘n groot getal kunstenaars se werke kan aanbied. Aan die stuur van die uitstalkomitee staan Wilma Lamprecht. Sy het ‘n span helpers om met die hang van werke en administratiewe take te help, maar sy soek vrywilligers om tydens die uitstalling toesig te hou – kontak haar asb by [email protected] om hulp aan te bied.

Ter voorbereiding van ons uitstalling gaan ons met ons ledebyeenkoms op Woensdag, 24 Augustus kyk hoe kenners kunswerke ontleed. Om die bal aan die rol te sit, sal drie kunswerke deur bekende kunstenaars, maar sonder identiteitsplaatjies, ontleed en evalueer word. Daarna sal die drie kunskritici elkeen in hulle eie hoekies gaan sit sodat lede die geleentheid kan kry om hul eie kunswerke aan die kunskritici te wys vir kommentaar. Kom neem gerus deel, hetsy as kunstenaar, kunsliefhebber of as waarnemer.

Datums om te onthou: Aansoeke om uit te stal op/voor Vrydag, 19 Augustus 2011 by Sasol Kunsmuseum. “KUNSKYK” 17:30 op Woensdag, 24 Augustus 2011, lede kry geleentheid vir kommentaar op hulle werke by Sasol Kunsmuseum, Ryneveldstraat 52. Werke op Vrydag, 2 September 2011 tussen 10:00 en 14:00 by Kunssentrum PJ Olivier, Blomstraat 3. Opening om 18:30 op Donderdag, 8 September by Kunssentrum PJ Olivier.

Dates to remember: Applications to exhibit on/or before Friday 19 August 2011 at Sasol Art Museum. “LOOKING AT ART” 17:30 on Wednesday, 24 August, members have the opportunity to have their own art works discussed at Sasol Art Museum, 52 Ryneveld Street. Works to be delivered on Friday, 2 September 2011, between 10:00 and 14:00 to P J Olivier Art Centre, 3 Blom Street. Opening at 18:30 on Thursday, 8 September at P J Olivier Art Centre.

Here are some details of the guest artists of our members’ exhibition:

Marieke Prinsloo grew up in Pretoria and studied at the Universities of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand and presently lives in Elgin. She has a MA (Fine Arts) and was the winner of the Judges Merit Award for the SASOL New Signatures (1997), and soon afterwards the winner of the PPC Young Sculptors Awards Competition (1999). She is a sculptor and has participated in numerous exhibitions and received several commissions. The collective of work that she has done in the last 10 years has always focused on the human body, rendered rather close to realism. She is fascinated by the way in which viewers respond to human sculpture and the mimicking dialogue that is put in place. She uses the human body and its myriad of gestures as a vehicle to communicate, and finds concrete a uniquely appropriate medium for her works of Public Art.

Niël Jonker was born, and grew up, on a farm in the Little Karoo district of Oudtshoorn and matriculated from Oudtshoorn High School with a distinction in art. He graduated with distinctions in painting and sculpture from Technikon Natal, Durban (1991) and was awarded the most promising student award from the Foundation Art School, Cape Town, presented by Judith Mason in the same year. He is a full time artist, focusing on oil painting - his works include landscapes, portraits and still lifes. He continues to host regular solo exhibitions at his home in Baardskeerdersbos as well as at leading Cape galleries. He is a regular at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival and other festivals in South Africa.

Nora Newton grew up with the sea and mountains of Cape Town while childhood holidays near Beaufort West in the Karoo sparked her passion for rural South Africa. She has spent the last 11 years surrounded by the vineyards and soaring peaks of Franschhoek, She studied art as a subject for matric and qualified as a graphic designer at the Cape Technikon. After a number of years working in advertising agencies in Cape Town and Johannesburg she decided to satisfy a life-long ambition to study Fine Art and pursue a career as a full time artist. She enjoys painting still lifes, landscapes and the human figure. She has since had 6 solo exhibitions and regularly participates in group exhibitions.

Nicolaas Maritz is a South African artist and poet, who lives in Darling. He received his art education at home and at school, first in Pretoria, and later in Port Elizabeth, and subsequently studied at the Michaelis Art School of the University of Cape Town. His first one-man exhibition was held in 1976 at the Eastern Province Arts Association Gallery in Port Elizabeth, since when he has exhibited regularly in South Africa and abroad. Nicolaas is also a well known illustrator of South African, American, British and Japanese children’s and other books, for which he has received a number of American awards. The artist paints with enamel paint, which is applied to a smooth primed hardboard surface. From time to time he also works in other media like ceramics and metal wire.

Daar is vanjaar ‘n sterk fokus op beeldhou. In die vooruitsig is daar ‘n besoek aan die Bronze Age gietery in Simonstad. Dit sal plaas vind om 12:00 op Woensdag 21 September. Ook sal een van ons gaskunstenaars, Marieke Prinsloo, sementbeeldhou meestersklasse in figuurstudies vanaf 1 Oktober tot 5 November aanbied. Meer inligting sal later hieroor verskaf word.

Lastly, some more good news: Are you an artist who wants to leave the rat race for a while to get down to some concentrated, uninterrupted art-making? How does a rustic forest cottage on the Paul Cluver Wine Estate in the spectacular surroundings of the Elgin Valley in the Cape sound? This self-catering Forest Cottage is situated next to the Paul Cluver Amphitheatre, has electricity and comprises a living room with two single beds, bath room and kitchen downstairs with another bed in the loft upstairs. South African artists (anyone who has participated in an art exhibition) who have held membership for at least the preceding year of SANAVA (members of Stellenbosch Arts Association are ipso facto members of SANAVA), may apply to the Stellenbosch Arts Association for a working stay at the Paul Cluver Forest Cottage for a minimum of ten days and a maximum period of three weeks. Contact our office for the criteria to apply for residency at the cottage.

Kantoor: Vir kunsverwante navrae kontak gerus vir Sonet Joubert by die kantoor van die Kunsvereniging langs die Sasol Kunsmuseum. Sy is op Maandag-, Woensdag- en Vrydagoggende vanaf 9:00 tot 13:00 in ons kantoor om lede behulpsaam te wees. Sy kan ook by 021 808 3668 of [email protected] gekontak word.

Ons nooi enigiemand wat kursusse in kuns of kunsvlyt wil aanbied om die kantoor hiervan in kennis te stel vir die oorweging van die Uitvoerende Komitee. Ons sal ook bly wees as u ons sal laat weet in welke kunsrigting u graag ‘n kursus sal wil bywoon.

Margot Steyn Voorsitter Kunsvereniging Stellenbosch Chair Person Stellenbosch Arts Association